Glossary of Terms

Bird Peck: A patch of distorted grain resulting from birds pecking through the growing cells in the tree and sometimes containing a hole and/or ingrown bark.

Boxed Heart: The term used when the pith falls entirely within the four faces of a piece of wood anywhere in its length.

Burl: Aburl is a swirl or twist in the grain of the wood which usually occurs near a knot but does not contain a knot. Those containing sound centers are admitted in the cuttings except when otherwise specified.

Check: A lengthwise separation of the wood that usually extends across the rings of annual growth and commonly results fromstresses set up in wood during seasoning.

Cup: A distortion of a board in which there is a deviation flatwise from a straight line across the width of the board.

Cutting: A portion of a board or plank obtained by cross-cutting or ripping, or by both. In the Common grades, a cutting shall be flat enough to surface two sides to standard surfaced thickness after it has been removed fromthe board. In the grades of Selects and Better, the entire board must be flat enough to surface two sides to standard surfaced thickness (for skip limitations, see page 60 under the rule “Clear-Face” Cutting Grade). Diagonal cuttings are not permitted.

Clear-Face Cutting: A cutting having one clear face (ordinary season checks are admitted) and the reverse side sound as defined in Sound Cutting. The clear face of the cutting shall be on the poor side of the board except when otherwise specified.

Sound Cutting: A cutting free from rot, pith, shake and wane. Texture is not considered. It will admit sound knots, bird pecks, stain, streaks or their equivalent, season checks not materially impairing the strength of a cutting, pin, shot and spot worm holes. Other holes 1/4" or larger are admitted but shall be limited as follows: One 1/4" in average diameter in each cutting of less than 12 units;two 1/4" or one 1/2" to each 12 units and on one side only of a cutting.

Decay: The decomposition of wood substance by fungi.

Incipient Decay: The early stage of decay that has not proceeded far enough to soften or otherwise perceptibly impair the hardness of the wood. It is usually accompanied by a slight discoloration or bleaching of the wood.

Green: Freshly sawn lumber, or lumber that has received no intentional drying; unseasoned.

Heartwood: The wood extending from the pith to the sapwood, the cells of which no longer participate in the life processes of the tree.

Honeycomb: A cellular separation that occurs in the interior of a piece of wood, usually along the wood rays.

Lumber (Shipping-Dry): Lumber that is partially dried to prevent stain and mold in transit.

Lumber (Stump-Shot): That having jagged or irregular ends, sawn from a butt log.

Mineral Streak: An olive to greenish-black or brown discoloration of undetermined cause in hardwoods.

Pin Knot: Aknot which does not exceed 1/8" in average diameter.

Pith: The small soft core occurring in the structural center of the log.

Sapwood: The living wood of pale color near the outside of the log.

Seasoning (Air-Dried): Dried by exposure to air, usually in a yard, without artificial heat.

Seasoning (Kiln-Dried): Dried in a kilnwith the use of artificial heat.

Shake: Aseparation along the grain, the greater part of which occurs between the rings of annual growth.

Sidebend: A distortion of a board in which there is a deviation edgewise from a straight line from end to end of the board.

Sound Knot: A knot that is solid across its face, as hard as the surrounding wood, and shows no indication of decay.

Split: A lengthwise separation of the wood, due to the tearing apart of wood cells.

Stain: In hardwoods the word "stain" is used to describe the initial evidences of decay.

Unselected: The full product of the log fromwhich no separation for heartwood or sapwood has been made.

Wane: Bark or lack of wood.

Warp: Warp is any variation from a true or plane surface. Warp includes bow, crook, cup and twist, or any combination thereof.

Worm Holes

• Pin Worm Hole: One not over 1/16" in diameter.
• Spot Worm Hole: One over 1/16" but not more than 1/8" in diameter.
• Shot Worm Hole: One over 1/8" but less than 1/4" in diameter.
• Grub Hole: One 1/4" in diameter or larger.