If you ' re not familiar with how wood is sized, the purchasing process can be anything but easy. That ' s because the size you see isn ' t really what you get.
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How to: buy suitable boards
If you ' re not familiar with how wood is sized, the purchasing process can be anything but easy. That ' s because the size you see isn ' t really what you get.
By Kreg
Purchasing process of wooden boards isn ' t easy.
IMAGE: WEATHERWISE
If you use a project plan, the materials list may state a certain size but this will change after it has been machined. If you are drawing your own project plan, make sure that you use the actual dimensions for all the boards. If you accidentally design your project using the nominal dimensions, it may not go together as you had planned.
When building projects, you also need to understand how boards are described in terms of thickness, width and length. This is because a project plan may call for a board that is as wide as, or wider than it is long.
“ It’ s important to remember length is measured in line with the grain, width is measured across the grain and thickness is measured on the edge of the board,” says Greg de Villiers from Vermont Sales.“ Once you understand board sizing, you’ ll be ready to purchase what you need for your projects. But don’ t think you can purchase just any boards off the lumber rack and get exactly what you need.”
Boards tend to bow, warp and twist.“ So, you need to examine each board to make sure it’ s flat and straight. To do this, hold the board out, and look along the length of the board. Look at the edge first to check for twisting and bowing. Then look at the face to see if the board is bowed or crooked,” says De Villiers.
" You need to examine each board to make sure it ' s flat and straight."
48 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 //