The forest and wood industry in Japan require the development of automation technology to produce high-quality lumber from medium-quality sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) logs. This study investigates the influence of pith location on the warp of lumber. While drying reduced the bow of lumber drastically its crook remained almost unchanged. Therefore, an effective sawing method to reduce crook was sought after. Crook measured immediately after sawing increased as the distance between the center of the lumber and the pith location along the width of lumber increased. A sawing method which takes pith location into account was concluded to be effective in reducing crook. Based on these results, a new sophisticated sawing procedure to produce high-quality lumber is proposed.