Time To Look At Rules #14

Bv H. L. Brown, General Superintendent

\ilest Coost Bureau of Lumber Grades and Inspection be well within the limits of the grade. And would usually \\rith twelve months 3f qra;- be very fine appearing stock. tical application under its belt, This cannoi tt"pp"" under Rules S14. For exampre, Rules fl4 of the west Coast take the dimension grade ffl. under old Rules there was Bureau of Lumber.-G|"d:t 1"9 no bending stress assigned. It was possible to ship pieces Inspection may well be hauled so cross- or curly-grained they would snap in two the minup for examination' It- is time ute they were handled. Rules f 14 requires a definite to estimate the value of its im- slope of grain which is of vital importance to strength. provements and study the com- All other characteristics that may decrease the strength plaints it has engendered' of a piece are definitelv limited in Rules #14. Much more Rules tIz' its- predecessor, so thln they were in Rules fi12. tJnde, old rrle, S1 timgrerv like Topsy in "Uncle Tom's bers were not required to have a limitation on either the Cabin'" As the need arose a slope of grain or the number of annual rings-both very specification was inserted he-re important when it comes to strength. In Rules S14 these and there to. fit the need. Us- are required. ually, because of the rush to-get under Rules S14 the ft2 grades also must be of a dethem in use, these new specifica- finite stress value.

H. L. Brown tions did not receive the study they might have had.

Rules S14 is the result of a great deal of study and hard research u'ork. It rvas over 4 years in preparation. Thousands of lumbermen in all parts of the industry were consulted.

A great many recommendations and suggestions rvere received. All rvere given careful consideration. Many recommendations, among them those from the Forost Products Laboratory, were adopted.

At all times during the preparation of Rules S14 the importance of "usability" of a piece of lumber for the purpose intended lvas kept in mind as being of the utmost importance. Appearance rvas ,considered, but it took second place. The primary thought was to give the user of lumber a product he could rely on to the limits of the grade.

Many people judge a piece of lumber by appearance, which can lead to some very bad mistakes. A fine appearing piece is not always the best piece. Under Rules fttZ in a number of cases a manufacturer could ship lumber on a certain specification and a large percentage could be totally unusable for the purpose intended, ye,t it would

In Rules Sl2 there was a specification for Select Merchantable Dimension. In Rules S14 this paragraph was deleted. The Select Merchantable grade was simply the best pieces of S1. The buyer of this grade believed he was getting something better than f 1 for his money. He really was not. The piece looked better, that is all. In Rules $14 these pieces are now left in S1.

Under Rules S14 definite methods of measuring knots are carefully specified. Where they may seriously affect the strength they are strictly limited. Under old Rules this was not always so. They were limited only in the structural grades.

In the board grades, Rules $12 permitted loose knots in the Select Merchantable grade. In Rules f14 this is no\.v a 10070 tight-knotted grade. The f 1 and ft2 board grades are practically the same as in Rules S12, with the exception of a very slight increase in the size of knots.

The S3 grades of dimension and boards are the ones we are hearing the most about these days.

First of all it must be kept in mind that with the exception of $4, principally a dunnage grade, the S3 grade is the lorvest possible grade that can be obtained. Into the

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Time To Look At Rule s #14

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$3 grade-under both Rules ff12 and lA-goes most of the fall-down from the higher grades. The #3 grade is a very broad grade. The characteristics (defects) permitted ar€ large and many.

With economy an important consideration today, a builder is naturally interested in obtaining his materials as cheaply as possible. A sound, dependable job of construction can be achieved with f 3 ; it should, of course, be used in the proper places, as should al,l lumber grades.

Misunderstanding causes more $3 complaints than anything else.The buyer may be convinced he is getting fl or that he will get a large percentage of higher grade mixed with his #3. When the shipment arrives and he fihds no cream, the name-calling begins. Today's conditions are not those of several years ago. The manufacturer can sell all the so-called cream. lle no longer gives it away, and the buyer is not apt to find it in amongst his grades any more.

Last but not least, the sawmill industry grew and expanded tremendously during the war. A few operatorslike operators in other industries-were careless with their shipments. The bad grades tl.rese few operators shipped reflected unfavorably on the whole lumber industry.

The West Coast Bureau in.the last few years has experienced most of the lumber "crises." Some time ago it was crook-then it was mold-then large knots-coarse grain-dead timber-second growth-and now white specks.

We have heard a good deal about the white speck rule being 'changed.

It has been changed to give a clearer description. paragraph 189 for g3 boards permits both white specks and honeycomb. Where the two are permitted it is the honeycomb that needs the added description "Firm." If white specks had the added description "Firm," it wquld mean no honeycomb permitted.

White specks are a form of decay. So, for that matter, is any type of stain. But white specks are not in the same class, or anywhere near as damaging, as soft decay. This latter type of decay is taken care of in the rule under the description "Decay-rpots and streaks, well scattered.,, The durability of white speck lumber is quite high. Higher than some types of sound wood. This is borne out by reports from the Forest Products Laboratorv.

Remember that $3 is the lowest construction grade. It could contain under Rules ff12, and may still contain under Rules fr14, very large knots, shake, splits, knot holes and many other defects. All can be present and yet the piece would be accepted without question as on grade.

On the other hand, a piece containing white specks as usually found is of a clear type. If knots are present they are usually small and tight. The white speck characteristic occurs in the outer heartwood of mature live trees. It is from this po.rtion of the tree we obtain the clear lumber. Consequently, white speck stock makes a good tight subwall or subfloor. It is much better than a piece with large knots, knot holes, shake and other defects that would be accepted without question.

As regards strength, we recently sent some lumber samples-solid white speck with firm honeycomb-to the Forest Products Laboratory for testing. The Laboratory rated these samples as of two classes, "D" and "E". According to the Forest Produ'cts Laboratory, class D type has a reduction in strength o;f T/o. Class E has strength reduction of 50/o. All such tests are based on clear, straight-grained specimens which would have a bending strength of about 2,300 pounds. From this it would appear that pieces in class D and E would have strength to spare for all ordinary uses. For iristance, if class D pieces have a reduction of N/o that would still leave a bending strength as strong as that found in #1. If class E has a reduction ol 50/o they would still have a bending strength as good as that required of fiZ.

Rules Jf14 is like everything else that is new. Any change from a custom we have been used to for years is resisted. Rules ft12 had been in use since 1934. The change from it was a major change. But it had to come and it was best to make that change as soon as possible.

The wording in some cases has been clarified, the paragraphs have been put in their proper place in the book and many other improvements have been made. It is difficult for all of us to adjust ourselves to such'a change after being used to another rule for many years. Even we of the Bureau haVe our troubles.

Generally, Rules S14 is a much better grading rule than Rules $12 or any previous rule. A shipment of properly graded lumber received under Rules #14 will be a much better lot oT lumber for the purpose intended than a shipment graded under Rules #12. Within another 12 months the period of adjustment will be forgotten, and we will be using Rules #14 as if we had been uslng it for years.