Lumber Question??
Question:Okay, I started working at a saw mill/Log home builder office about a month ago. My boss is never here and he expects me to know everything about his buisness. He is about to quiz me on everything, but I haven't been taught anything but the basics. All I need to know for now is whats the difference between dry and wet lumber, what are the different species of lumber, and how do you identify the different species? Please Help!!
Answers:
First off, there should be someone where you work that will tell you besides your boss. Seek out a foreman or lead-worker and ask questions.
Wet vs dry lumber. Wet is 3-4 times as heavy as dry lumber, and generally oozes sap or fluid. Generally has a more pungent odor. Also wet lumber will shrink as it dries, and depending on the type, can corrode nails and screws as it dries.
I cannot address the types as I don't know what woods you sell. There are hundreds.
Good luck.
sorry but you about to fail your quiz!!! LOL
Dry lumber has been put through a kiln to remove the moisture in the wood. Wood right out of the tree, like in your front yard, has about 75% moistyure content. Lumber that has been put through a kiln has moisture content of about 10-15%. If you build with wet lumber it will dry out over time and shrink and make your project look like hell.
The different types of lumber is as varied as the different types of trees. The big ones that you will work with are maple, oak, pine, and cherry. There are some others, but these are the common ones. It is very difficult to know the difference between each of them unless you are experienced with them. For instance, maple, oak, pine and cherry can all come in an creme color, but you can tell them apart by the grain and how hard they are.
For maple, it can range from a bright white to brown, reddish and even green if it's mostly heartwood (the center of the tree). Cherry is usually a soft red color if it is the heartwood (most desierable) and a creme color if it is the sapwood. Pine is generally always a off whote color and is the softest of all the woods. Oak has a very broad grain, is really dense or hard and can be white, red, or brown or variations of each. Check out this link and you can see what some of the different types of wood look like. www.curlymaple.com
Most of it is maple, but there is also some oak an some cherry on here as well.
Good luck!
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