Hallmark Hardwood - Sawn, Rotary vs. Slice Cut
Sawn-Cut Method: This is our Platinum Standard face
veneer. The logs are brought into our facility and
sawn into lumber.
From more distant locals, this is brought to us in the
form of lumber. The lumber is placed in a pre-drier,
and the green lumber is slowly dried to a much lower
moisture
content. When ready, the boards are placed into a dry
kiln where heat and humidity controls bring the materials
down to a moisture content of 8 – 10%.

Next, the material is packed in a container and shipped
to our flooring facility. The container is unloaded
and the material is sent back to a dry kiln, where we
slightly rehydrate the material and then run it through
the veneer saws to create our stunning face veneers.
This process runs the material through the equivalent
of a seasonal cycle of expansion and contraction and
produces superior product stability. The material is
then sent to a climate controlled warehouse where the
wood rests and stabilizes before it is joined to the
core ply. The result is a stunning plank that looks
like a solid hardwood floor, but has the superior dimensional
stability, of an engineered floor.
Rotary Cut Method: This is our Gold
Standard face veneer. Rotary-cut veneer technology
has been widely
used since the early 20th century and is an extremely
efficient method of processing logs into usable wood
products. Rotary cut is at the heart of all our core
materials for this very reason. Rotary-cut face veneers
have a slightly bolder presentation of grain due to
this cutting method.
The economy of rotary cut makes
our Silverado and Chaparral products a great value.
Due to the efficiency of production,
we can offer a great product at our most competitive
pricing.
We process the green logs by giving them a hot
bath. Soaked in vats for several days, the logs are
brought
to the optimum temperature and moisture content before
sending them to the rotary cutting lathes. Our master
craftsmen then peel the logs into sheets of veneer.
Great care is used to ensure that the blade pressure
is ideal and the turning speed of the logs is carefully
controlled. The sheets of veneer are then sent to the
veneer dryers. The veneers travel very slowly through
the dryers to remove the moisture in a slow and controlled
way. This ensures that the moisture content is uniform
throughout the veneer. The veneers are then sent to
a climate-controlled warehouse where the veneer rests
and stabilizes. Once this is accomplished, we ship the
veneer to the flooring factory. Upon arrival, the material
is slightly humidified and run back through the veneer
dryers at the flooring factory. This process runs the
material through the equivalent of a seasonal cycle
of expansion and contraction and produces superior product
stability.
Note: The great care taken with the face veneers is
duplicated in the processing of all our core materials
which are comprised of either rotary-cut birch or hybrid
eucalyptus or a sawn core (Buena Vista) of Canadian
pine.
Sliced-Face Method: IS NOT USED BY Hallmark Hardwoods.
This process involves soaking lumber in very hot water
in a pressurized chamber. While it creates the same
visual as sawn face, the amount of trauma to the wood
caused by this method of processing makes these floors
prone to excessive cracking. Sliced-face is more suitable
for the production of very thin veneer (0.5 mm) or
less and is commonly used in the production of furniture.

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