Wood – I spend long time in picking lumber. What do you look for when selecting boards

boarddecklumberpressure-treatedwoodworking

I typically spend very long time in front of the lumber aisles inspecting boards. Many times I end up not getting anything after all because I thought all boards are imperfect.

I see pros spent few minutes next to me in the store or lumber yard, inspecting boards quickly and be gone.

What do you look for to decide whether to take a board or not?
To scope down my question, let's take pressure treated boards as an example. Are cracks bad? Damaged Un-curved edges? Knots?

I'm new to woodworking. Thanks for your help

Best Answer

I literally buy pressure-treated wood sight-unseen.

I live near a chain of lumber yards that offers convenient delivery at a reasonable price. They offer pressure-treated fence posts with a consistent quality level, which is appropriate for my uses of the lumber. I can call them up, ask for a number of fence posts cut to a particular length, and arrange for delivery. The men at the lumber yard choose the posts (presumably from the top of the relevant stack), cut the lumber to length, strap it together, and put it on their truck. I receive it, verify that it looks okay, store it (with appropriate spacers between boards), and use it as I need it. I treat the cut ends of pressure-treated wood, either shortly after receipt, or before installation.

What I mean by "looks okay":

  • straight lines
  • no visible bow
  • no visible warpage
  • knots are not large enough to compromise structural strength
  • minor "checking" (shallow cracks at ends of posts) is okay
  • no deep cracks (that would turn the wood grain into a giant splinter)
  • no bark in the lumber
  • consistent grain width
  • grain direction is consistent with the shape of the lumber
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