Lumber Yard Information
Lumber yards have been used for centuries as a way to trade finished lumber products between individuals. Today there are far fewer lumber yards, and they have different principles and priorities than the early versions, but several key points remain the same. Lumber yards continue to collect standards and practices that make it easier for construction workers across the country to find the materials they need. Does this Spark an idea?
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Definition
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A lumber yard has two primary definitions. The first definition is very simple: it is a yard used to store and sell lumber, usually a large space connected to a warehouse, mill, or store where treated wood is stored so that customers can examine it at their leisure. Eventually, the physical lumber yard became so associated with certain stores until the second definition was created, where the "lumber yard" means the actual business that uses the lumber yard to sell timber.
Development
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When many small mills were in use, lumber yards were common and usually connected to the mill itself. These lumber yards sold timber only to smaller, surrounding locations. Eventually lumber mills became larger, and with easier transportation their numbers grew smaller until lumber yards became associated with other types of businesses, such as home improvement and construction stores, where lumber was collected and kept in many smaller yards that sold to various clients.
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Types of Lumber
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Lumber in a lumber yard is divided by type and kind. Some lumber is plywood, manufactured using many different sections of real wood glued together. Other types are cut straight from trees and depend on the type of tree. Lumber yards carry pine, oak, maple, cedar, and many other popular varieties for different types of projects.
Size
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The size of the lumber is also an important factor in lumber yards. Most types of planks and beams are organized according to size. Around World War II, shipping wood became a standardized process and strict standards for wood sizes (2-by-4, 2-by-6, etc) became common. Lumber yards still use these measurements today.
Grade
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Buyers must also pay attention to the quality of the wood used in a lumber yard. This is an important, if more nebulous, consideration, and not all lumber yards make great effort to control the grade of their timber. The best grade is straight, seasoned, and reliable. The worst grades are warped and green, with moisture that can change the shape of the wood over time.
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References
- Photo Credit lumber yard image by marilyn barbone from Fotolia.com
