Handyman Guide > Building Materials: Choosing Lumber





Just as it is important to select the right tool for a job, so is it equally important to use the right kind of materials. A simple illustration of the wrong selection of material is the use of a nail rather than a screw to fasten a door hinge. The nail can be driven in quicker, but it will soon become loose and the entire job will have to be done over again and the damage repaired.

If you are not sure of what materials to use, go to your hardware or paint store, or to a lumber yard. Here you will generally get sound and valuable advice, for any business interested in preserving its good name will recommend only the best. This advice should always be sought when planning a major project, such as building a garage, where the cost of the materials required is considerable. Far too many home-construction jobs have failed because the wrong size of lumber was used or the nails were too short.

It is wise to be skeptical of any "cure-all" products unless recommended by a reliable person who has reason to know their value. There are a great many products on the market which are far superior to the older types, but there are just as many worthless ones which cost the home mechanic much in time and money. The old way is not always the quickest, but very often it is the best.

Do not cheat yourself by buying poor quality materials. If you are going to do the job yourself, you will save considerable money in labor cost, and a portion of this saving should be used in buying the best materials.

LUMBER

Lumber yards stock wood in two forms, rough and surfaced. Rough lumber is in the form in which it comes from the sawmill. The edges may not be square, and the surface is rough and shows saw marks. Surfaced lumber is planed on two or more sides and has square edges. Lumber is measured in the rough state, and surfaced lumber, therefore, will measure slightly less, due to the planing. In most cases, the surfaced lumber will be about one quarter of an inch under the rough. Thus, a piece of 2 x 4 inch stock will be about 1 5/8 by 3 5/8 inches :when surfaced on all sides.

The home mechanic will find surfaced lumber best for practically every purpose. It is much easier to work with, particularly when all sides are square. The planing required to make surfaced lumber out of rough takes only a short time with the machine used in a lumber yard, but it would entail hours of hard work with a hand plane, with results always imperfect. The diffcrence in cost between rough and surfaced lumber is not enough to warrant the extra work.

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Tools and Materials
Hammers - Handsaws - Screwdrivers - Chisels - Brace and Bit - Hand Drill - Brad Awl - Planes - Files - Measuring Tools - Rules - Squares - Marking Gauge - Levels - Pincers - Nail Set - Drawknife - Cabinet Scraper - Small Tool Kit - Putty Knife - Pliers - Wrenches - Paint Scraper - Sharpening Tools - Nails - Wood Screws - Corrugated Fasteners - Mending Plates - Bolts - Abrasives - Woodworking Glue - Splices and Joints.

The Workshop
Equipping the Workshop - Heating - Fire Precautions - The Workbench - Saw Bucks - Tool Rack.

Home Construction
Elements of the House - Building Materials - Lumber - Molding - Kinds of Wood and their Characteristics - Plywood Wallboard - Roofing Materials - Concrete - Mixing Concrete - Cement Mortar - Concrete Forms - Concrete Blocks - Cinder Blocks - Bricklaying - Fieldstone - Anchoring in Masonry - Soldering.

Furniture
Upholstered Furniture - Furniture Upkeep - Removing Stains - Removing Dents - Leather Upholstery - Cane Seats - Furniture Repairs - How to Repair Breaks - Levelling furniture - Remodeling Furniture - Polishes and Polishing - French Polishing - Painting Furniture - Sticking Drawers - Metal Furniture.

Painting
Paint Brushes - Storing Brushes - Varnish - Water Paint and Plastic Paint - Types of Paint - Paint Thinners - Mixing Paints - Preparing the Surface - Painting Flaws - Removing Paint - Exterior Painting - Painting New Wood - Repainting - Metal - Interior Painting - Calcimine - Painting Woodwork - Old Wood Trim - Staining - Fillers - Varnishing - Bleaching - Enameling - Painting Radiators - Painting Concrete - Shingles - Stoves and Stove Pipes - Whitewash.

Heating
Home Heating Systems - Chimneys - Coal Furnaces - Fuels - Burning Wood - Furnace Dampers - Starting a Coal Fire - Removal of Ashes - Coal Stokers - Oil Burners - Kerosene Heaters - Thermostats - Boiler Dampers - Fuel Economy - Warm Air System - Steam System - Vacuum System - Hot Water System - Radiators - Boilers - Maintaining the System - Insulating the System - Home Insulation - Storm Windows - Weather Stripping - Insulating Your Home - Blanket and Rigid Insulation - Unfinished Attic and Exterior Walls - Winterizing a Cabin - Preparing the foundation - Winterproofing a Cottage - Fireplaces - Reducing Condensation - Humidity.

Plumbing
The Plumbing System - Fresh water supply - Low Water Pressure - Hot Water System - Hot Water Heaters - Hot Water Tanks - Dirty Hot Water - The Sewage System - Sewage Disposal - Cesspools - Septic Tanks - Clearing Sewer Pipes - Clearing Drains - Plumbing Traps - Toilet Traps - Noisy Plumbing - Leaks in Water Tanks - Frozen Pipes - Clogged Water Pipes - Hard Water - Faucets - Shower Mixing Valves - Leaky Flush Tanks - Flush Valves - Removing Toilet Bowl - Leaky Pipes - Draining the Plumbing - Sealing Traps - Draining the Heating System - Types of Pipe - Insulating Pipes - Water Corrosion - Cleaning Fixtures.

Electricity
Definition of Terms - Ohm's Law - Alternating and Direct Current - Sources of Electrical Power - The Electrical System - Overloading the Circuit - Rewiring - Reading a Meter - Precautions - Fuses - Types of Cord - Splicing Wires - Replacing Plugs and Switches - Home Lighting - Electric Motors - Signaling System - Transformers - Burglar Alarms - Repairing the System - How to Install a Bell System.









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