OLD- SCHOOL SIDING

Looking for true vertical-grain clapboards cut from a single log? Ward Clapboard Mill has been cutting radially sawn boards since 1864. Unlike flat-grain siding cut from stock lumber, Ward’s clapboards are produced using a unique radial sawing process similar to traditional rift sawing. • The white-pine or red-spruce log is first debarked and rounded into a perfect cylinder. Positioned on a lathe in a carriage that moves back and forth, the log passes over the saw, which makes full-length cuts set to the desired clapboard depth. After each cut, the log is rotated exactly 5 /8" for the next pass, a process that continues until it has rotated a full 360 degrees. • The precise cut gives each clapboard its taper and true vertical grain, qualities that produce a sharp shadow line and superb drip edge. Vertical-grain siding is especially well suited for exterior siding. It wears extremely well, and cups, shrinks, and swells less than flat-sawn wood. While the boards accept paint and stain well, they also can be left unfinished to weather to a silvery grey.

LEFT Long-time sawyer Bob Pierce operates the radial saw at Ward Clapboard Mill in Moretown, Vermont. Goodlooking and stable, clapboards cut this way actually last.