How To SIGHT LUMBER/BOARDS Quickly And Easily! (AVOID USELESS LUMBER!! Warped Lumber/Warped Wood)

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How To SIGHT LUMBER/BOARDS Quickly And Easily! (Why Do Carpenters Look Down Boards? SIGHTING LUMBER)

Choosing quality lumber/boards is essential to saving money and having carpentry and woodworking projects go smoothly. This short video from The Honest Carpenter will show you how to sight boards quickly and effectively for various types of warp!

SIGHTING LUMBER refers to checking lumber for dimensional imperfections, known as WARPING, WARP, OR WARPAGE.

It's a quick, easy process that carpenters and woodworkers do for EVERY piece of lumber that they buy or use.

HERE'S HOW TO DO IT...

Raise one end of a board up to eye level and look down it from end to end. (Stand it up on its narrowest edge when you do this.)

Sight down the top edge, concentrating on the side-facing wider surface. Look for an inward or outward curve. This lumber warp is known as a "Bow."

Bowed lumber can be pressed flat against another surface and fastened securely to reduce or remove the bow altogether.

Now, sight along the top, narrow edge from end to end. You're looking for an upward curve along the wide face, which we call a "Crown" or "Crook." It makes the board look like a long, curving sword.

Framers will crown all the lumber in a wall in the same direction, so the wall won't look wavy.

Now, look across the flat end of the board. Look for upward or downward curves across the width of the board. This is called "Cupping." Deck builders will cup boards downwards to ensure that water rolls off of their backs, rather than pooling in them.

Finally, look end to end down the board once again. Determine if the near end is parallel with the far end across the width face of the board. If the two ends skew away from one another, the board will take on a corkscrewed appearance. This is known as a "Twist."

I'll often avoid twisted lumber altogether, because it is very difficult to work with. But, I'll accept small bows, crowns and cups in lumber and boards based on application.

I hope this helps you learn to sight lumber for your future projects! Thanks for watching!

The Honest Carpenter