Rough sawn lumber appears as its name implies. The wood is cut from logs into boards leaving a rough surface and varied thickness, lengths and widths. The wood is sold either as green, air-dried, or kiln dried. For the purpose of gluing, kiln dried boards are the best.

We recommend checking the moisture content of any wood before purchase, regardless of the drying process. If possible, use a moisture meter to probe the end grain of the board(s).

Moisture content of 4-7% for hardwoods and 6-8% for softwoods is recommended.

Pre-dressed lumber has already been kiln dried, thickness planed, sanded and sawn to consistent thicknesses, lengths and widths.

With the exception of cutting to dimension and shaping, achieving the optimal gluing surface is a matter of simple sanding. Use a higher grit sand paper (220+) and lightly sand to ensure open surface pores.

Composite lumber is composed of wood veneers, fibers, chips, sawdust and adhesives. Examples include plywoods, oriented strand board (OSB), Masonite™, pegboard and fiber boards (MDF, HDF).