Carpentry terms face, reveal, ridge, overhang

Lumber is a building wood material that is obtained by sawing large timber.
There are various cutting methods, the main goal of which is to minimize the amount of waste during production. By sawing, we obtain timber, the surface of which will be of high quality, as well as geometric dimensions that meet the requirements of GOST. [contents]

It is quite useful to know the standardized parameters of wood. This will help both for DIY projects and for capital construction. In most cases, coniferous materials are used to build supports, frames and other supporting structures.

Lumber, Timber and Lumber - What's the Difference?

Lumber should not be confused with lumber and timber.

• Timber products are obtained as a result of cross-cutting or longitudinal sawing of trees; they retain the natural structure and chemical composition. A visual variety is logs and poles. Timber products can act as raw materials for sawn products and lumber. Sometimes they are used as a structural material without additional processing (log houses).
• Lumber products are obtained by sawing timber into smaller pieces. Logs can be split lengthwise and crosswise. At the same time, lumber products usually do not have standardized characteristics and require additional processing during construction. Lumber products include obapole, slabs, sleepers and wood blanks.
• Lumber has standardized parameters and characteristics. This group of products includes boards, beams and whetstones.

Lumber geometry

The surfaces of lumber have special names; it is useful to remember them in order to understand the regulatory documentation.

• Face – the longitudinal widest side of the lumber. For products with a square cross-section (beams, beams), all planes can be considered faces, but more often they are simply called sides. The face closest to the center of the log is called the inner face, and the farthest face is called the outer face.
• Edge – lateral longitudinal plane.
• End – lateral transverse plane.
• Edge is the line where the face meets the edge.

Carpentry terms face, reveal, ridge, overhang

The size and shape of the components and parts of the product can be different, therefore, classifying them according to these characteristics is impractical. In the practice of designing and manufacturing furniture, appropriate terminology has been developed that characterizes individual features of the structural units of the product - joinery elements. Listed below are the major joinery pieces and minor pieces that are often used in joinery.

A block is the simplest part of a rectangular, square or other cross-section, trimmed on both sides. The elements of a bar are face, end, edge and edge. The face is a longitudinal, wide surface, the edge is a longitudinal narrow surface, the end is the cross-sectional surface of a bar and the edge is the line of intersection of the surfaces of the face and the edge or other surfaces. The faces or edges that are distinguished by the highest quality of processing are called facial; those opposite to them or others may not be facial. The number of front surfaces of a bar as a part depends on its purpose and position in the product.

Flush is a connection of parts when their surfaces lie in the same plane (fitted into one plane after eliminating sagging).

Half-wood - a connection with a serif for half the thickness of the parts.

Ridge - a protrusion (spike) selected along the axis of the part (mainly at the edge)

And it is designed to fit into a tongue and groove. From the illustration we see that the comb can be rectangular, conical or trapezoidal in shape.

The section is a separate block that is included in the design of a plank or other panel. Sections are also called individual narrow strips of veneer that form the facing layer.

Fugue - a linear seam on the surface is formed when sections are connected. The fugue as a visible line on the surface should be as thin as a hair and invisible, which is a criterion for assessing the quality of the connection. When the fugue is wide, the fugue is said to have come apart, and such a connection is a defect. The common term “smooth joints” means joining sections with smooth edges using glue, without using carpentry joints.

An overhang is a technological ledge, has large dimensions - 20 - 150 mm or more. Overhangs improve the performance properties of furniture and help save materials for their manufacture. For example, overhangs on the top of a dining table allow you to increase its working surface. At the same time, we achieve savings in materials by reducing the length of the drawbars .

Removing the legs from the edges of the tabletop, i.e. increasing the overhang, improves access to the table. Sometimes the size of overhangs is chosen purely for architectural and artistic reasons.

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Production method affects quality

You can always see growth rings on a cut of a tree trunk. These are fibers that grow during growth. The parameters of lumber from different parts of the trunk will differ. When the timber arrives at the sawmill, it is marked for sawing. Several products are obtained from one log at once.

