| AD, Air
Dried |
Air dried,
typically 12-20% moisture content |
| BF, Board
Foot |
Board foot.
Standard unit of lumber measurement equal to one foot square by
one inch thick (144 cubic inches). Calculated by multiplying length
by width by thickness in inches and dividing by 144. Example: 2
x 3 x 36"=216 divided by 144=1.5 bf. Usually any thickness
under 1" is sold by the square foot. |
| Bird's-eye
Figure |
Figure on
the plain-sawn surface of wood showing many small, rounded, lustrous
areas resembling bird's-eyes. Most common in Eastern Hard Maple. |
| Boxed Heart |
When the pith
falls entirely within the four faces of a board or timber. |
| Burl |
An abnormal,
warty growth which usually develops at the base of certain trees.
A cut through a burl reveals tight bunches of small knots or eyes.
Also called burr.
|
| Cant |
A squared
up log or a large slab cut from a log, destined for further processing
by other saws.
|
| Chatoyance |
A changeable
color or luster. Wood appears to shimmer when moved. |
| Curly Figure |
Wavy grain
forming undulations or distortions in the wood fibers. Can be found
on both tangential and radial surfaces, although the figure is bolder
and brighter on the radial surface (example: fiddleback maple). |
| EMC, Equilibrium
Moisture Content |
The point
at which wood is stable and in equilibrium with the humidity of
its surroundings-it is no longer gaining nor losing moisture. |
| FC, Flitch
cut or sawn |
Boards from
logs sawn through and through. Will have waney edges, i.e. with
bark and sapwood. Also called log run lumber. |
| Feather
Crotch |
Figure resembling
a cluster of feathers. Found in the segment where a fork in the
tree occurs. |
| Figure |
The pattern
produced on a board surface by prominent rays or deviation from
regular grain. Types of figure include: birds-eye, burl, crotch,
curly, quilted, and ribbon stripe. |
| Flat-sawn |
Lumber sawn
so that the annular growth rings are parallel to the face of the
board. Also called plain-sawn. |
| Grain |
The direction,
size, arrangement, appearance, or quality of the fibers in wood. |
| Green |
Green or freshly
sawn lumber. |
| H&M |
Hit and miss. |
| Hardwoods |
A botanical
group of trees with broad leaves. Does not refer to hardness of
the wood. |
| Heartwood |
The dead inner
core of a tree. In most species darker and denser than the sapwood. |
| Interlocked
Grain |
Grain in which
the direction of the longitudinal fibers alternates to the right
and left at intervals, resulting in a ribbon-stripe figure on the
quartersawn surface. |
| KD |
Kiln dried.
Typically 6-12% moisture content. |
| LR |
Log run. The
full yield of a log. |
| LTL |
Less than truckload. |
| MBF |
Thousand board
feet. |
| PAD |
Partially
air dried. 20-25% moisture content. Needs further drying before
use. |
| Quarter
Measure |
A reference
to the thickness of lumber using a one-quarter inch scale. Thus,
4/4 is a nominal 1 inch, 5/4 is 1 1/4 inches, 6/4 is 1 1/2 inches,
etc. |
| Quilted
Figure |
Blister-like
figure most commonly found in Oregon Big-leaf Maple. |
| RGH |
Rough. Lumber
not yet planed or surfaced. |
| RWL |
Random widths
and lengths. |
| S2S |
Lumber surfaced
on two faces. |
| S4S |
Lumber surfaced
on four sides. |
| Sapwood |
The outer,
younger portion of the tree, usually distinguishable from the heartwood
by its lighter color. |
| Shorts |
This depends
on the species, usually 4" and wider by 36" and longer,
but sometimes 2" and wider by 12" and longer. Also called
a billet. |
| Slab Boards |
The outer
portion of a log removed by the saw, having one flat and one curved
surface. |
| Softwoods |
A botanical
group of trees that in most cases have needlelike leaves. Does not
refer to the hardness of the wood. |
| Thickness |
As lumber,
expressed in quarters of an inch. 4/4=1", 5/4=1 1/4",
8/4=2", etc. When surfaced two sides 4/4 must yield at least
13/16", 5/4 yield is 1 1/16", 8/4 yield is 1 3/4",
etc. |
| VG or Qrtd |
Vertical grained
or quarter-sawn, i.e. the annular or growth rings are close to perpendicular
to the board face. Also called edge-grained. |
