Knots, Conspicuous Pin - Sound knots 1/4 inch or less in diameter containing dark centers.

Knots, Sound Tight - Knots that are solid across their face and fixed by growth to retain their place.

Lap - A condition where one piece of veneer in the same ply overlaps another piece.

LFE. - Low Formaldehyde Emission.

Lineal Feet (LIN.FT.) - A board 1 foot in length, regardless of width or thickness. test

Logging - The process of cutting trees and moving the logs to the sawmill. test

Loose Side - In knife-cut veneer, that slide of the sheet that was in contact with the knife as the veneer was being cut, and containing cutting checks (lathe checks) because of the bending of the wood at the knife edge. The Loose side of veneer darkness more than the Tight Side when stained with a wood finish. test

MBF - Thousand board feet.

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) - A panel or core product manufactured from wood fibers combined with a synthetic resin or other bonding system. MDF is manufactured with a minimum density of 31 Lbs. per cubic foot up to 55 Lbs. per cubic foot by the application of heat and pressure by a process in which the fiber bond is substantially created by the addition of adhesive.

Medullary Rays - Radial vertical tissues, extending across the growth rings of a tree, that enable the transmission of sap and produce a decorative spotted figure in quarter-sawn boards (especially oak and sycamore).

Millwork - Lumber that has been "manufactured" by being run through such mill machines as a planer, straight line rip and moulded to stock or custom profiles.

Mineral Content of Wood - Percentage of moisture present wood; degree of dryness. The weight of the water contained in the wood, usually expressed in percentage of weight of the oven-dry wood. (Oven-Dray weight refers to 100% dry weight....zero moisture content.) 8% moisture content means that 8% of the total wood weight is water.

Natural - When referring to color and matching, veneers containing any amount of sapwood and/or heartwood.

Net Tally - Lumber measured after kiln drying...this is the board footage measurement you must require and demand. NET TALLY BOARD FOOTAGE IS THE LAW....ALTHOUGH, SOME SUPPLIERS THINK THEY CAN DECEIVE THE CUSTOMER. (See Shrinkage & Measurement of Hardwood)

to 83 1/3%.

Occasional - A small number of characteristics that are arranged somewhat diversely within the panel face.

Old Growth - Timber growing in, or harvested from a mature, naturally established forest. When the trees have grown most or all of their individual lives in active competition with their companions for sunlight and moisture. There is no such thing as "original growth." Trees are much like....with age and disease they die.

Oven-Dry Wood - Wood dried to constant weight in an oven maintained at temperatures of 101°C to 105°C (214°F to 221°F). No moisture content.

Particleboard - A panel or core product composed of small particles and wood fiber that are bonded together with synthetic resin adhesives in the presence of heat and pressure.

Pecky - Pockets of disintegrated wood caused by localized decay, or wood areas with abrupt color change related to localized injury such as bird peck. Pecky is sometimes considered as a decorative effect, such as bird peck in Pecan and Hickory or pecky in Cypress.

Phloem - The principle food-conducting tissue of the vascular plants. Phloem (Inner Bark) carries food made in the leaves down to the branches, trunk and roots.

Pitch - A resinous, gummy substance in firs and pines. This is the resin in the bag a baseball pitcher utilizes.

Pitch Pockets - Defects resulting from resin accumulated between the growth rings in softwoods.

Pith - The small soft center core of a tree around which growth takes place. The Pith in hardwoods is usually a cavity (open) while the Pith in softwoods is usually sound.

Plain (Flat) Sawn - Lumber sawn tangent to the tree's annual rings. Most lumber is Plain Sawn. Advantages in Plain Sawing: 1) Less costly and wasteful, hence more available; 2) Easier to kiln dry; 3) Averages wider widths.

Plain-Sliced (Flat-Cut) - Veneer sliced parallel to the pith of the log and approximately tangent to the growth rings to achieve flat-cut veneer. Plain-sliced veneer is cut using either a horizontal are vertical slicing machine or by the half-round method using a rotary lathe.