It’s not uncommon for people to work on their houses or wooden furniture on their own. There are various kinds of woods available in the market. Before buying the woods and start working, anyone will need to know the basic characteristics of the different kinds of woods.
Rough-cut lumber, finished lumber, dressed lumber or dimensional lumber, etc. all are the basic things about woodworking. Before lumber is sold, it needs to be processed in different ways. In general, lumber is cut according to its specifications, but drying and processing will shrink the boards in some manner. In this article, you will see the differences of rough cut wood and other processed wood materials.
Rough Cut vs Finished Lumber
Wood that is rough cut usually costs less than finished lumber, and it is available in thicker cuts than finished lumber. Although it has a lower visual quality than finished lumber, it gives a skilled woodworker more room for error while saving money as well. And when you use it in the right place, it looks great and gives a vintage effect.
You can create the look of old country style with rough-cut lumber, especially if you plan to expose exposed beams. Since it looks rustic and worn, it can be used for ceiling beams as well as wall beams.
On the other hand, finished lumber is used in the construction industry. It is distributed in standard sizes. Lumber is mainly made of softwoods rather than hardwoods, with 80% of the lumber is made from softwood. All the other processed and customized wood is indeed finished wood. And each one has different purposes.
Rough Cut vs Dressed Lumber
When you need extremely thick boards, you should consider getting rough-cut wood material. By converting rough lumber into a finished product, you can save a lot of money. This could even provide a justification to purchase the plans you have always wanted. A home center will have access to a considerably smaller range of species and sizes of lumber.
Following the drying of lumber, dressed lumber is joined and planed, as opposed to rough lumber, which is only dried but not planed. Dressed lumber is also called the ‘surfaced lumber.’ Planed on all sides, Dressed All Round (DAR) lumber is smooth and rounded with very rounded edges.
Machine finishing could have resulted in smooth-dressed surfaces. If you are looking for the finest in timber finishes, then dressed timber is the way to go, meaning it has been dressed all around for a thoroughly smooth, defined look. Dressed timber is one of the most customizable timbers, as it can be machinable down to millimeter precision and looks beautiful wherever it is used.
Rough Cut vs Dimensional Lumber
A dimension lumber board is a plank of wood that is cut to a standard size. Wood dimensions are measured in-depth and width but not lengths. To make it immediately usable, dimensional lumber is formed, planed, and sometimes further smoothed.
Lumber with consistent dimensions is the most commonly used lumber type for home construction due to its ability to be used interchangeably throughout the home. In contrast to rough-cut lumber, dimensional lumber is exactly the opposite. Dimensional lumber represents the final thickness of lumber that has been milled thoroughly. It also has rounded edges and is very smooth.
The versatility of dimension lumber makes it ideal for use in such diverse tasks as making stools as well as post-and-beam construction. The most popular use of dimensional lumber is for wall framing in multifamily and single-family residences.
The type of wood typical of home improvement stores is dimensional lumber. But you can not build frames of residences with rough-cut wood lumbers. Also, you can not use rough-cut wood for building a home or for immediate purposes. Neither can it be customized easily as dimensional lumber.
Rough Cut vs Planed Lumber
The name of the planed lumber explains it all. It is planed before making it. A rough cut is not planed. This is used to remove the rough outer layer of timber after it has been sawed to size.
It was traditionally done by hand, a labor-intensive and time-consuming task. One or more faces can be treated with this product to give them a smooth, splinter-free finish. This will allow more details to be seen in the wood, resulting in a neater, more pleasing appearance. The surfaces of planed lumber will be level and flat.
Lumber wood is usually used for shelves or work surfaces in the kitchen; this is crucial. Furthermore, planed surfaces facilitate flush connections between separate pieces of wood, resulting in stronger, cleaner joints.
Due to the additional work involved in the production, planed timber is more expensive, but it saves the end-user from having to sand and plan themselves. But you can not build a shelf or the surfaces of the kitchen with rough-cut woods.
Verdict
The difference between rough and finished cuts cannot be determined by which is better. Actually, it merely explains the differences so that you can better decide how to use it. Unless you know how to do woodworking basics, it is impossible to do DIY projects by yourself. That is why you need to know the basic things for using them accordingly when needed.
