Lumber
What We Use and Why
Lumber Types We Use
Most of the lumber we use is purchased in board form already from one of the box stores. Occasionally lumber is picked up from one of the social media locations, saw mill or also from our farm in Lincoln County.
Pine, is by far the cheapest wood, easiest to cut and easiest to use a wood burning tool on. Oak can be the prettiest and looks great with just a layer of polyurethane, however oak prices are very expensive. We all know that Cedar smells great, but it is in the same boat as oak when dealing with price. Walnut is very pretty, but is a hard wood to cut sometimes. It is also very dark and not very conducive to wood burning. Most barn wood is a type of oak. It is very pretty once you sand off the top layers that have built up on the wood.
The Price of Lumber Went Up But Did Not Come Down
Basic Lumber Features
Basic Lumber Features
Lumber is sold in various forms, sizes, types and cuts. Certain projects may require specific types of wood with one or more of these specific traits:
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Density: The strength and weight of wood make up its density. Denser wood is best for furniture and building, while less dense wood can be used in making paper or in woodworking projects.
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Texture: Texture is the wood property that determines the condition of the surface and its stability. It plays an important role in deciding how that type of wood is finished.
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Color: Color contributes to the personality of wood. For example, red cedar will give you a very different look and character than white pine.
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Woodgrain: Each tree has its own grain pattern, so two boards of the same species can look very different. Woodgrain is the direction in which the wood cell fibers grow. These variances in grain direction can have a significant impact on your project.
Types of Lumber
There are two main types of wood to choose from: hardwood and softwood. The terms have almost nothing to do with the actual hardness of the wood.
Hardwoods come from deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the fall. Although there’s an abundant variety of hardwood trees, only 200 are plentiful and pliable enough for woodworking. Hardwood trees are generally slower growing, making the wood denser than softwoods. These woods have a more interesting grain pattern, which makes them popular with woodworkers. Much like our skin, hardwoods have microscopic pores on the surface. The size of these pores determines the grain pattern and texture of the wood, so hardwoods are classified by pore openings as either:
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Closed grained (smaller pores), such as cherry or maple
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Ring porous (larger pores), such as oak, ash or poplar
Softwoods come from coniferous trees, commonly referred to as evergreen trees. Only 25% of all softwoods are used in woodworking. Softwoods have a closed grain that isn’t very noticeable in the finished product. The most popular softwoods are cedar, fir, pine and spruce. Softwood trees grow faster, and their wood has straighter grain, making it ideal for framing, construction and outdoor projects.