Wood & Lumber Informaiton

ROUGH SAWN:

This is the lumber as it comes from the  saw. Hardwood lumber is normally priced this way. Lumber needs to be  surfaced before it is ready for sanding and final use.

BOARD FOOT: 

Hardwood lumber is sold by the board foot,  a unit of measure 12"x12"x1" thick. A board 1" thick by 6" wide by 96"  long has four board feet (1x6x96 divided by 144). If it is more than one  inch thick you must multiply the above figure by the additional  fractional thickness (1-1/4" thick you would multiply by 1.25).

THICKNESS: 

Rough lumber is measured on the 1/4" system. 4/4=1", 5/4=1-1/4", 6/4=1-1/2", 8/4=2".

SURFACING: 

Surfacing your lumber to the desired  thickness is available. 4/4 finishes out at 3/4" or 13/16", 5/4 finishes  out at 1" or 1-1/16", 6/4 finishes out at 1-1/4" or 1-5/16", 8/4  finishes out at 1-3/4".

STRAIGHT LINE RIP (R1E): 

This puts one straight edge on your lumber. Lumber is tallied before it is edged.

WIDTHS AND LENGTHS: 

Hardwood lumber comes in random widths and  random lengths; it is not measured to the exact inch of width or  length. Dimensional lumber (S4S i.e. 3-1/2", 5-1/2" etc. wide) is  available on a special order basis.

GRADES: 

Lumber is graded according to National  Hardwood Lumber Assn. rules. There are several grades, however, we  handle primarily only two, which meet the needs of most individuals.  Select & Better yields a minimum of 83% or better clear cuttings and  is used where large clear cuttings are desirable. #1 Common yields a  minimum of 66% or better clear cuttings and is used for most small to  medium projects.