1 Forest Products Laboratory-, Forest Service ^« ^'Department of Agriculture HAHDWOOD GRAB'S STICK The most important features of the National Hardwo~. I i-er Asso- ciation standard rules for Firsts and Seconds (FAS), No. 1 Common (No.l "' . and No. 2 Common (No. 2 C) have been condensed by the Forest Products I tory for use as a grade stick comparable to a lumber rule. Attached is a chart that may be used to make the stick. It must be understood that the grade stick is not sufficient in - self to grade lumber for shipping and cannot take the place of the technical provisions and full text of the National Hardwood Lumber Association ru. It is intended sirply as a guide in the production of maximum grades. A rule book covering nardwoods and cypress can be obtained from that Associa- tion, 2408 Buckingham Building, Chicago, for ten cents. In brief, hardwood lumber is graded on the basis of the prc^or - i of the total surface measure of the board that can be worked up in a Infi- nitely limited number of clear face cuttings, each passing a minimum size requirement. How to Use Grade Stick To determine if a board will make a given grade (l) lay the sti across the poor face of the board (end flush with the outside edge of board), Pick out the space corresponding to the length of the board tabulated at the end and read from its intersection with the near edge of board the number of cuttings allowed for that grade. Explanation of alternative numbers of cut- tings is given later. (2) Determine from the board that the cuttings pass the minimum size requirement shown on the handle end, (3) th .' their numl is within the limits indicated, and (4) that their total surfr.ee area is at least the portion of the total surface measure of the board required, shown on the handle end. Practice will develop for rough grading a reasonably close approx- imation by eye whether the surface areas included in the cuttings i 1/2 (equivalents to 91-2/3, 83-1/3, 75, >6-Z/o, and bO per cent "espoctxve- percentage of total surface area of the Wwi ' d iijulJlLd Vy Hie lJf .es. example, whether the sum of the cuttings c<| 1/ffiRKRY- ly) . For accurate determination, in cas4s where visual inspec adequate, the usual method is to determine how PVP^-T JplA^Q?? 1 inches each are included in the percentage of tot*al surface area by the rules and note whether the sum of or exceeds this. The number of units in the units in the cut a cutting 5/4, 2/7. . m is m- .ve square required ;s equals .nches and fractions multiplied by its length i r 1 JFq AtS^rJL! riV.c Ql fn»P. r ^\ c numb of units in a board is twelve times its s£rTa"4'S TflcaSVJPe in ieel, and e how flaj.T 54^972^ tn e of total surface are ts in the cut tints ng is its .width In ii nck'f.fV.cQf^&.ndaJe m Maintained, at Madison, Wisconsin in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin. F899-7 ■* 91-2/3$ is 11, 83-1/3$ is 10, 75 J c Is 9, 66-2 /3-£ is 8, and SOo is 6 times the surface measure. For example, a board having a 7-foot surface rr.eo.sure must have 66-2/3 per cent or 56 units (7x8) in clear face cuttings. The cut- tings measure 6 inches by 4-1/2 feet or 27 units, -and 7 inches by 5 feet or 35 units. The total units in the cuttings, 62, exceed the 56 required to make this board a No.l C. A cutting may be the entire board, or a portion obtained by cross- cutting the full width, or ripping the full length, or both, no allowance being made for saw cut. The surface measure of the board is expressed in full feet with fractions up to and including 1/2 foot (as shown on the boar,". rule) dropped, and above the 1 /2-foot mark counted as the next higher foot-" For instance, c board that measures 7-1/2 feet actual is taken as 7 feet, while one that measures 7-5/8 feet is taken as 8 feet. In most cases it will be noted from the stick that an extra cutting conditioned upon an increase in the amount of clear surface required is al- lowed. Furthermore, in most cases alternative minimum sizes of cutting", i re permitted. For example, a board having six surface feet is a No. 1 C if 2/3 of the poor face can be had in 2 clear face cuttings, or if 3/4 can be had in 3 clear face cuttings, each at least 3 by 36 inches or 4 by 24 inches, intermediate equivalents not allowed — i.e., 3-1/2 by 30 inches. The short vertical lines on the diagrams applying to grades indi- cate for the convenience of sawyers and edgermen where the divisions occur in green lumber. Suggestions for Making Stick Use a dry piece of wood 3/8 by 2-9/16 by 30 inches. Cut out the two strips and paste one to each wide face of the stick, using good mucilage and being careful to get the left end of diagram exactly even with the end of the stick. The durability of the paper can be greatly increased by coat- ing heavily with varnish; wear may be minimized by cutting l/15-inch from each face where the paper is to be pasted, thus giving a cross section ap- proximating the capital I, so that the paper fits snugly between the two bars and is protected from abrasion by them. A couple of coats of varnish should then be applied and the handle cut down for convenience of user. An alternative to countersinking the paper is to put a raised bead down the center over the heavy black line after pasting the paper to the stick (coars wire held in place with a few small staples). A metal guard at the end ! a board rule facilitates placing the stick accurately against board edge. Additional copies of the chart may be secured from the Forest Products Laboratory for five cents each. If a demand develops for a stick of more durable form, arrangements may be made for manufacturing one wit the data etched on wood. Contributed by A. C. Wollin, Senior Lumber Inpsector, Forest Products Laboratory, April, 1932. F899-7 _2- > Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/gradestiOOfore 16 _lk. 12 _1D_ 1 and 2 L_L _CLEAfi_ lb. 14 12 10 1 _L and 2 / / LI ' HI&BER OF "~L 2 and 3 v "fl Cl'TTlINGS T ? and k "L NUMBER OF CUTTINGS 2 and "5 — L 12 16 Ik 12 10 Firsts and Seconds 83-1/3$ of surface must be in the first number of cuttings indicated or 91-1/2$ in the second. Minimum clear face cut- ting ^ n x60» or yxSk". No. 1 Common 66-2/3$ of surface must be in the first number of cuttings indicated or 75$ in the second. Minimum clear face cutting 3"x36" or l+"x24". JL£_ -12J _ID_ and 3 J 1 ~ l ' 3 a nd k 1 and 2 66-2/3 in 1 10 11 i 12 Ji Ik I 15 16 rL i& A5_ 20 21 _6J M and It 22 ' 23 Zk 16 1*^- _10_ _11 ! 12. IP 11 _13_ JUL. IS _1D_ _12_ A£ ITT _LL _1S_ _LL JL2_ 15 10 n: 19 -U- 17 JUL _20_ 11 6 No . 2 Common of surface must be in the first number of cuttings indicated or 66-2/3 in the seoond. Minimum cuttings (clear face or sound) 3»x2^". _25_ _2JL -15- 12 _22_ Surface Measure Scale _L0£ J UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 3 1262 08928 5992