In exterior use, wood is subjected to weathering that causes checking and other deterioration in the appearance and technical properties. We studied quantitatively the surface checking of radially and tangentially sawn specimens of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) wood in a cyclic climate chamber test. The results strongly suggested that the sawing direction determines the checking performance of both Scots pine and Norway spruce wood. The radial surface of Scots pine specimens had 62% less checks than the tangential one, and the cumulative area of checks was 74% smaller. For Norway spruce, the respective figures were: 83% less in the check number and 91% less in the check area. Different from pine, in spruce specimens the checks of radial surface were significantly smaller. Thus, spruce timber gained clearly more about radial sawing pattern. The effect of annual ring width was similar for pine and spruce: the reduction in annual growth worsened the checking. The increase in density worsened the checking of spruce but did not change the performance of pine. In pine wood, the increase of heartwood proportion reduced the fluctuation of moisture content and the formation of checks.