Flat cut, flat sliced, crown cut, or plain sliced are synonymous terms used in different countries. The half log (flitch) is mounted with the heart side away from the knife against the slicer’s flitch table. The slicing is done parallel to a line through the center of the wood log. This produces a distinctive ‘cathedral,’ or heart figure. The ratio of quartered to crown faces produced by this method naturally runs about 60-40% in favor of the crown.

Plain slicing produces the slicing methods’ largest width veneer as a wood log is cut into two flitches before slicing. The other slicing methods use wood logs that have been cut into several flitches before slicing.

Quarter slicing involves first cutting the wood log into four pieces. Then the manufacturer places the quarter log (flitch) on the flitch table so that the growth rings of the wood log strike the knife at approximately right angles, producing a series of stripes, straight in some species, varied in others. The veneer sheet’s width produced through quarter slicing is less than plain slicing, with an average less than 8 inches – depending on log size. The ‘flake’ appearance in oak is produced by the quarter slicing method.

A rift-cut veneer sheet is produced from the various species of oaks. The wood logs are cut into four pieces.

Rift-cut veneer has a straight-grained look, which is obtained by periodically changing the cutting angle to stay about 15 degrees off the quartered position to avoid the ‘flake’ figure. The veneer sheet’s width produced through rift-cutting is less than plain slicing, with an average less than 8 inches – depending on the wood log size.

In rotary cutting, the wood log is mounted centrally in the lathe and turned against a knife, as if unwinding a roll of paper. A multi-patterned wood grain marking is produced with this method. Rotary cut veneer sheets can be sufficiently wide to provide full sheet faces (one piece).