What is "Straight Line Rip One Edge?"

Since all of our lumber is surfaced smooth on two (2) sides, the edges remain rough. Here's an example of what that looks like:

straight edged wood

A rough edge is no good for running against a table saw fence. A straight line rip puts a true edge on the board so you can run it against a table saw fence and cut the pieces you need. A straight line rip is also performed after measuring the board. The rip will remove 1/16" to 1/8" from the width of the board.

straight edged wood

So you might be wondering why. Hardwood lumber is primarily a raw product. It's been sawn from a log with big machinery that leaves rough surfaces. We then have the material surfaced (planed) on the two faces (after it's been kiln dried) and we stock it this way - smooth faces, rough edges.

There are many benefits to stocking lumber like this, the biggest reason is because we find it to be a decent balance between cost and usefulness to the woodworker. Every aspect of machining adds cost to the wood, so we minimize that as much as possible by only having the lumber planed. It allows you to have a workable and smooth surface and also see the grain and color of the boards.

Though every board will have to be jointed or straight-line-ripped eventurally, there's no distinctive advantage to stocking it with the edges already straightened. Plus it would add cost.

Where many experienced woodworkers might prefer fully rough lumber, we find that many new and intermediate woodworkers do not have a planer, the critical tool for surfacing lumber. And we're here to serve woodworkers of all skill and experience levels as best we can.

We're here to help you be successful with your woodworking, and we want you to be pleased with your order! So if you do need pieces milled to specific sizes, please call or email for a quote to do so. We'll be happy to help. Due to the limitations of website software, it's best to handle this type of order person-to-person.