HE first thing a beginner must learn to do when he takes a drawing from which he is to make a piece of woodwork, is to prepare a stock bill of materials that can, be given to the lumberman to fill. Whether the worker gets what he wants or not will depend greatly upon the specifications he gives the dealer, whether they are intelligible or not, and whether they allow one and only one interpretation.
Three practices are common in preparing lumber for use: To sell it to the workman in the rough, just as it comes from the sawmill; to machine-plane the pieces to thicknesses and widths such as the finished pieces demand, so that only the lengths require the attention of the worker—aside from the making of the joints; and to mill-plane the stock on two surfaces to stock thicknesses, but allowing the lengths and widths to remain as in rough stock.
The first is cheapest in first cost; the second is the most expensive because of the frequent changes in setting the planing machine to the different sizes. The third is most common, except where there are to be a great number of pieces of a given size, because it utilizes hand work and machine work to the best advantage.
Lumber Terms—Length always extends parallel to the grain of the wood—the way the wood splits easiest. Other terms are as indicated in Fig. 1.
The unit of measurement is the board foot. This is 1 by 12 by 12 in. Prices are usually based upon the 1000 ft. If a board is less than 1 in. thick, it is customary to figure it at surface measure. The price per foot is reduced correspondingly, however, so that no advantage is taken of the purchaser.
Board Surfaces Named
Lumber is graded at the yards according to lumbermen's standards. Clear lumber is free from knots, sap, wind, shakes and other imperfections. Shingles are sold by the thousand and are packed in bunches ; laths, in bundles. Mouldings are sold by the running or lineal measure, the price being based on the 1000 ft.
The abbreviations for lumber that is to be sized, surfaced or machine-planed on two or four sides are S-2-S and S-4-S, respectively. For especially seasoned stock, the letters K D (kiln dried) are added to the description.