Material World: Lumber 101

Matriarchy Build

At some point in your DIY project journey, you’ll need to choose lumber. Whether it’s simply a raised bed garden or something more ambitious like a full home renovation, wood will come into play.

Generally speaking, hardwood will not dent easily if you press it with your fingernail.

Hardwood

Softwood is wood that is soft(er), and will dent easily if you press it with your fingernail.

Softwood

COMMON DEFECTS

BOW Warping along the face of the board KNOTS An issue if the knot looks “loose” or has a dark ring around its outer edge SPLIT A crack that goes all the way through SHAKE A crack that goes against the grain WANE A missing section from the edge

As expected, the strongest, most “blemish free” lumber will have a higher grade (and thus a higher price).

Plywood is a manufactured lumber; thin sheets of “plys”  are glued together and then cured under heat and pressure.

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Plywood

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Medium-Density Fiberboard. Denser than plywood. It is made of resin and wood fibers compacted together. Looks better than plywood painted.

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MDF

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Oriented Strand Board: It is a mix of small hard and soft wood pieces pressed together that are visible to the eye.

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OSB

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Hard-wearing and ultra durable, framing and structural lumber is used to build out homes and other major projects. 

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Framing Lumber

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