4 Things Every Sawyer Should Know About Ray Fleck

Unless you work directly with trees, you might not realize the complexity of wood. This fibrous structural tissue contains various chemicals, such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and other elements. Wood also consists of cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, and various kinds of extractives.

One more thing that wood contains are billions of cells. In fact, 35 cubic feet of spruce wood contains up to 500 billion cells! The primary types of cells found in wood include tracheids, vessel members, fibers, and parenchyma. Some of these kinds of cells are only found in softwoods, while others are found in hardwoods.

One type of cell that sawyers should pay attention to are parenchyma cells, which are also referred to as ray cells. It’s these cells that are responsible for forming ray fleck. To help you learn more about ray fleck, here are four things every sawyer should know.

1. Know More About What Makes Ray Fleck

In order to better understand ray fleck, you first need to know more about rays cells. As stated above, wood contains several cells, or tubular fiber units, that are cemented together. Ray cells are the short strips of horizontal cells that extend in a radial direction.

The purpose of these cells is to store sugar and starches and distribute nutrients and water to the tree in a horizontal direction. Of course, this is no longer case when you cut the tree down and the wood is no longer living. However, even though the ray cells are no longer working to distribute food, they are still intact. It should be noted that these ray cells are sometimes referred to as wood rays.

2. Know Which Cuts of Wood Produce Ray Fleck

The different cuts of wood include:

• Plain sawn

• Quarter sawn

• Rift sawn

• Live sawn

Of these cuts, the only one that produces ray fleck is quarter sawn wood. When a sawyer cuts a piece of wood into four quarters at a radial angle, it’s called quarter sawn. The annular rings on quarter sawn wood are at 60 to 90 degrees to the face of the board. This side view creates a pattern of wood rays called ray fleck. The pattern is especially noticeable in lumber with large rays.

Compare this to plain sawn lumber (which is also referred to as flat sawn) on which the ends of the wood rays appear on the face. Plain sawn lumber does not really affect the pattern of rays and all you will see is short vertical lines. This is why only quarter sawn cuts produce ray fleck.

3. Know Which Species of Wood Produce Ray Fleck

The simplest answer to this question is that ray fleck is primarily found in red oak and white oak, both of which are hardwoods. One reason for this is that while softwoods do contain small amounts of ray cells, another type of cell is more predominant. In fact, up to 95 percent of the cells in softwoods are tracheids.

The cell composition of hardwood trees is much different. Hardwoods contain up to 70 percent fiber cells, up to 55 percent vessel elements, and up to 20 percent ray cells. If this is true, then why don’t all hardwoods produce ray fleck? The truth is, many species of hardwoods can produce ray fleck.

Remember, though, you will only see it if it is quarter sawn, as opposed to plain sawn. To increase the chances of producing ray fleck, you need to cut the wood as perpendicular as you can to the center axis of the log. Also, since some hardwoods only display thin rays, the ray fleck isn’t as noticeable.

On the other hand, hardwoods such as red oak and white oak, produce larger rays that are much more apparent to the naked eye.  Other species of hardwood lumber that can produce ray fleck include beech, maple, sycamore, cherry, dogwood, and macadamia.

4. Know Why Sawyers Should Care About Ray Fleck

One of the most important things that people look for when building a structure, piece of furniture, or decoration is the pattern of wood. For certain structures, it’s best to have a straight-grained board. However, for decorative projects, ray fleck can add beauty and personality.

For many woodworkers and consumers, a finished project that contains ray fleck is more aesthetically appealing and unique. Also, because ray fleck is quarter sawn, the wood is more stable. That being said, people who want wood that contains ray fleck will probably have to pay more money.

It takes more time and energy to produce quarter sawn lumber as opposed to plain sawn, which is why it’s more expensive. Because of this, people can’t usually go to the lumberyard to purchase quarter sawn lumber. In most instances, only sawmills that provide customized services can produce quarter sawn lumber that contains ray fleck, which is good news for sawyers!

If you are a beginning sawyer and would like to learn the lingo, be sure to check out our blog post, Sawmill Terms for Beginner Sawyers.