January, i p i 6 
19 
sawed.” Common - sawed 
flooring will “scuff up” and 
sliver, and finally become 
a nuisance under foot. 
Neither will it wear as long 
as the former. The reason 
for this will be clearly 
understood by a brief con¬ 
sideration of the structure 
of the tree itself and the 
methods of cutting the log 
into lumber. 
5e,utchT P)1 
-'T^quar.ter.- 
CR.O 55-SECTION 
COMMON-5AWED 
LUMDELiC 
Common and Quarter 
Sawing 
All lumber used in building 
construction is cut from those 
trees which increase in size by 
the yearly formation of new 
wood on their outer surfaces. 
These are known as exogenous trees, and they include both 
the broad-leaved and evergreen trees. The yearly layers of 
wood are made up of long fibres generally paralleling the direc¬ 
tion of the stem or trunk, and appearing as concentric rings on 
the cross-section of the log. Crossing these “annual rings” 
in a radial direction, between pith and bark, are other fibres 
which serve the purpose of binding the whole together. These 
radial fibres are termed the “medulary rays.” They occur in 
profusion in all woods, both hard and soft, but are decidedly 
more prominent in the hard-woods. In oak, the very large 
rays, which are readily visible to the naked 
eye, compose scarcely a hundredth part of 
the actual number. The annual rings and 
the medulary rays are the warp and woof of 
the tree’s wooden fabric. The general ap¬ 
pearance of these rings and rays, on a cross- 
section of the log, is indicated at “A” in 
Sketch No. 1. At “B” is diagrammed the 
common method of sawing the log into lum¬ 
ber, the slices paralleling each other across 
the entire section of the log. This method 
produces what has been referred to as “com¬ 
mon-sawed” lumber, although a small per¬ 
centage of the boards thus sawn, which show 
the annual rings running across their edges 
approximately at right angles, can be proper¬ 
ly termed “vertical-grained,” or “quarter- 
sawed.” In fact, it is by selecting these few 
boards out of each log that some mills pro¬ 
cure their quarter-sawed lumber. However, 
regular quarter-sawed lumber is obtained by 
first quartering the log, and then sawing each 
quarter into parallel diagonal slices, as il¬ 
lustrated at “C” in the same sketch. In this 
manner the boards are all cut with their 
width approximately at right angles to the annual rings, there¬ 
by often splitting the radial medulary rays and producing the 
handsome silver-grain that is characteristic of quarter-sawed 
oak. Sawing lumber in this manner requires more labor and 
time to be expended thereon, and it is perhaps slightly more 
wasteful of material than would otherwise be the case. Where¬ 
fore, quarter-sawed lumber is more expensive than that which 
is common-sawed. Yet, the advantages of the former more 
than outbalance the added cost over the latter. For, because 
quarter-sawed lumber is practically “vertical-grained,” or 
“edge-grained” as it is sometimes termed, it follows that it will 
wear better, warp less and 
shrink less than the other va¬ 
riety. And it will not sliver, 
for the reason that the annu¬ 
lar rings, during the process 
of sawing, are not cut at an 
oblique angle, but rather at an 
angle more nearly approach¬ 
ing the direction of the medu¬ 
lary rays. Thus, in quarter- 
sawed lumber, is the integrity 
of the wooden fabric pre¬ 
served ; there being no loose 
or disconnected fibres exposed 
to scuffling feet. 
QUARTER,- SAWED 
LUMBER. 
BLACKENED PORTIOWS IWDICATE WASTE 
The annual rings and medulary rays are the warp and 
woof of the tree’s fabric. Lumber cut against the 
rings wears better, warps less and shrinks less than 
the common-sawed 
SKETCH @ 1 
Blind nailing with tongued 
and grooved boards makes 
a more solid floor and gives 
a finished appearance 
5 KLTC li 
Nail holes in hardwood, even 
though puttied in the most 
skilful manner, greatly mar the 
appearance of the finished 
floor. Therefore, where hard¬ 
wood floors are not to be car¬ 
peted, the floor boards should 
be “blind-nailed” in place. This 
is provided for by having the 
edges of the boards “tongued- 
and-grooved.” 
Laying the Floor 
The nails can be driven 
diagonally down through the 
tongued edge of the board, 
while the grooved edge is held 
securely in place by the tongue 
of the preceding board. Thus, 
the grooved edge of each board, 
in turn, fits over and conceals the nails driven into the tongued 
edge of its neighbor. This is what is known as “blind-nailing,” 
and is shown graphically in Sketch No. 2. Necessarily, each row 
of boards must be driven tightly against the preceding row 
and nailed firmly in place before the following row is laid 
The boards must also be of exactly the same width so as to 
come squarely together, endwise, in a perfectly straight and 
unbroken edge-line. Otherwise the resulting appearance will 
be far from pleasing. The ends of the boards should also be 
tongued-and-grooved in the same manner as the edges. This 
makes a more desirable joint than the plain 
“butt joint,” because then the ends also can 
be firmly blind-nailed; thereby avoiding the 
future possibility of the ends of the boards 
“kicking up” and destroying the uniformity 
of the surface. Sketch No. 2 depicts the cor¬ 
rect method of tonguing-and-grooving the 
ends of the floor boards. This drawing also 
shows the lower surface of the boards as being 
slightly hollowed out so that they bear only on 
their outermost edges. This is done to allow 
for any unevenness that may occur in the sub¬ 
floor upon which the upper flooring is laid. 
Also, when “backed out” in this manner, the 
tendency to warp is somewhat lessened. 
When to Lay Hardwood 
Hardwood flooring should never, under 
any conditions, be laid until the plastering is 
thoroughly dry and all other woodwork in 
the room is finished. Neither should it be 
delivered until such a time when it can be laid 
forthwith. Kiln-dried, unprotected wood is 
highly susceptible to the absorption of mois¬ 
ture. Wherefore flooring of this kind should 
be laid immediately after delivery. 
In the laying of a hardwood floor, the endwise joints of 
adjacent boards should be broken or “staggered” in the same 
way that the joints of brickwork are broken in the laying-up 
of a wall. Also, considering appearance, a multiplicity of end¬ 
wise joints should not occur close together. To avoid this 
unpleasant effect it should be insisted upon that “boards less 
than 4' in length shall not be allowed.” Also that “any 
two boards of the minimum allowable length shall not abut 
against each other, end for end.” 
All boards have a tendency to warp and “cup.” This tend¬ 
ency often develops into a disagreeable reality, especially in 
wide, thin boards. Therefore 
the narrower the boards, the 
better the floor. Two and a 
half inches ought to be the 
maximum width for hardwood 
flooring-boards, and the mini¬ 
mum thickness should be not 
much less than three-quarters 
of an inch. Moreover, where 
the best results are desired, the 
wood should be bored for nail¬ 
ing, for, in a hardwood floor, 
the boards are apt to become 
loosened because of being orig~ 
(Continued on page 56) 
DdADCbL A fLOOK^ 
Perfect insulation from sound waves can be accomplished 
only by severing the connection between floor and ceiling 
