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Quality Issues with Rift Sawn White Oak 
Question
Forum Responses
From contributor B: Perhaps I've interpreted your question incorrectly but what I consider ray fleck is actually a good thing since it indicates the piece has been quarter sawn. From contributor A: Quarter sawn oak can have fleck, and the more fleck the higher the price. Rift should not have much fleck as the cut is designed to limit it, and its less noticeable than in quarter sawn. From the original questioner: The situation that prompted this question is that we contracted out Rift Sawn White Oak doors. They came in with varying amounts of fleck and our client has not accepted the doors because of it. We have thought a certain amount was inevitable and acceptable but have lacked a reference or standard to back our product and thoughts. We need to have a high standard to compete in the market we are in. AWI seems to have a standard and I have ordered their book - is that the Wood Institute? In addition, I called Rex Lumber they have a yard in CT. They said some amount of fleck is present in their stock. From contributor A: Doors come under a different specification than lumber or veneer. Were they specified AWI? The AWI Specification for rift doors in the manual is not as a percentage but more size and slope. If you bought a door that meets AWI spec then it would be on the door manufacturer. It may be that they wanted or expected the characteristics of comb grain rather than rift grain. From contributor C: In my experience, rift grain means different things for veneer and solid. Rift veneer is usually just plain sliced with the cathedrals trimmed out, so you get the familiar straight grain pattern with minimal rays. Solid rift is actually quarter sawn, so rays are unavoidable. On a door, perhaps veneering the flat surfaces would minimize the objectionable rays, even if you are veneering over the oak to do it. This could be the simplest solution, all things considered. From contributor A: Rift and quarter sawn are two different cuts. The veneer cut you refer to is sometimes referred to as a European clip, and provides a similar look at a lower cost, depending on what the end user wants. From contributor C: I realize that what you describe as European clip and a true rift cut veneer are different, but our veneer people in the midwest told us that is the way they processed their version of rift in the product we were getting. I suspect this is a common practice in many areas because true rift slicing might require more specialized equipment and cost. From Gene Wengert, technical advisor Sawing and Drying Forum: Being somewhat technical, oftentimes quarter sawn grain has the annual rings at an angle of 75 to 90 degrees to the face, while rift is 45 to 75 degrees. So, quarter has more ray fleck than rift. When making veneer, it is easiest to start slicing at a perfect quarter sawn, but unless the cant piece is turned, the grain will have a transition to rift. Turning takes time. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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