Better Quolity, Economy in Home Building Promised by New Sizes

Keystone of the cost-reduction, quality'improvement of new-home construction r:ampaign, a project backed by the National Association of Home Builders, National Lumber Manufactures Association and construction experts of the U.S. Savings and Loan League, is a new systenr of lumber sizes.

The new standards, r:ow before the Commerce Department {or final approval, have been recommended by the American Lumber Standards Committee, a government-industry group representing producers, distributors and major users of forest products.

Stripped of technicalities, the new system provides for'ogreen" and "dry" lumber to be surfaced to difieren sizes at the mill so that, as nearly as possible, they will be the sarne size a{ter application in residential ard other classes of construction.

Just the opposite occurs today' "Green" lumber (generally, that which has a moisture content of 30 per cent or more) and "dry" lumber (pieces with a moisture content of 19 per cent or less) are surfaced to the sarne dimensions at the mill; conse' quently, because the "green" lumber shrinks in transit or shortly after being nailed in placg the two end tp d,ifrerent sizes by the time they see service as studs, rafters, joists or other supporting members.

Architect John L. S':hmidt, construction specialist of the U.S. Savings and Loan League, has urged endorsement of the new dry sizes by that organization's more than 5,000 member institutions, responsible for about 95 per cent o{ the total assets of savings and loan associations in this country and nearly half of the mortgages extended annually.

Schmidt has pointed out that the new sizes will result in an immediate savings to the producer of about seven per cent of his raw material-the forests. He added:

"Shipping costs will become less because dry lumber is lighter and more can be loadet! on a freight car. The total savings can means as much as $100 million a year, according to reliable estimates."

'One of the most important effects of the new sizes, commented the National Association of Home Builders will be o'fewer problems related to shrirriiage," the harbinger of plaster cracking, nailpops in drywall, spliting of improperly nailed siding, cracks in woodwork, stickin;4 doors and similar problems.

Moreover, NAHB noted, the new dry sizes will be as strong or stronger than lumber manufactured to the present governmentindustry standards fcr unseasoned stock.

This is explained b,v the fact that the new dry sizes will be-in the case ol a 2"x8" lloor joist, for example--only slightly thinner but a full quarter-inch deeper than the green size after seasoning.

According to the government's U.S. Forest Products f,aboratory, depth has much more tr, do with strength and stifiness than does thickness. Other advantages of the new system, as pointed out by the National Lumber Manufacturers Association: (1) The new standards are expected to provide the architect and builder with greater assurance of receiving a quality product whether dry or green lumber is speci{ied. (2) With specific sizes for seasoned and unseasoned lumber, inspection and enforcement of size standards will be improved. (3) A proposed new "engineered" size for sheathing and paneling boards would cut production and shipping costs, make these items easier to handle and install, and facilitate the use of rapid-naililg power equipment.

Nature's miracle substance has to be wood, one scientist exclaimed recently. No other natural material can do all the things that wood can do. It can be sawed, bored, nailed, turned, planed, painted, treatedo stained, and it will not rust.