Pretty, but is it quartersawn?

[Beej]

I think you're right eddie in that this is no longer commercially done. It was done, for a premium, way back. Much of the fir trim lumber in my house built in 1904 is perfectly "vertical grain" aligned, and the original fir flooring is also rift sawn. Modern stuff is not so much, but I can still find it locally at suppliers of s4s who are sawing for resto purposes. You pay though.

In addition, there are local guys who will saw it up this way if you buy the whole bole and take the whole lot, waste included. I think for most places that produce commercial product, the old method of riftsawing is considered unreasonably wasteful and largely unnecessary...

 

[eddiemac]

It is more likely that anyone sawing enough logs into lumber will be able to sort into the different grain patterns, yielding boards in each category, and perhaps making buyers believe an inordinate amount of effort has been spent in "rift-sawing".
Beej, I believe you; and "lucky you" with your 1904 quality house.

 

[Beej]

Possible, by my comments come from working with old-timers passing on historical knowledge, discussions with sawyers locally, and working with restoration experts. It was not uncommon to rift saw at the turn of the 20th century as wood at the time was viewed as an endless commodity that humanity could not possibly exhaust. Nowadays, careful selection is the way to go of course, but things have not always been the same...

 

[Hopkins]

It is more likely that anyone sawing enough logs into lumber will be able to sort into the different grain patterns, yielding boards in each category, and perhaps making buyers believe an inordinate amount of effort has been spent in "rift-sawing".

Yeah, I wouldn't doubt that one bit.

 

[Big B.]

It is more likely that anyone sawing enough logs into lumber will be able to sort into the different grain patterns, yielding boards in each category, and perhaps making buyers believe an inordinate amount of effort has been spent in "rift-sawing".
Beej, I believe you; and "lucky you" with your 1904 quality house.

This is exactly how commercial lumber is cut and sorted. You get the highest yield which saves money for the mill and the customer in the long run. The types of sawing methods shown in those diagrams are mainly used when cutting trees to be sawn into matched veneers for high end paneling jobs and furniture use.