• The central part (core) is the oldest and strongest part of the tree; it is most often used to make timber. Boards and bars are obtained from the side parts of the log. From the extreme areas with the remains of the bark, a croaker is obtained. Depending on the section of the log, sawing is divided into radial, tangential and central.

• A radial cut is made along the radius of the trunk across the grain. At the ends of the radial cut boards, the pattern of growth rings has the form of transverse lines. Such products are more resistant to moisture and less susceptible to deformation than tangentially cut lumber.
• Tangential cutting is performed tangentially to the circumference of the trunk. Visually, from the ends, the growth rings have the shape of an arch, and on the faces, a wavy structure characteristic of a tree is obtained.

A tangentially sawn board has internal tension - when drying, it can bend in an arc.

What are edged boards, beams and whetstones?

It is not so easy for an ignorant person to understand construction terminology. If you start a construction project, you will have to do this. First, let's figure out what a board is and how it differs from timber and timber. All definitions of lumber are given in GOST 18288-87. They rely on size. According to this document:

What is the difference between timber and timber? The cross-section of the beam has the shape of a square with a side of more than 100 mm. The block can be square, but the side must be less than 100 mm, but most often the block has the shape of a rectangle

• A board is lumber having a thickness of no more than 100 mm and a width greater than twice the thickness.
• Beam - more than 100 mm wide and thick. The maximum size of timber is not standardized. Only minimal.
• Bar - up to 100 mm thick and no more than twice the thickness.

So, if you look at the beam from the end, all its sides should be equal. The cross section of the beam will give us a square. The board and the block are rectangles. It’s just that the width of the board is more than twice the thickness, and the width of the block is less. For example, 25*75 mm is a board, and 25*45 mm is a block. And, by the way, 50*50 mm and 75*75 mm are also a bar, not a beam, because according to the standard a bar is considered to be a product with a side of 100 mm or more. We seem to have sorted out these names.

What is a croaker and a plank croaker is clear from the photo

A croaker is sometimes used for rough work. What it is? According to the same standard, this is a side part of a log, one side of which is sawn, the other is not. There is also a plank slab - this is when the outer part of the slab is partially sawn through.

Edged and unedged boards

It’s also worth deciding what a face and an edge are. This is either of the two wider surfaces in a board or block, and either of the surfaces in a block. The edge, accordingly, is the narrower part of the lumber.

The face of a board or block is a wide surface

Now you can find out what an edged board is and how it differs from an unedged one. The edged board has edges sawn perpendicular to the faces. There may be wane (remnants of bark) on the edge, but no more than is acceptable for the grade. An unedged board, accordingly, has uncut or partially cut edges. Edged lumber in which the wane exceeds the permissible limits falls into the same category.

There is also a semi-edged board. This is when only one edge is smooth, and the second may have wane. The timber, by the way, can also be with wane. The two-edged one has two opposite sides processed, the three-edged one has three, and the four-edged one has all four.

Edged and unedged boards. The difference is in the shape of the edges. The edged ones are smooth; In low varieties, a small amount of wane is allowed. An unedged board has edges that are not cut at all or only partially

You may also need such a concept as calibrated lumber. There are calibrated boards, bars and beams. This is lumber that has been dried and processed (on a thicknesser or planer) to the required size. It must be understood that an uncalibrated one may have deviations in size (the limits of deviation are normalized), while a calibrated one should not differ in size. Or rather, the permissible deviations are very small.

There is also a planed board. It differs from the edged one in that it has smoother sides, as it is subject to additional processing. The edged board is dried and then sent for additional processing on a planing machine. There the roughness left by the saw is removed. Calibration may occur at the same time, but is not required. The planed board may not be calibrated.

Business and construction board: what is the difference

Also in the price lists there is a board with the same dimensions, of the same grade, but one is for construction, and the other is for business. The difference is that the business one is made from non-dead trunks. It is dried, does not have fungal or bacteriological lesions, or wormholes, even if they are allowed by the standards. Therefore it costs significantly more.

Business board is used for roofing. Goes to the logs, rafters. It is also used in frame housing construction. The business board can be treated directly at the enterprise with the necessary compounds, but this is discussed specifically before delivery.

