1. Selecting
and Roughing Out
Lumber

2. Kinds of Wood A. Softwood: Comes from evergreen
trees, also called “conifers”.
B. Hardwood: Comes from broadleaf
trees, also known as “deciduous”.

3. Common Softwoods and Hardwoods Grouped according to hardness
Soft Medium Hard Hard
Balsa Cypress White Ash
Basswood Butternut Beech
Cottonwood Douglas Fir Birch
White Fir American Elm Black Cherry
Ponderosa Pine Hemlock Hickory
Western White Pine Limbo Sugar Maple
Sugar Pine Magnolia Red Oak
Yellow Poplar Mahogany White Oak
Spruce Prima Vera Black Walnut
Redwood Red Cedar Teak
Black Willow Sycamore

4. In addition to hardness or softness,
different kinds of wood will vary in:
Weight
Strength
Color
Texture
Grain pattern
Odor

5. Selecting Wood
For first projects where you will be using
mostly hand tools choose softwoods ie.:
basswood pine popular willow
With experience where you will be using
hand and power tools choose medium
hard woods ie:
firs butternut hemlock red cedar

6. When your project requires wide widths
of stock, consider using Plywood.
Advance projects that will be constructed
with the use of power tools will make it
possible to use hardwoods.
oak maple ash hickory

7. 1. Select grades: A to D, with B and better being the highest grades.
Grades of Lumber
Softwoods Grading:
1. Select grades: A to D, with B and
better being the highest grades.
C Select: must be clear on one side
D Select: may contain pin knots and
other defects.

8. Softwoods Grading continued:
2. Common Grades:
#1 Common to #5 Common
*most often used as structural lumber
3. Factory and Shop Lumber:
#1 shop, #2 shop and #3 shop
*most often used for door frames and trim.

9. Hardwood Grading:
Firsts and seconds (FAS): must be 6”
by 8’ and yield at least 83 1/3% clear
cuttings.
Selects: permits 4’ by 6’ with more
defects on the back surface.
3. Lower grades are #1 common,
#2 common, #3 and “shorts”.

10. Defects Defects in Lumber usually lower the
strength durability and appearance.
Common Defects:
Knots
Encased Intergrown Spiked

11. Splits and Checks
Shake

12. Pitch Pocket
Wormholes
Wane

13. Crook
Bow
Warps
Cup
Twist

14. Size and Surface
1. Softwoods are planed on all surfaces,
and sold in specific widths:
From 2” to 12” by 2” intervals and
In lengths 8’ to 20’ by 2 ‘ intervals
Because the planing removes some of the
wood, the thickness and width will
measure less than the sizes listed.

15. Hardwoods can be purchased either
rough cut or surfaced on both sides.
Hardwoods are not cut to any standard
width or length. Instead they are sold in
random widths and lengths.

16. Rough and Finished Sizes
Softwood
Rough cut planed
1x2 ¾ x 1 ½
1x4 ¾ x 3 ½
1x6 ¾ x 5 ½
2x2 1 ½ x 1 ½
2x4 1 ½ x 3 ½
2x6 1 ½ x 5 ½
4x4 3 ½ x 3 ½
Hardwood
Rough Planed
3/8 3/16
½ 5/16
5/8 7/16
¾ 9/16
13/16
2 ½ 2 ¼
2 ¾

17. Plywood
Plywood is constructed by gluing
together a number of layers (piles)
of wood with the grain direction
turned at right angles in each successive
layer.
Faces: the outer piles
Cross bands: next layer under the faces
Core: inside layer or layers

18. Plywood layers

19. Two basic types of plywood
-interior: used for cabinets and furniture
-exterior: bonded with waterproof glues
used in construction
Standard panel of plywood is 4’ x 8’
and comes in thicknesses of 1/8” to 1”.

20. Hardboard and Particle Board
Hardboard is made of refined fibers,
pressed together to form a hard, dense
material.
Particle board is made of wood flakes,
chips and shavings bonded together with
resins and adhesives.

21. Hardboards and Particle Boards

22. Figuring Board Footage
The unit of measure for lumber is
the Board Foot. One board foot is:
1 in. thick and 12 in. square (144 cu. In.)
Figuring board footage:all measurements in inches
# pieces of wood X height X Width X Length
1 X 12 X 12
Bd. Ft. =
3. For large amounts of lumber, use a board rule.