Lumber Terms.

[C Scott McDonald]

I was looking at some lumber from an online dealer and it said the heart wood is "crooked" what does that mean? Is it cupped or twisted?

Thanks,
Scott

[Micah Carter]

http://www.bordenanderickson.com/defects.html

crook is a bend where the face grain stays flat and the edge grain becomes curved.

[C Scott McDonald]

Cool, thanks!

After reading the link I think I will steer clear of crooked boards.

Thanks,
Scott

[Lee Schierer]

Crooked is a relative term. If you are building an item that required long pieces, then crooked lumber could be problematic. However, if the longest piece you will need for your project is about 18" or less then crooked may not be an issue. Cutting a curved board into short pieces practially eliminates the curve once the board is trimmed up. If the price is good and the project will stand it you might get agood deal.

[Jeff Booth]

I agree, crooked boards often have a place in a curved piece where the grain may then follow the piece thereby making it stronger and reducing waste. Cupped and bowed boards are more problematic and twisted boards are firewood.

[Tom Sontag]

True quartersawn stock is prone to crook since heartwood and sapwood shrink different amounts. Sure, it's a defect, but when buying lumber in person, it need not be a deal killer if your project wants curves, or you only need short pieces, or the quartersawn figure is awesome enough to find a way to make it work.