Skip to Content

Frequently Asked Questions


Home > Resource Center > Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ Lumber

Q. Can I get a chain of custody letter for an FSC job I am quoting?
A. No, Chain of Custody can only occur after the sale, and only if the wood is FSC Certified.
 
Q. What is the difference between Net and Gross Tally, and how do you ship?
A. Net tally is measured after the lumber has been kiln dried and is the true measure of the lumber. Gross Tally is the measure of green lumber, before drying. Some companies add 8% or more back to the Net Tally to account for the shrinkage. They will price the lumber cheaper, but you don't actually receive the footage you were billed for. We only sell Net, unless specified by the customer.
 
Q. What is the moisture content in hardwood lumber for interior applications?
A. Hardwood lumber is kiln dried to a moisture content of 6 to 8%. When we inspect our inbound loads, we use a moisture meter to determine the moisture in each load.
 
Q. How do you bunk tally?
A. Number of tiers high x width in inches (allow for gaps) x average length in feet and then divide by 12. If 5/4, multiple x 1.25, 6/4 multiply x 1.5, etc…
 
Q. How do you figure board footage by the piece?
A. Take the width of the board in inches x the length of the board in feet and divide by 12. Example: 4.5" wide x 8' long divided by 12 = 3 bd ft
 
Q. How do I figure waste factors on hardwoods?
A. This depends on the application. Several things to keep in mind are: What the finished widths are you are trying to yield. What specie of lumber you are using, as well as what grade you plan to use. Lower grades are cheaper, but do not yield as well.
 
Q. What are the best species to use for exterior applications?
A. Some hardwoods such as Ipe and Garapa are used for exterior deck applications and typically are dimensioned for deck use. South American Mahogany and Sipo are woods that are used for window and door applications. Softwoods that can be used in exterior applications are Ponderosa and Eastern White Pine, as well as Cedar and Hemlock.
 
Q. Is your Walnut steamed?
A. All of our Walnut is bought and sold as steamed for a more consistent color.
 
Q. What is Silver Maple?
A. Silver Maple is a specie in the Soft Maple family. There are several species of Soft Maple, including Silver and Red Leaf.
 

FAQ Panel Products

Q. What is the difference between Rotary Cut and Plain Sliced?
A. See "Hardwood Plywood Family of Products" at the Resource Center
 
Q. Panel Grading, for example customer wants A-1, good 1 side.
A. See "Hardwood Plywood Family of Products" at the Resource Center
 
Q. What are the advantages in using R/C or Pl/Sl veneers?
A. Plain Sliced veneers have a more uniform grain pattern. When sliced, this type of veneer is stacked in the sequential order of slicing and sold as one flitch. This allows each leaf of the log to be stitched back together to create a veneer that can be sequence matched and numbered at the press. This is essential for uniformity in high end architectural woodwork. This cutting method is slower than Rotary peeling, and is more costly. Rotary Cut veneer is recognizable by its wide or wild grain patterns. As the log is peeled on a rotary lathe, it can yield a sheet of venner wide enough to cover a panel. This is referred to as Whole Piece Face (WPF). Whole piece faces eliminate any splice lines and can eliminate some finishing issues. Rotary cut spliced veneer is the smaller pieces from the rotary lathe that are spliced together to make up the panel width.
 
Q. What are the advantages in using VC or MDF core?
A. MDF core tends to lay flater than Veneer Core. However, V C is lighter in weight than MDF and has better screw holding properties.
 
Q. What are the weights of panels?
A. See "Weight per Panel" at the Resource Center
 
Q. What is the difference between MDF and Extira?
A. Both are made of wood fibers, however EXTIRA is waterproof
 
Q. 3/4 x 49 x 97 Arreis MDF (NAF) FSC - what does all this mean?
A. See "Panel Products Glossary" at the Resource Center
 
Q. Why is Shop Grade hardwood plywood not always available?
A. Because Shop grade develops when on grade panels don't make grade, there is no consistant supply. Most manufacturers try NOT to make shop panels.
 
Q. What is shop grade - (explanation of fall down vs manufactured)?
A. See explanation above on fall down. Manufactured shop is produced by mills upon request of their customer. Customer can decide on what grade, type and number of defects, repairs, etc.
 
Q. Why is shop grade so much cheaper than on grade?
A. Items which are SKU'd as shop grade are purchased that way. Plywood mills can accumulate excess shop in production of their on grade panels. The mills can ship up to 10% shop grade with the on grade, and the rest is set aside. After accumulating certain amounts of shop grade, they will sell that material at a fair market value.
 
Q. Why is there shop plywood in my on grade?
A. Plywood mills unintentionally produce shop panels when making on grade. The mill is allowed to include a percentage of shop, industry standard being 10%, with the on grade panels. The mill will produce material upon request with "NO SHOP", but there will be an upcharge for that service.