Please note: this information is based on the experience of Luke Hughes; it is not intended to be the final word.
1. Through and through
This produces one or two boards of quarter sawn wood but the majority of the boards show contour markings; these boards are more susceptible to distortion.
A similar method for large diameter logs or where there is a large central shake in the heart of the tree
This boxes out the heart but does not provide a good yield of stable material.
This enables all the boards to have the growth rings perpendicular to the face giving the most stable timber; it is rarely used by large commercial mills because it is time-consuming and wasteful.
Two through and through cuts are first made to box out the heart of the tree, then the remainder is cut into narrow boards which yields a reasonable percentage of true quartered boards.
More technical knowledge on timber and more can be found in our new eBook 'Furniture factors: Designing around materials'.