To understand whether the lumber in front of you is construction or commercial, look at the knots. A business board or beam can only contain healthy (light) fused knots

Sometimes you can see two items in the price list with the same name, but one has GOST on it, the other either has no mark or says “without GOST”. The price difference is significant. How is the material different? Firstly, the size may be smaller. Everything that does not pass the tolerances goes into this category. For example, the width or length, the inclination of the bevels does not fit into the standards. Is it possible to take such a board or timber? Depends on where you are going to use it. But you must examine such material yourself. The whole game. A lower price is not always beneficial.

Beam or whetstone?

Beams and lumber are a type of lumber with a square or rectangular cross-section.

• Beam is lumber, the thickness and length of which is more than 10 cm. Beams can be two-edged, three-edged and four-edged, depending on the number of sawn planes (edges). In most cases today you can encounter four-edged timber.

A separate variety is laminated veneer lumber. Formally, it cannot be classified as lumber; it is made by gluing together several wooden lamellas.

• Bars are lumber, the sides of which should not exceed 10 cm, and the width cannot be more than two thicknesses.

Types of lumber

There are several types of lumber:

• Edged (they have a smooth perpendicular edge);
• Unedged (have a beveled side edge that has not been cleared of bark).

At the same time, conifers are classified into only 3 types:

• Boards – thickness 2 times greater than width;
• Bars - thickness less than width by no more than 1.5-2 times;
• Bars – width and thickness more than 100 mm.

Establishing dimensional standards makes it possible to transform construction into a more universal technology . There are GOSTs that regulate a number of recommended parameters and sizes - length, width and thickness.

When a wood log is sawn, the geometric dimensions are selected from a list of standard values. Moreover, the slab, a part obtained from the outermost areas of the log, can be of any non-standard thickness.

The standardized geometry of lumber simplifies the design of typical architectural structures, the preparation of technical documentation, and control of the activities of construction crews.

Taking into account the type and size of the required products, the most suitable option is selected from several schemes for dissolving the round timber.

Cutting lumber to size

The size cut can be radial or tangential. The radial pattern is a cut, the cut plane of which is carried out through the center of the trunk, and the produced floorboards are obtained with the direction of the fibers (annual rings) parallel to the side edge, which is a guarantee of high quality.

When using radial sawing, the resulting timber almost does not warp and has a small coefficient of shrinkage and swelling. From radial cutting, the output is 10-15% of floorboards from the total volume of construction timber.

Everything else comes from tangential cutting. The disadvantage of such slats is that the annual rings lie along a wide surface (plate), and therefore there is a risk of warping and a high shrinkage coefficient.

The widest part of the board is usually called the face, and the sides are called edges.

Types of lumber

Based on quality, deciduous species are divided into 3 grades, and coniferous species into 5.

The best grade of lumber is usually called selected - it is marked with a horizontal stripe or the letter “O”, other grades are marked with numbers: 1-4 - marked with the corresponding number of vertical stripes, dots or a direct number. The quality of lumber is judged by its worst edge or side.

The grade is determined by the presence or absence of knots, cracks, rot, warping, wormholes, and the quality of machining (non-parallel planes and edges are established by GOST 24454-80 “Softwood lumber. Dimensions”).

First-class wood is used in the manufacture of structural elements, windows, stairs, doors, finishing of walls and floors. Grade 2 is used for flooring, load-bearing structures in construction, lathing, formwork, planed parts. Grade 3 is used for load-bearing structures. And 4 is used for the manufacture of containers and blanks.

Standardized lumber sizes

Recommended sizes of lumber in GOST 24454-80 “Softwood lumber. Dimensions" are summarized in a table for convenience. The standardized width of edged materials ranges from 75 to 275 mm. The standard width increases in increments of 25 mm. For example, after 75 millimeters, the subsequent width of the wooden floorboards will be 100 mm, then 125, etc.

There are 3 main geometric groups into which wood material is divided:

• thin (16-22 mm.);
• medium (25-44 mm.);
• thick (50-100 mm.).

