# How much will flat-sawn oak warp?



## tpcolson (Nov 19, 2013)

I'm a serial renovator, currently renovating my 2000 SF hand-hewn log cabin. I'm hoping to do all of the walls and ceiling with oak planks. I have a pile of 8 foot oak (red and black) logs that I'm about to have sawn. I'm interested in the greatest volume of cut lumber, not really interested in "furniture grade", as this is a hand hewn cabin! I'm loosing sleep over whether I should get it quarter sawn, or flat sawn. The biggest log I have is 22 inches, some are 12, and I know you really can't QS below 16. My question is, how much is flat sawn oak going to warp and cup in a cabin in East TN where sometimes it's so humid you feel like you're swimming? Bug holes, kerf marks, knots, don't bother me but I loose my mind when I see drastically cupped, gapped, or warped boards. Is oak so unstable that I should give up on flat sawn? Is it going to cup, as sure as the sun comes up? I am going to have it kiln dried. Given the availablity of oak to me (not much left), I really can't afford QS, as I'll have to get logs elsewhere. The whole point of the renovation is to aquire and cut the wood in the same manner as the logs. The "Borgs" and even the local guys want so much for rough cut oak, it's cheaper for me to go troll for logs and bring them back to my driveway…errr….logging deck. Thanks!


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

Normally I would say quartersaw, quartersaw, quartersaw. However a 12-16" diameter log won't yield much when quartersawn. 
Not only will flatsawn oak cup more than QS oak, it will expand and contract more across its width.

It can be a tough call.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Oak, will twist, bend, cup and shrink. One it dries, forget about hammering a nail through it. I built my log home with oak but did the interior walls with sheetrock it gave it a nice contrast. You can see it here.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Is the cabin insulated? Do you have an inner wall system or lateral sleepers to nail to?


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## tpcolson (Nov 19, 2013)

This is for interior walls (between rooms), and ceilings. Cabin is 2 story. Exterior wall, and outer wall on the interior, will remain log. Yes it is insulated, but HVAC is rarely used due to extreme cost of delivering fuel/electricity. So it sounds like no matter what, oak planks are goint to noodle?


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Yep, they probably will.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

I have sawn and dried thousands of BF of oak. It is one of the better behaving woods if your sticker stack is level and you sticker on a 24" or less spacing. Some of the flat sawn boards first off the log will cup, but by and large, it is an easy wood to dry flat with a proper air drying stack. I have posted this pic before, but here is an example of a proper air drying stack. The base has to be dead level, and the stickers should line up with the cross supports. This stack is sycamore, a notoriously difficult wood to dry straight.










I would not be concerned with flat sawing the oak. I have seen many very poorly constructed and stacked air drying stacks, and this has more to do with the flatness of drying than the orientation of the cut in oak. Stack the highest grade boards on the bottom as you build the stack and end up with the lowest grade boards on top. The weight of the lower grade boards will serve as weight for the better grade to help keep them as flat as possible.

Here is a pic of a stack of about 1000 BF of red oak. You can see how flat the boards are.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I also have found red and white oak to be very stable.I buy from a lumber yard local so they do all the hard work.
I just don't care for the look of the wood esp red oak.I almost never pass on work so sometimes I use it.
I say go for it Mr renovater, you just never know because wood is both mysterious and amazing!


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