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lumber by mail. The range of species offered is usually quite broad, and the prices are competitive. Thumb through the back of most woodworking magazines and you’ll see numerous mail-order suppliers to choose from. One drawback to buying by mail is that you’ll be ordering lumber sight unseen. As a safeguard, make your first order small, so you can inspect the quality. Ask about moisture levels, too, so you can use what you order right away without needing to let it dry first.

       Consider buying your lumber from a local saw mill. Here you’ll find a wide range of species in a host of dimensions. Most mills will sell stock to you at a fraction of the price a lumberyard charges.

      It’s quite acceptable to rummage through the stock at a specialty yard, but make sure you rebuild the stacks as you found them. Longer, wider boards belong at the back of the rack. Don’t mix the boards from different bins. Boards in two binds may look the same at first glance, but they may be different grades. Check the board ends to see if the yard has painted different colors there—the colors represent the grades.

       Buying basics

      Whether you buy from a chain store, specialty or contractor’s yard or by mail, keep a few basic rules of thumb in mind when shopping for project lumber:

      1. Develop a realistic shopping list. Base your list on a clear understanding of common lumber proportions and grades (See here to here for more on common lumber sizes and grades). Make a preliminary visit to your lumberyard, acquire a catalog, or call the city desk before leaving home to verify that the dimensions and species you need are available. Know ahead of time what compromises you can make to your cutting and shopping lists, if what you need isn’t available in the right size or species.

      2. Consider using less-expensive woods like poplar or pine in hidden areas of your project. Woodworkers have used “secondary” woods for centuries in fine furniture and cabinetry, saving premium lumber for prominent project parts like face frames, doors, drawer fronts and tabletops. Don’t underestimate the versatility, economy and structural benefits of using sheet goods like plywood and particleboard over solid wood (See here to here).

      3. Factor in about 30% waste. As you become more practiced in estimating, you’ll be able to reduce this percentage somewhat. If you are just getting started as a woodworker, buy more lumber than what you’ll need for a project. Save your receipt and return what you don’t use. Published plans occasionally have errors in shopping and cutting lists that will require you to have more material on hand. If you buy lumber roughsawn, you may not discover an unsightly blemish or pitch pocket until after you plane it, resulting in less usable lumber than you initially planned. And be honest about your own “fudge factor.” One miscalculated cut late on a Saturday afternoon might put an end to your woodworking for the weekend if your lumberyard isn’t open on Sundays.

      4. Comparison shop before you buy. Once you are sure of your project requirements, check how the prices vary among suppliers. Yards may offer discounts on slightly damaged lumber or overstocks, especially at inventory time.

      5. Plan for how you’ll safely transport large materials home, especially sheet goods. If the yard offers delivery, take advantage of the service especially if your only other option is to tie several unwieldly sheets of plywood to the roof of the family sedan. Some yards will cut your lumber into more manageable proportions for free, or for a modest charge. If you go this route, double-check your cutting list so you can decide ahead of time what can be sized down without compromising your project needs.

      Plywood is manufactured in several thicknesses, using a variety of wood species to create the core, but ¾-in.-thick laminated veneer-core plywood with smooth hardwood veneer faces is the type used most frequently for built-in projects.

      Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is growing in popularity as a veneer substrate, paintable surface, and as a raw material for moldings.

      Particleboard is used almost exclusively as a substrate for plastic laminate or veneer, especially for countertops. It is inexpensive but lacks sufficient strength to be used for shelving or structural members.

      Melamine is faced at the factory with melamine laminate. The thermofusing process used to apply the melamine creates a much stronger bond than you can achieve by applying plastic laminate yourself.

Sheet Goods

      The basic structural component of cabinetry is some form of sheet goods; most frequently plywood. Other commonly used sheet goods are particleboard, fiberboard, melamine panels and hardboard. These materials come in handy when you need to cover a broad project area without including seams. Sheet goods are dimensionally stable (there is no substantive wood grain to contend with) and relatively inexpensive, when compared to the price of solid lumber. You’ll turn to them time and time again for different woodworking applications. Here is an overview of the options you’ll find at most home centers and lumberyards:

      Plywood. Plywood is fashioned from sheets of wood veneer, primarily pine and fir. By orienting the wood grain of each laminated sheet so adjacent sheets are perpendicular, the product is able to withstand greater stress than construction lumber of the same thickness. In addition, it is more dimensionally stable.

      Most lumberyards stock furniture-grade plywood in several thicknesses and face veneer options (pine, red oak, birch and maple are the most common face veneers). Lumberyards can order plywood with dozens of additional veneer options.

      Choosing the right plywood for your woodworking project is an important task. In addition to the various core, thickness and face veneer options, you’ll also need to make a decision on the plywood grade. Basically, there are two grading systems in use today. The one most people are familiar with is administered by the APA (Engineered Wood Association, formerly the American Plywood Association). The APA grade stamps (See Illustration, next page) are found on sanded plywood, sheathing and structural (called performance-rated) panels. Along with grading each face of the plywood by letter (A to D) or purpose, the APA performance-rated stamp lists other information such as exposure rating, maximum allowable span, type of wood used to make the plies and the identification number of the mill where the panel was manufactured. Many hardwood-veneer sanded plywood panels are graded by the Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association (HPVA). The HPVA grading numbers are similar to those employed by APA: they refer to a face grade (from A to E) and a back grade (from 1 to 4). Thus, a sheet of plywood that has a premium face (A) and a so-so back (3) would be referred to as A-3 by HPVA (and AC by APA).

       NOTICE

      Particleboard and MDF usually contain urea formaldehyde resins that continue to emit low levels of formaldehyde gas for at least six months as they cure. People with high sensitivity to chemical vapors should limit the number of composite panels added to a room at one time. Always wear a particle mask or respirator as required and provide adequate dust collection and ventilation when cutting or shaping these products.

Particleboard: Particleboard possesses several unique qualities that might make it a good

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