BlogAbout UsThe ShopServicesPricingTestimonialsFAQsContact Us

Home : Materials :

Cutting method

As species of wood have characteristics to do with strength and movement, parts of logs also have different timber characteristics. Softwood species contain heartwood and sapwood. With heartwood, wood fibre has less moisture when the growing process is finished. Sapwood delivers water, and because sapwood grows on the outer part of the tree, fungus can enter through it.

Wood checks toward the centre of logs. If timber contains the centre of the logs, it develops a couple of checks toward the centre. This changes the timber shape. Checking occurs only during the drying process, so once the timbers are dry, checking no longer happens.

The part that does not contain the centre of the log is called Free Of Heart Centre (FOHC). If FOHC timbers are milled before the logs have begun to check, the chances of the timber checking are reduced.

Depending on where the cut is applied on logs, the grain will be edge grain or flat grain. People who split boards by hand in karate must know what grain does. Edge grain splits much more easily than flat grain does. Wood shrinks less toward the centre and more around the circumference, so flat grain cups as it dries, and edge grain stays in shape. Quarter-sawn timber is FOHC four-sided edge grain, the most stable timber in a log.

We are sourcing FOHC as much as we can. But it depends on the dimensions. Bigger timber requires greater log diameters to harvest FOHC. Some FOHC, such as that near the centre on the side, is worth more than box-heart timber.