Live Sawn
Live sawn boards are created by cutting the log straight through with minimal waste. The resulting boards display the full range of the log’s natural characteristics with a unique mix of quarter sawn, rift sawn, and plain sawn.
Similar to a French or European cut, however, live sawn likely has more character. Live sawn is offered as a mill run (natural) grade and displays beautiful characteristics, including the beautiful, quartered figure in white oak.
A Closer Look
Since the 1980s, Hickman Lumber has had a world renown reputation for producing high quality quarter sawn lumber. Large logs, at least 16” diameter, are needed to quarter saw. In the early 2000s Hickman Lumber experimented with ways to get more quarter sawn lumber from smaller lower grade logs.
The result of this experiment was live sawn. In 2005, Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring took a few boards to the National Wood Flooring Association Trade Show to see if anyone had any interest in this unique flooring cut. Initially a few contractors used the floor in some very high-end homes and over time the term and look grew in popularity and is now quite common in the industry.
There is an art and science to drying this lumber with the mix grain, but when done correctly the result is a beautiful and stable wide plank flooring option due to the high percentage of rift and quarter sawn throughout the board.
Live sawn is offered in white oak and red oak.
Live sawn is only offered as sorted width as rough 4/4” lumber or 15/16 Hit or Miss S2S.