Design Solutions - Summer 2008 - (Page 54) Important to note is that Rift lumber and Rift veneer are not going to look alike or take stain alike. The names are the same, but the products are much different. Plain Slicing – on page 43 of your 8th Edition Quality Standards Illustrated you will find the above illustration of Plain Slicing. The log is cut in half, now called a “flitch” — and the halflog is mounted on a carriage. The carriage moves up and down in front of a very sharp knife, indexing a few thousandths of an inch forward on each pass. This is the most common type of high quality veneer production. The veneer leaves fall off the knife in order and are kept in order in what is now called the “book” of the flitch. They are kept in order so they can be sequenced. The “cathedral” pattern you see in the illustration is typical of plain sliced veneer. When laid up on a core, the pattern repeats and echoes itself while showing the natural progression of growth through the tree. When a large leaf is used from edge-to-edge, the grain figure actually moves from true plain sliced appearance toward the quartered appearance. From time to time, veneer flitches are separated to take advantage of this characteristic. Quarter Slicing – uses one quarter of a log, rather than the half log used for Plain Slicing. “Sister” flitches can often be purchased from a vendor. That is, two or three of the quarter-log flitches may be available to use on a larger project. Instead of cutting across the growth rings, quartering cuts perpendicular to them. The quarter-log is mounted on the same type of carrier in front of a knife. The leaves are kept in order as they come off the slicer. Figure 200-12, page 239, Quality Standards Illustrated Because we are using narrower “boards,” we generate narrower leaves when quartering. This is often an advantage, especially when laid up in a slip match. Cutting along the radial line of the log usually produces a narrow, striped appearance in the grain pattern. The spacing of the stripes may vary between one area of the log and another. In addition, the characteristic “flake” or “ray” effect mentioned earlier appears in Red and White Oak. It’s a kind of decorative effect, not unlike Birdseye in Maple, which is highly prized. The flake size and quantity will vary, not only from tree to tree, but also within a single flitch. The spacing or frequency of the characteristic cannot be specified. Rift Slicing – it is usually proper to use the term Rift only when referring to the Oaks, either Red or White. Hardly any other species are rift sliced, but you may see it from time to time. Unlike the previous examples, the quarter-log is mounted on a half-round lathe and passed by the fixed knife. The cut is made at an angle to the rays in the wood. The leaves from Rift sliced Oak will often be even narrower than Quartered leaves. And, remember, Rift lumber and Rift veneers are quite different in the way they work and respond to finish. By cutting at an angle to the rays, Rifting minimizes or eliminates the appearance of the “flake” figure on the face of the veneer. Take special note to be careful in regard to the term “Comb Grain” — a special selection of Rift Oak. Some projects really need this specially selected, fine grained Oak. In general, Comb Grain Oak has a very straight figure from end-to-end. Many times the spac- How to Produce a Veneer Paneling Project Figure 200-13, page 240, Quality Standards Illustrated 54 DESIGN SOLUTIONS I summer 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.