48 BULLETIN 909, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Some manufacturers cut from the " sap " side, the outside of the 
log (PL V, fig. 2), and others cut from the "heart" side or center 
of the log. Those who cut by the latter method do so in order to 
get wide heartwood stock that is at least partly quartered. This adds 
to its attractiveness, particularly if there is a figure in it. More of 
the quartered stock may thus be obtained with less waste than by 
the straight-slice method. It is true, as manufacturers claim who cut 
from the " sap " side of such flitches, that by slicing from the flat 
heartwood side there is considerable waste in working down to the 
curved surface from which a continuous sheet may be obtained. 
Moreover, since knots are more numerous near the center of walnut 
logs, the " heart " side is more likely to be defective. On the other 
hand, if the center of the log is clear, considerable valuable heart- 
wood is wasted in the " dog board " when the slicing is done from 
the sapwood side. Although the thickness of the sapwood must first 
be trimmed off, and after that some narrow sheets of heartwood are 
cut, this method makes possible the production of wider sheets of 
heartwood than are obtained by cutting from the heartwood side, 
If the cutting i* from the outside, the figure is somewhat coarse, as 
in the rotary method proper, but slicing from the " heart " side cuts 
across the growth rings and gives a striped effect. In stay-log slic- 
ing the flitch is sliced down to a thickness of about 3 inches, the piece 
that is left being called the " dog board." If the veneer is cut from 
the heartwood side, the last sheets are nearly all sapwood. 
Rotary machines are generally made to take a log as long as 8 to 
10 feet. Stump or "butt" wood is sliced by the rotary stay-log 
process, veneer being cut from the outside of the log. This is for 
the reason that the figure in " butt " wood runs with the outer sur- 
face of the wood. These stumps or butts are cut in half, because they 
can be more conveniently handled in this form. 
Straight-slice process. — In this method the timber, which is first 
soaked, as in the rotary method, is pushed vertically against the 
knife with, however, a slightly oblique motion from end to end. 
The log lengths are usually cut in half lengthwise and prepared as in 
the stay-log rotary process. The cut is then made from the heart- 
wood side. Quartered stock is, of course, obtained only near the 
center of the log. The coarser figure is soon reached, particularly in 
the middle of the sheets. The panel maker generally trims off the 
outside striped veneer from the central coarse figure and keeps the 
two separate for different uses. Very large logs are sawed lengthwise 
in quarters, in order to get more of the quartered veneer stock. For 
quartering, logs should be at least 24 inches in diameter at the small 
end. Logs are also prepared for straight slicing, by squaring them, 
