How to buy rough-sawn lumber
Go Long
The ends of rough-sawn boards often contain checks (cracks). Some checks are obvious, but some you won’t discover until you cut the board near the end. So plan on discarding several inches on each end of every board. That means that if you need two finished 4-ft. boards for your project, buy a 10-ft. rough-sawn.
Avoid Twists
Steer clear of any board that looks like a banana, but minor warping can be removed in the milling process. The shorter the boards you need, the bigger the bend you can work with. However, avoid twisted boards. The internal forces that are causing the twist may never go away no matter how much material you remove. Our expert’s motto: “Once twisted, always twisted.”
Check the Color with Water
These days, most rough-sawn lumber receives one pass through a planer or sander on each side before it reaches the yard. The process, called hit-and-miss, usually smooths the surface enough to see the character of the grain you’re dealing with. But two similar-colored boards in the same bin may differ dramatically in color when finished with a clear topcoat. If it’s important that all your boards be close to the same color, take along a spray bottle filled with water. A couple quick squirts should expose any surprises.
Watch Out for Sticker Stains
Stickers are the spacers used to separate boards while they’re drying. Occasionally stickers can create shadow-like stains. These stains appear to be just on the surface, but it’s common that they go deeper than 1/8 in. into the wood, so they may still be visible after planing.
Old Boards Need Cleaning
Dirty boards will dull planer and jointer blades. If it looks like your prize board may have been kicking around the yard for quite a while, plan on scouring it with a wire brush before milling.
Plain- Vs. Quarter-Sawn
Most rough-sawn wood these days has been plain (or flat) sawn. But you may come across a couple of species that have been quarter-sawn. Quarter-sawn wood is more stable and much less likely to warp, but it also costs a lot more.
Don't Have a Jointer?
Many yards will “straight-line” one edge for you so that you can rip the boards to the desired width on your table saw. Some can plane boards down in thickness, too, but there’s no guarantee they’ll come out flat.
Buy Online
A lot of furniture builders buy cheap, rough-sawn wood online, especially when working with hard-to-get exotic woods, extra-wide boards or boards with a live edge (bark still on). Shipping will be expensive and returns may not be an option, so make sure you see a photo of the exact boards you’re buying. The best suppliers will have photos on their website.
