Quarter sawn lumber is superior only in in its stability. It will not give you the the most striking patterns so characteristic of flat-sawn lumber. It is, without question, more dimensionally stable, but you sacrifice figure for this stability. Quarter-sawing also will reduce lumber yield substantially, increase labor time, and give a high percentage of narrow stock, which is why most mills "sawing for grade" choose to forgo this type of sawing. It is used in large measure for flooring and also for sawing clapboards. There are some striking examples of ray fleck in several species, notably oak and sycamore, but I don't believe most stockmakers would offer quarter-sawn material as examples of superb figure. I can only offer my experience of 20 yrs. as the owner/operator of a sawmill business and cutting many thousand feet of black walnut (Juglans Nigra) and other domestic hardwoods -- the bulk of it plain sawn, but enough quarter-sawn and rift-sawn -- to feel confident my observations are fairly accurate.
Best, Will
