. . . how to save money on lumber
Don't feel that you must always use the best grades of wood. Instead,
save money and buy one of the lower grades which will be adequate for
your project. This is particularly true where wood is to be painted with
an opaque color, for paint covers many imperfections and if the knots
are properly shellacked and pre-treated they will not bleed through
the paint. As we suggested earlier, if you are inexperienced, ask your
local lumber dealer to recommend the cheapest grade of wood which
you can use satisfactorily on this particular project, showing him the
plans and telling him the exposure of the project.
Another way of saving money is to buy a low grade of lumber and,
by using your utmost ingenuity, utilize it to good advantage. By careful
planning you can often use clear lumber on either side of a major knot
and cut your pieces so that it is discarded. Also it is possible to make
minor repairs in the wood itself, filling small imperfections with putt)'
or with waterproof outdoor glue and sawdust mixed. Often, warped
or bowed boards can be straightened by weighting them on the central
parts, where the bowing or warping usually occurs. The method is this.
Build up under the ends with cinder blocks, one or two set on top of
each other, or use saw-horses for support. Place the board to be straightened on the support and weight the ends in place with a cinder block.
In the middle or where the warping occurs, place a stone, a 2- or 4-inch
cinder block, a pile of bricks, or any other manageable weight. Don't
overweight the board, or it may crack. Don' try to rush things: straightening will take time and it will be a mistake to try to speed it up.
Permanent results take time and patience. If you have a number of
boards of the size of that which is warped, you may pile them on top of
the warped one, add a bit of weight, and allow them to do the straightening.
Knots which are a little loose may loosen further as the wood seasons
after it has been built into place outdoors, and fall out. To prevent this,
examine all knots and press out any which are a little loose, taking care
to do it so that the wood is not injured. Coat the inside of the knothole
and the edge of the knot with waterproof outdoor glue; then push it
back into place, removing any excess glue from the surface of the board
before it hardens into place. When the board has been painted, this
knot should remain in place as long as the wood itself.
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