Framing Lumber & Plywood
Lumber is wood that has been cut into boards or other shapes for the purpose of woodworking or construction. It typically is supplied either rough or finished. Rough lumber is the raw material for furniture making and other items requiring additional cutting and shaping.
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It is available in many species, and usually hardwoods are best for most building projects. Finished lumber is supplied in standard sizes, mostly for the construction industry. It is primarily one of a few needle-bearing species such as pine, hemlock, fir or spruce. Rough lumber comes from the sawmill without further cutting or shaping. It is usually sold in random lengths and widths and measured in board feet, a unit of 1″x 1″ x 1′.
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It can be available air-dried or kiln-dried. Air-dried lumber is carefully stacked and allowed to dry for several months, depending on thickness. It is used for some outdoor purposes, such as building sheds and fences. Kiln-dried wood is stacked in moisture- and temperature-controlled kilns built for the purpose and dried. It is then ready to be used for furniture-making or other woodworking uses. Finished lumber is usually kiln-dried then planed and cut to predetermined sizes, primarily for use by the construction industry.
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These are nominal, rather than actual sizes. When using metric measurements, lumber is measured in actual sizes. When using Imperial measurements, for instance, a 2×4 is actually 1-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches. Other stock is sized in similar manners. The lengths are actual sizes and are multiples of 2 feet. Sizes from 8 to 16 feet (8,10,12,14,16) are commonly available, and larger sizes (18,20,22,24) are sometimes available. Timber is cut in the forest in 24 foot lengths. At the mill, it is re-cut into 3-8 foot lengths, an 8 foot and a 16 foot length, a 10 foot and a 14 foot length or 2-12 foot lengths.
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Lumber is also used to refer to plywood and composite wood products.
Dimensional Lumber & Studs
For over a hundred years, Sterritt Lumber has specialized in the supply of quality dimensional lumber to its valued customers. In fact, one would be hard pressed not to view a completed project in Boston with lumber ties to Sterritt Lumber. Sterritt Lumber’s dimensional lumber has been used in the largest construction project in the history of the world: the “Big Dig” in Boston. Sterritt Lumber is your one stop shop for all framing material needs. We currently stock large quantities of Spruce, Southern Yellow Pine and Douglas fir, as well as Premium Studs and Rough Spruce.
Structural Plywood
Known as the original “engineered lumber,” plywood comes in many dimensions, various thicknesses, and has hundreds of applications. Here at Sterritt Lumber, we stock plywood in hardwood varieties, softwood veneers, moisture resistant (marine) types, underlayments, and veneers with varying face grades. In general, plywoods range in thicknesses from 1/4″ to 1″ thick. Plywood is superior to regular wood because the layering and gluing of veneers together helps resist cracking, provide extra strength, and enables multiple usage of individual sheets.
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Some of the many applications of plywood include flooring, wind bracing panels, sheathing, furniture, boat building, scaffolding materials, fencing, concrete forming, and playground construction. We invite you to explore the many options of plywood that Sterritt Lumber handles. We think you will find that we are the most trusted named in New England when it comes to variety and quality of this manufactured product. Remember also, we can handle virtually all types of specialty sheet goods even if they are not on our grounds. If the material is out there, we can get it for you!