Often end users of Dimension Lumber complain that lumber from different suppliers does not appear to be of the same quality. It may look better or worse, yet the packages bear the same grade mark. The lumber could be graded correctly; however there are indeed some factors that can influence the overall appearance of lumber […]
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Warp in Dimension Lumber
What is Warp? Warp is defined as any deviation from a true or plane surface, including bow, crook, cup, twist, or any combination thereof. Warp restrictions are based on the average form of warp as it occurs normally, and any variation from this average form, such as short kinks, shall be appraised according to its […]
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Western Wood Services
SPIB is proud to announce that a new 3rd party inspection agency is open for business in the western U.S. Western Wood Services, a division of SPIB, has been established specifically to offer western treaters an option in inspection services for their residential treated wood products.
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Two New Varieties of the SPIB eLearning Courses for Dimension Lumber
The Southern Pine Inspection Bureau is pleased to announce two new varieties of the SPIB eLearning courses for Dimension Lumber. These West Coast and Canadian courses now include lessons, rules reviews, and knot tests for the Light Framing Grades of Construction, Standard, and Utility; as well as Select Structural, and Studs. These lessons are available […]
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Retraining Your Lumber Graders in a New Environment
Keeping a competitive edge means training and retraining your lumber graders. You may want to consider a little different approach when new methods or equipment like grade scanners are introduced that requires new skills and/or when employees that were previously trained in a different situation are lost.
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Shakes, Checks and Splits in Dimension Lumber
What is the difference between a shake, a check and a split? They are similar in that they all are separations lengthwise in the grain of the wood; however, each has a different origin and a different effect on the grade of dimension lumber. First, let’s look at the definition of each.
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Learning to Grade Softwood Dimension Lumber
What is Dimension Lumber? We have all seen buildings being framed with lumber. Do you know what type and grades of lumber are used in this framing process? Sometimes referred to as “dimensional lumber” or “framing lumber”, this wood is the mainstay of the housing industry in the US and Canada. Dimension lumber, as this […]
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Total Measurement: Understanding Knots in Dimension Lumber
Have you ever wondered why you observe some large and at times unsightly decayed knots on the surface of your framing lumber? How can this lumber be graded correctly, especially in No. 2 or higher grades? If you do not understand how and why knots in Dimension Lumber are limited, then these knots that appear […]
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SPIB eLearning: New Online Grading Courses
The Southern Pine Inspection Bureau is pleased to announce SPIB eLearning. A set of online lumber grading courses to supplement on-the-job experience, classroom training and accelerate education of lumber graders, lumber quality technicians, dealers, and others in the lumber and construction industries.
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A new look for SPIB
As the leader in providing quality assurance standards to the softwood lumber industry, we knew our website, to be unveiled this month, would be more than a digital business card for us. It would become a platform to inform and engage our customers with training and product info, as well as, industry news and events.
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