Choosing Project Lumber

[Rita B.]

Might be a silly question, but preparing to start the largest project I have attempted yet.  I will be using Oak plywood and solid Oak and ultimately staining the project.  Only thing available to me are the big box stores.  Does it matter to build the project with wood purchased at various stores?  I know that Oak should be Oak, but does the milling process affect how wood takes stain?  My guess would be that each store has their own supplier for milled lumber.  Would hate to end up with a mismatched looking piece at the end.

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Rita, building of any project and how it finishes will depend largely upon the method you use to prepare the surface and the type of finish you apply.  It does also depend upon the wood type and grade of material.  You mentioned oak in your post of which is an excellent wood for stain.  There are also grades of the material as well as the grain patterns.  The way I pick my material is to look at the plywood that is available and picking the best you can obtain select the best looking grain and if using multiple sheets try to match the grains between the sheets looking for color and grain patterns.  Once you have selected the plywood then look for oak hardwood lumber of which also matches in both grain pattern and color.  In picking both the plywood and the oak lumber try to avoid the wild grains as they will be very distracting to most furniture and or cabinet building and unless that is the finished look you desire, I always set them aside.  In many good lumber stores they will keep the plywood in a matched stack of which is almost like being "book matched" so sort through the first few top sheets looking for matched grain.  Check the surface of the plywood for humps and lumps and look closely at the top veneer looking for signs of thin and or even missing veneer,  Look at the surface in different light reflections looking for planner chatter or knife chatter when the veneers was sliced and also for any sigs of hollow surfaces.  Sometimes in the manufacturing of the plywood the inter layers may not be totally glued together and may have void that is covered by the veneer sheets.

One of the biggest problems with plywood today is the fact that the veneer is so thin that there is little room for sanding without burning through the veneer layer and that is something that you can not fix with stain or wood fillers.  A thing that I do is to take a small flashlight with me when I go to pick the plywood as well as the lumber.  I do this even though I never shop at the big box stores for lumber as it is not near as good as a dealer that specializes in cabinet and furniture lumber and materials.

Take the flash light and shine it across the surface looking for imperfections that will not show up under normal lighting conditions.  Shine if from different directions until you are satisfied that it is a good sheet.

 Then look at the ends and edges of the plywood looking at the core compositions.  Look for indications of bad glue laminations which is often caused by a low supply of glue and sometimes poor pressing methods.  If you see any indications of cracks or loose core then expect the same thing through out the sheet.  This will definitely be a problem once you start cutting the sheet material in to parts.

When it comes to selection of your hard wood lumber look for lumber that is reasonable in being straight and flat free of crooks and bows.  Usually if you select lumber that has a crook expect it to duplicate its self through out the piece and it will give you problems when you cut it into parts.  Sometimes when you cut this type it will change directions with one part of the cut going one way and the other going the other.  This is due to the trapped stress in the wood when it is trapped when drying and in most cases it is to rapid drying.  Look at the end of the lumber looking for small cracks and or checking which means that there will be some waste in both ends.  Good drying process will have a colored paint or sealant on the ends of the lumber as this prevents the rapid loss of moisture through the ends of the wood when it is in kiln.

Something that many do not realize is that in Oak in particular will have very porous ends of which is very open to both the outlet of moisture as well as the intake of moisture.  An example to think about is that if you cut off a short piece of oak about 3 to 4 inches long and place it in a bowl of water and then blow in the other end most likely you will see bubbles in the water.  The cell structure is similar to a straw. 

There are two common species of oak of which is red oak and white oak.  The white oak is the most expensive of the two and normally not available in the big box stores. It is also harder to find plywood that is white oak.

The color of white oak is usually the most consistence in color and is a white to light yellow color.  It is a harder and more dense oak.

Red oak is the choice of most as the sheet goods in red oak are more plentiful and is a light red to a slight pink in color. 

Depending on the type of project you are building often will determine the type of material you will want to use.  In true mission, shaker and or craftsman project it is normal to use white oak however is in not un-common to see it in  red oak .

To complicate it even more there are two common types of cutting in the material as well .  Rift sawn and quarter sawn.  Both have a different grain pattern with the white oak usually rift sawn as it leaves the beautiful linear pattern and is the most stable of the two.  It is achieved by milling the logs at an perpendicular angle from the growth ring.  This leaves the lumber with the linear lines in it appearance and absent of most grain patterns in the circular type very different to than the quarter sawn. 

