How To Choose a Good Board

Lumber selection

It's important also to make sure your lumber is dry. Kiln dried lumber is a must for outdoor projects like fences and decks. You can also roll a board on the floor to check each side, the same way you see folks testing a billiards stick on a pool table. (Of course the floor needs to be flat)

Picking a good board

If you are picking a board that's displayed vertically and you don't want to pull every board out to check, line it up with the display structure and make sure to turn it 1/4 turn and check again.  This will give you a quick estimate before trying to wrangle the board out of the display.

While checking for straightness, check for burns, knots, large cracks, hunks missing, etc.  Don't be afraid to get an employee to open another pack for you if you can't find anything you like!

Picking a good board

If you are getting wood from outdoor storage area:

• inspect for straightness (see above for how), rot, splits & checks, sap, and if you like the grain or not
• take it home and sticker all your boards INSIDE. To do so, take strips of small wood or cut up ply and put some on the floor, then put your first board down, put two more strips, and another board. Continue until all your wood has airflow. This way if it has been wet, it will dry nicely. Wait 1-2 weeks until the moisture content has stabilized to use the wood for your project.

You get what you pay for and more

You get what you pay for. I decided to get the cheapest 2x4's on this last project and ended up with some pretty crappy wood. Pay a little more and it will save you money in the long run. Think about the cost of wood filler, sandpaper and the like, not to mention the time and frustration in throwing away bad pieces!! I learned this the hard way.

Another one is to make sure

Another one is to make sure that you get the wood from the same vendor through the entire project. For example, the 1x3's that our local lumberyard had were slightly (almost 1/8") thicker than the ones we got from Big Orange when we ran out on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of the project. We made it look like it was supposed to be that way, but it would have been easier to just make sure we had bought them all from the same vendor.