How to order redwood

By Charles J. Jourdain Vice President, Technical & Inspection Services California Redwood Association

I N THE FOREST products industry, we can easily lose I sight of the fact that many of the people we deal with on a daily basis have a much more restricted knowledge of our products than we do. For redwood wholesalers or retailers, it is important to order the exact products needed from suppliers and see that customers receive precisely what is going to fill their particular requirements.

The key to meeting these requirements is proper preparation of product specifications. The CRA Technical Department works closely with architects, engineers, designers and builders to educate them not only about available redwood products, but also about how to propedy specify them.

Meticulous dealer preparation of orders not only eliminates confusion about what is being supplied, but also assists and protects you in handling claims.

The fundamentals for specifying redwood can be found in CRA's.4rr in Architecture and Certified Kiln Dried Siding Patterns and Applications for siding uses and Landscape Guide and Deck Construction for decking and other landscaping uses.

To ensure delivery of the proper siding product, the specifications should include: use, grade, grain, seasoning, pattern description and number, and surface texture. For example, a sample spec of redwood lumber for exterior siding would be: "CRA-RIS grade-marked redwood, Clear All Heart grade, vertical grain, Certified Kiln Dried, 1x8 channel V shiplap, Pattern 285R, saw-texhned face to be exposed."

Because of changes in the dimensions of standard redwood pattems, it may also be wise to cite the CRA redwood lumber pattem book when referencing patterns. Except for pattem number, specifying redwood and fencing should include the same information as for siding uses. For example: "redwood lumber for (use) decking shall bear the RIS grade mark and shall be (grade) Construction Common, (seasoning) S-DRY, (size) 2x5, (texture) S4S. "

Sometimes the particular paragraph number describing the grade or moisture content requirements from the RIS Standard Specificatiorw for Grades of Califurnia Redwood Lumber may also be used. For instance, thLe Cooling Tower Iratitute Standard Specifications for the Design of Cooling Towers with Redwood Lwnber references specific paragraphs from the RIS rule book for general purpose and structural grades. RIS Paragraph 725 is frequently referenced when specifying kiln dried redwood.

In the settling of disputes and claims, a copy of the original order can play a critical role. Frequently, however, the information on these documents is woefully inadequate. For instance, most dealers would see nothing wrong with an order which stated "3/4 x 8" Aye-Grade redwood bevel siding." Besides the fact that the still widely used "A" or "Aye" grade terminology has been obsolete for over two decades (the conect grade terminology being Clear), other potentially critical information is lacking such as: is it plain bevel or rabbeted bevel siding, what is the pattern number and surface texture, and, perhaps most critical, what is the specified moisture content?

Frequently dealers or remanufacturers will get orders for products whichthey do nothave instock, but whichthey can readily produceby resawing ormilling stockthey dohave in inventory. This practice sometimes leads to products which may vary slightly from standard dimensions or kiln-dried standards. For instance, patterns milled from S4S stock may have dimensions which do not correspond to standard pattems. One-inch stock resulting from resawing two-inch kilndried redwood boards may not meet the RIS moisture content standards for CKD one-inchredwood' Remanufacturing may also change the grade of the final product. It is important that customers are made aware of this. For instance, adding wording such as "product of resawing 2" x 12" Clear All Heart CKD redwood" to the order may benefit both customer and supplier.

The CRA Technical Department spends a good deal of time educating specifiers about redwood products. It is in their interestthat they receive the product that will meet their particular requirements. It is in the interest of the supplier that the product specifications be cleady provided and understood so that good customers are maintained and new customers become a source of repeat business.

Story at a Glance

Ways to satisfy customet€ by ordering what they need proper preparation of paperwork. referencesforcorrect specifications, current terminology.

SUPER STERILE high tech conditions (top) are essential for lhe painstaking work involved in the cullings that will eventually grow to be huge lrees in the forest. The Simoson Timber Co. lab and nursery, Korbell, Ca., also raises (center) hundreds of thousands of plantlets and seedlings for their 380,000 acres of forest land. Rows of prototype and test trees adjacent to the lab (below) are another step in the careful process Simpson takes in ensuring high quality trees for their forests.