Timber › Notes › 3.2 Recovery, conversion and seasoning

3.2 Recovery, conversion and seasoning

• Conversion: live/through sawing (parallel cuts, fast, least waste, mix of grain; e.g. radiata pine palings, 2019 MC2); back sawing (rings tangential to face, wider boards, attractive "cathedral" figure but cups); quarter sawing (rings at 45–90° to face: most stable, ray figure, more waste and cost); flitches (large sections for later re-sawing or veneer slicing); burls (abnormal growth, prized figure, 2016 MC3 / 2023 MC9).
• Seasoning: air (stack, stickers, cover, end-seal; cheap, slow, to outdoor EMC) vs kiln (controlled heat/humidity/airflow; fast; precise MC; kills insects; energy cost). Solar kilns are a low-energy variation. Ripping = cutting along the grain; cross-cutting = across.
• EMC: moisture content in balance with surrounding air; select timber near the EMC of the place of use to prevent shrinking/swelling after construction.

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