The quarter sawn is the most common as it yields more useable board feet out of a log.  It is achieved by quartering the log and then cutting towards the center of the log (radial angle)  It gives you the pleasant figured grain patterns.

There is the plain sawn as well of which a log is dropped on the saw carriage and sawing begins slabbing off lumber through out the log.  The large pieces are then re-sawn into common building sizes and is not normally done in hardwoods.

I'm sure this is way more information than you are seeking but I took this chance to help you understand lumber as it will someday become vital to you as you progress into larger projects.  

Wishing you good luck at the lumber store and something to remember that the best lumber you will find at the big box stores will be on the top as they almost always keep the better lumber near the top as a sales method to catch the customers eye.  In short to save you time and energy if you don't see what you are looking for in the top few sheets, they probably will not have it.

[Rita B.]

Thanks so much Jay.   How are you feeling these days?   All mended I hope.   I purchased two sheets of Oak plywood today for a project I hope to get started on soon.  Need to finish up with the one I have going first and almost there.   I do not have a lot to choose from at the big box stores and I also have to limit it to those that will cut it down for me to fit for transport...not to mention the weight.    You mentioned the thin veneer,  what grit sanding should be done with it when getting it ready for stain?   Choosing the oak lumber can be a daunting task.   Often find a nice grain but the piece is damaged, cupped or has a twist or just the opposite.   From what you described, it will not be a matter who supplied the wood to the big box stores as long as the chosen pieces best match in look a quality.   I read a earlier tip of yours as well of a vinegar and water mixture to remove glue.  Hope to give that a try as well.   I cannot wait to get started :)

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Rita, you are very welcome.  I am better and still have nerve damage that is know as PHN.  It is a slow process as nerves repair only about a millimeter per month.  It has been now over 7 months but I am slowly working at getting better and back in the shop.  I just can't do as much as quick but I will keep at it.

I am glad that I had a chance to send you some knowledge that I have gained over the years.  yes it is hard to have to get things cut down in order to transport.  It can complicate things some.

For sanding I would use something like 220 grit and be careful of that and never allow the sander to sit in a spot for a very long time.  Sometimes it is better to just apply the stain and that will raise the grain and then use 220 grit and hand sand it.   That will remove the raised grains and then begin to apply the top coats sanding between each coat until you get a nice even coat.  In some red oak it is hard to get a flat feeling surface as the hard grain tends to want to expose multiple surface heights with the grain pattern wanting to raise up off the softer wood.  It is the top coats that give you the glass looking and feeling that you feel with the hand.

Yes it is hard to determine if what your are getting from the big box stores as the supplier may deliver a nice  grade of lumber and then sometimes it can be the culling from the good lumber that a lumber broker has. That is why I buy my materials from a hardwood supplier of which has gained a reputation with me and will only  sell the best.  I have at times bought lumber directly from a lumber broker when I could not get what I wanted from a dealer.  They both cost more but the old saying of "you get what you pay for" is definitely a factor in my decisions of where to buy or not buy.

On the water and glue technique is one of which you must be careful of when using on anything with veneer s it will raise the grain.  it best to go lightly on the amount you apply.  use the method to remove glue before it dries.  Once it dries you will have to use a sharp chisel and careful application of the chisel going with the grain and if on plywood push towards the hardwood.  If there is a large amount of glue on plywood or any veneered surface use a mixture of 50/50.

Have fun and enjoy your work.  I am confident that you will do great as I have seen your other projects.  If I can be of help feel free to contact me.

[Rosemarie Ratvasky]

Wow, Jay -- what great information! Thank you for sharing. One quick question: do you use wood filler on oak?

Rita: Good luck with your project!

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Rosemarie,
I seldom have to use filler with the exception of when there is a flaw in the wood that I need to fill.  When I do I use a mixture of glue and wood dust from the actual piece that I am using in the project.  That way it will be of the same color and very hard to detect where flaw was.  In my joints they are tight fitting needing nothing but sanding with al occasional touch of glue and sanding dust.  I have made if a habit to save some of the sanding dust of all the colors in the wood that I am using in a small container.  That way when it comes to finishing I have the needed dust of which I mix with glue. 
Rosemarie Ratvasky said:

Wow, Jay -- what great information! Thank you for sharing. One quick question: do you use wood filler on oak?

Rita: Good luck with your project!

[Rita B.]

Thanks Rosemarie :)

Jay, slow and steady with the mend.  Hard not to want or wish things to be rushed.  Glad to hear you are getting back into the shop!