Northend Hardwoods stocks a variety of rough and pre-milled lumber.
In our most popular species: Ash, Birch, Cherry and Maple, we maintain an inventory of S4S, S3S and rough lumber.
Rough lumber is wood that has come straight from the sawmill after drying. These boards have been no more processed than simply being cut into planks from the tree originally felled by the logger. Depending on the age, condition and the needs of the marketplace, these boards will be produced in a variety of thicknesses, widths and lengths. Rough lumber thickness is typically measured in increments of 1/4 of an inch. The smallest width available in rough lumber is typically 4/4 or 1 inch thick, and can range to 16/4 and beyond. Standard widths range from 3 to 12 inches. However, Northend Hardwoods often stocks extra wide boards ranging from 12 to 40 inches wide in different species including Pine, Fir and Redwood. Typical rough lumber lengths range from 6′ to 10′ and are often marked on the butt end of the log. Depending on availability, Northend Hardwoods stocks a selection of extra long planks, 12′ and greater.
S3S and S4S are abbreviations for the terms “Surfaced Three Sides” and “Surfaced Four Sides.” When a board is “Surfaced” that means it has been milled through a joiner or planer. For the sake of this term, these two machines perform the same action: making the face of the board smooth. When rough lumber arrives to Northend Hardwoods, the outer layer of the boards are weathered, marked and still display the saw marks from their first milling. Once surfaced, the boards look and feel smooth and the grain and figure of each piece becomes apparent. In the case of S3S, both faces of the width of the board have been planed down as well as one side of the thickness. On an S4S board, all four sides have been planed and are square to each other.
We’ve produced a little graphic to help you understand the products and included a couple photos here so you can see how the lumber is typically measured and labeled in the storage stacks.
