Use and Care Guide

How to buy the best home-center lumber

How can I get the best boards?

Once you know what kind of wood you want and the size of boards you need, it’s time to buy your lumber. But you don’t

want to just grab the boards that are easiest to reach. Take your time looking over the available boards and check them

for these common defects. Ideally, you want every board to be ﬂat and straight. You’ll probably have to work around

defects in some boards, though.

Flat

Ideal

Faces are ﬂat, edges

are straight. Can

easily be cut to any

size.

Cup

Faces are not ﬂat

from side to side,

edges are straight.

May be able to rip

narrow pieces that

are fairly ﬂat.

Bow

Faces are not ﬂat

from end to end,

edges are straight.

May be able to

crosscut into shorter

pieces that have fairly

straight edges.

Crook

Faces are ﬂat, edges

are not straight from

end to end. May be

able to crosscut into

shorter pieces that

have fairly straight

edges.

Twist

Do not use

Faces are not ﬂat,

edges are not

straight. These

boards are beyond

saving and shouldn’t

be used.

Common wood defects