From: bennett@adobe.com(Bennett Leeds)
Subject: Re: Wood selection and purchase
Reply-To: bennett@adobe.com
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 16:18:18 GMT

Christopher Owens writes:
> {Cherry at $2.80/bdft, min 100 bdft, no picking thru the inventory,
> 4/4 rough, select & better, $40 for surfacing and jointing one edge,
> plus schelepping, and questions on which variety of cherry}

You've brought up a number of issues here:

1) Grading.
   Here are some grades, clearest at the top:

	Firsts and Seconds (aka FAS)
	Select & Better
	#1 Common
	#2 Common
	
   I may have omitted some grades. The grades have real meanings in
   terms of how many knots they have (for instance, I believe FAS
   means no knots on at least one face, only tight knots smaller 
   than some size I don't remember on the other), how much sapwood
   is present, whether the edge is straight or wane, etc. Select and
   Better does allow sound sapwood, for instance. For more details
   try either "FWW on Wood and How to Dry It" or "FWW on the Small
   Workshop." 

   Some woods, like Walnut, are not always available in FAS grade 
   since the boards would be too narrow and short. Availability
   of cherry in FAS shouldn't be a problem. Yet.

   Some woodworkers like to go with Select and Better, or even #1 
   common, feeling that these grades have more interesting grain
   patterns. If your projects are smallish, buying #1 or #2 common
   and cutting out the bad knots is also a way to save some money.

   If your project requires large, clear boards, then you probably want
   FAS grade, not Select and Better. 


2) Don't underestimate the value of being able to pick through
   the inventory, especially if you don't need very much wood. Being
   able to pick out the boards can reduce the number of boards you
   you need to buy, or just result in a better piece (for instance,
   being able to glue up a top from 3 rather than 4 pieces). For 
   instance, a $0.30/bdft difference is only about 10% more, and you
   may easily be able to buy 10% less wood if you can pick and choose
   your boards.

   I don't know prices in Chicago, wood prices vary by region. Even within
   regions, things are more expensive in cities than outside them.

   Different boards from different trees will also often have different
   shading, and being able to select boards with similar shadings is 
   advantageous. I recently built a cherry cradle mostly out of one
   single 8/4 x 9" x 14' long board. Being able to go through the whole
   stack to find that perfect board was important to me. I paid about
   $3.20/bdft for that board (out of a FAS  stack).


3) All Cherry I've seen is Black Cherry. It's a wonderful wood,
   especially with a pure tung oil finish. There are mminor differences 
   depending on where it's grown, but all the cherry I've seen in yards 
   is basically the same. Ignore Moser's hyperbole.


4) If you assume average 6" wide boards, then $40 for surfacing 100 bdft
   works out to $0.20/linear foot, which is about the going rate. If you
   want really flat boards, you should do it yourself - face joint one
   side, then thickness plane the other. 


> Anybody know how to specify cherry? 

Sounds like you can't specify. Select and Better is Select and Better.
What he'll probably do is grab boards off the top until he gets close to
your board foot figure, then he'll choose the last board by width and 
length.

- Bennett Leeds
bennett@adobe.com