Good books on lumber selection?

[Mike J Lewis]

Always on the lookout for ways to improve my skill set, and lumber selection seems like a good place to begin. I'd like to have a broader understanding of the general properties of different species of wood, as well as improve my eye for grading at the yard. I saw a couple of recommendations for books on selecting wood in posts on SMC (one that was mentioned as a book that should be a staple in every ww library), but I can't find those posts again. If you have a favorite title on the subject that you've read and would recommend, I'd appreciate the guidance!

[Kevin Jenness]

R. Bruce Hoadley, "Understanding Wood"

R.A.Lincoln, "Woods of the World"

Albert Constantine,Jr., "Know Your Woods"

U.S.Forest Products Laboratory, "Wood Handbook-Wood as an Engineering Material"

USPFL, "Properties of Imported Tropical Woods"

I believe you can get grading rules from the National Hardwood Lumber Association. They generally focus on "defects", primarily knots splits,and wane, and can vary in practice or not apply to characteristics of interest. Walnut, to take one example, seems to be graded lower than most other domestic hardwoods. Sapwood is not considered a defect, though most woodworkers would consider it so in cherry and walnut. (Walnut is often steamed to diffuse the heart color into the sapwood, though to me that degrades the clarity). In maple, heartwood is generally less desirable, and you will find loads designated as "sap" or "mixed". Quartersawn lumber can have dog marks in the faces if the sawyer is not careful, and may come through graded without reference to what any user would consider a major defect.I have seen loads of cherry that were consistently bowed, and though they may have been stacked out of level, I have been told by one producer that it can be caused by stacking with the sap faces consistently up or down. Many drying defects like honeycombing may be hidden from view, while others like surface checking or sticker stain may be apparent but hard to judge how deep they go. Moisture content can vary wildly, depending on how well the wood was dried, how long it has been stored and in what conditions since it went through the kiln. Some dealers may allow skimming a board with a hand plane, poking it with a moisture meter, or picking through the piles, others not. Boards that exhibit twist, crook or bow indicate internal stresses that will affect further processing, but may be acceptable for relatively small parts.

In short, there are many pitfalls to buying lumber that are only appreciated through experience. It's best to deal with a seller who can describe their product in detail, know its source, and stand behind it. You can learn a lot about the process by producing your own lumber on a small scale by salvaging a log or three, hiring a bandsawyer and drying it yourself. It will give you some appreciation of what is involved in turning trees into useable, marketable boards.

[george newbury]

You can learn a lot about the process by producing your own lumber on a small scale by salvaging a log or three, hiring a bandsawyer and drying it yourself. It will give you some appreciation of what is involved in turning trees into useable, marketable boards.
Even better - for you young un's - plant a tree, raise it for 30 or 40 years. Then fell it (a few hours work), saw it up with a CSM or BSM (an hours work), dry it (months), dimension/plane it (minutes) and make it into a table or cabinet or something.

It gave me a new appreciation for wood after I watched a maple tree I planted grow for 30 plus years before
I made it into a rough workbench.

[John Piwaron]

I like what George said. :)

Though I didn't plant it, I did get to have a soft maple log sawn into boards of my liking. For me, that means thick. I had it sawn into 10/4 planks. I brought them home, sealed the ends (2 coats) and stacked it with stickers under the rest of my already dry lumber. I left them alone for several years. Then the time came to build with them. Honestly, that was one of the most satisfying projects I've made.

The books you're looking for will only take you part of the way. The rest of the way will be learned by experience. Build with lots of different species. There's also a small article by Christian Becksvoort that I have laminated and is stuck with a magnet on the door of a metal cabinet in my shop. This article is about calculating wood movement. I use it to do the math of figuring out how much wood movement I can expect from a panel I've made. And therefore to allow for. I've also got a moisture meter to help me with that.

[Mike J Lewis]

Thanks for the guidance. My understanding of wood properties is not where it needs to be, but I think doing some reading on the subject will help me as I put my hand to it. Also recently bought a moisture meter (Ligno analog) to play around with as I make lumber selections. My project level is not at the point yet where I'm ready to do the math on wood movement, but I'll be giving that a try soon enough. Thanks again for the comments. Mike