What is the difference between split vs. quarter-sawn wood?
French oak is physiologically different in structure than American oak, and requires hand splitting. This is one of the primary reasons why French oak barrels cost more than American oak barrels. American oak (Quercus alba) is richer in tyloses, which seal the pores and tubes of the wood. This means American oak is generally less porous than the French variety. Being impermeable, the American oak can be sawn into staves rather than hand-split along the grain of the wood, as is required for French oak (Q. petraea and Q. robur), to prevent leakage. Sawing the oak into staves means that coopers can use over twice as much wood from each log in stave production.
