Lumber 101

Lumber 101

Milling Lumber:

The sawyer is faced with several different options for the way the log is to be cut. Depending on the species of the log and the desired use for the lumber that get milled off. Two main choices are flat sawn and quarter sawn.

Flat sawn lumber can be identified by the arcing end grain and open, flame look on the face of the board. Flat sawn lumber is the most economical to produce and there for is most common.

Quarter sawn lumber is almost exclusively used for wood working. With quarter sawn lumber a log is milled into quarters, the quarters are then sawn perpendicular to the grain. This gives the lumber a unique characteristic with the end grain being vertical. The face of the boards show the growth rings as alternating light and dark grain lines.

The big advantage to quarter sawn lumber is it's stability. Although it still moves it is a lot less prone to warping then flat sawn lumber because the grain isn't subject to radial forces. Depending on what you are building you have the choice of what type of lumber you want to use.

Buying Wood:

Soft wood is common and is easy to find throughout North America. Almost every lumber retailer carries plenty of softwood in stock. When buying DO NOT let the attendant in the yard select which lumber you are going to buy. Go look through the lift and select which pieces you want because there tend to be more pieces in the lift that are rejects for wood working.

It is a good idea to restack all the boards that you rejected while looking through the stack. This keeps the rejects from warping and twisting beyond being useful and will keep the lumber attendant happy.

Keep your eye out for defects when buying wood. this means looking at all four side of the piece of lumber before selecting it. A board that looks good on one side may have wain on the other side, something you want to avoid.

Hardwoods are a bit trickier to find at a regular lumber yard, especially out here in the west. In British Columbia I can go to almost any private sawmill and find spruce, fir or cedar without a problem and pay a good price for it. Of course all these species are readily available, but try doing the same for oak of maple. Good Luck.

I have been lucky to find an independant hardware store in Kamloops that supplies a wide variety of domestic and foreign hardwoods. They allow me look through all their stock to choose the best pieces and even will cut a long board in half if that is all I need. Needless to say I value this relationship very high.

If you aren't lucky enough to find a local supplier then the next best thing is to order it. I have ordered through a couple different companies when my local suppplier doesn't have the stock I need. One is in Wisconsin and the other Minnisota. Of course you aren't able to look through the stock and choose what you want but most places that provide this service gaurentee thier stock.

A few things to be aware of when ordering lumber. First make sure you specify whether you want rough or dressed stock. The main advantage with rough stock is it give you the flexiblity to dress the wood as you choose. You aren't limited to standard dimensions. Rough stock will cost less up front, but will take some time in the shop to prepare. Plus if you don't have all the proper tools for dressing lumber it may be more hassle then it is worth.

Dressed lumber is going to cost more but for the weekend wood worker this may be worth the cost. I have spent quite a bit of time dressing stock before starting a project. If you just want to get to work then this is probably the best option for you.

Bottom line... If you have access to a lumber yard that supplies good hardwood and will let you snoop through all the stock, then this is probably the best option. If not then you need to consider ordering it.

Before ordering or buying lumber it helps to be fluent on the terminology used. Hardwood is mostly sold by the "board foot". 1 Board Foot is equal to 144 cubic inches. So, for example a 2"x6"x1' board is equal to 1 board foot ( 2in x 6in x 12in = 144 cubic inches).

For your reference here are standard lumber sizes.

4/4 (four/quarter) rough = 1" thick board
5/4 rough = 1.25" thick board
6/4 rough = 1.5" thick board
8/4 rough = 2" thick board
10/4 rough = 2.5" thick board

4/4 dressed = 3/4" thick board
5/4 dressed = 1" thick board
6/4 dressed = 1.25" thick board
8/4 dressed = 1.75" thick board
About the author:

Dave Markel is the author of "The All Wood Working Journal". He has helped hundreds of individuals improve their wood working skills. Visit his site at