It is necessary to understand that, for example, 22 mm is the maximum for thin floorboards. The next thickness is already middle class.

In width, the material is divided into 2 groups:

• narrow (up to 150 mm);
• wide (from 150 mm.).

In length:

• short (up to 2.5 mm);
• long (from 2.5 mm.).

To find out the number of edged boards in 1 m3, we multiply the number of boards from the third column of the table by the length of the board (in our table - 6 m).

• And thus, we get the number of linear meters of boards in 1m3.

To calculate the weight of one cubic meter of board, we use the formula: M=V*P, where M is weight, V is volume, and P is density.

1. It depends on the type of wood chosen, where it grows, and the specific location in the trunk from which it was cut.
2. In conclusion, we will reveal a few secrets on how to buy lumber and save money at the same time.

• Edged boards of working section. They are produced in a similar range as lumber according to GOST 8486-86, but only 5 mm smaller in diameter. Moreover, the quality of the working section boards is not inferior to the first grade! But if you take it in the appropriate amount, it will turn out to be 10-15% cheaper than edged boards according to GOST.
• In the village council, you, as the owner, can ask for a logging quota. Having previously coordinated everything with the foresters, we bring the tree to the sawmill and accept the lumber in the required quantity at a ridiculous price.
• In the off-season - in winter, you can sometimes "run into" incredible discounts on goods that have not been sold since the summer, which are completely unprofitable for sellers to store.

Processing method

After sawing from a tree trunk, the lumber can undergo additional processing.

Unedged - minimal processing when the edges are not trimmed. There may be wane left on them.

Wane is a defect when an untreated area with remnants of bark remains on the lumber. Where the wane is located, rounded ribs are usually obtained. Unedged lumber with wane requires additional processing.

Edged lumber - the edges are cut so that they are perpendicular to the faces, and the amount of wane does not exceed the permissible values.

the planed material undergoes another stage of processing. A small layer of wood is removed from at least one face and two edges. Planed materials are used for finishing surfaces.

Profiled lumber - the product is given a complex cross-sectional shape to improve joining. Docking can be done according to the “tenon and groove” principle, when a tongue and groove is cut out on one side and a groove on the other.

Lumber grade

Defects on lumber are called defects in regulatory documents. Depending on their quantity, the grade of lumber is standardized. There are 5 grades of boards and bars (selected, 1 – 4). The timber is not selected; it comes in only four grades. Defects are considered to be cracks, mold, knots, wane, bark, etc.

Defects affect not only the appearance of the wood, but also its structural properties. A loose knot or crack can reduce the design load resistance of a wooden structure. For this reason, for responsible construction it is allowed to use grades 1–3 of lumber. Grade 4 is suitable for auxiliary buildings.

A separate important topic is wood moisture content and drying methods; we will talk about this in another article.

Standard sizes of edged boards

According to GOST 24454-80, there are softwood lumber of standard dimensions. The thickness and width of the board is shown in the table. Deviations in the thickness of edged boards, timber and beams are permissible, but they cannot be greater than:

• ±1 mm for boards and bars up to 32 mm thick;
• ±2 mm for lumber from 40 mm to 100 mm;
• ±3 mm for thickness 110 mm and more.

There are also restrictions on width deviations: the deviation can be up to 2 mm for a width of up to 100 mm, and up to 3 mm for a width of 125 mm or more.

Standard sizes of edged boards are indicated for wood with a moisture content of 20%. For materials of higher and lower humidity vary. The amount of shrinkage is specified in GOST 682.1.

In addition, the length of lumber is standardized. It can be from 1 meter to 6.5 meters. The gradation step is 25 cm. The permissible deviations in length are 25 mm or +50 mm.

In the new standard for the domestic market, other deviations from the standard sizes of edged and unedged boards are acceptable

Please note that GOST 26002 has been introduced, in which other deviations are allowed for the domestic market. But there is a note: by agreement with the consumer. That is, when purchasing a board of “standard sizes”, see GOST. In 24454-80 the requirements are more stringent. By the way, it establishes other grading criteria. So, it’s really worth asking what GOST the products are labeled according to.