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Understand Rift in White Oak

White oak is a popular option in woodworking due to its strength and appearance. It is a light to dark brown wood that often has hints of yellow or pink, along with straight grains and a coarse texture. It’s available in several different cuts, two of the more popular being rift and false rift.

wood in Kansas City
Source: Flickr

A rift cut of white oak purposefully produces a straight grain while at the same time minimizing the amount of flake that can be seen. When a log of white oak is flat sliced, it unintentionally creates a straight grain. This cut is known as a false rift. It can be quite difficult to differentiate a true rift from a false rift. It only becomes really apparent when large samples of the faces are viewed.

The biggest visual differences can be seen in the fact that a false rift has more slope, flake, swing and narrow components. You should choose a true rift cut for the most part because it’s more consistent when it comes to straight grain – there’s less slope, sweep and flake, although it is more expensive than false rift.

Consider these differences and contact Schutte Lumber to find wood in Kansas City.