LUMBER 399 



stream, and there, by means of a carriage constructed to 

 gauge an exact size, they are fed to a circular saw. The 

 logs are usually cut by one of two methods: (1) flat sawing, 

 by which the tree is sawed from one end to the other and 

 is made into planks; or (2) quarter or radial sawing, by 



FIG. 190. A Lumber Mill. 



which the logs are first sawed into quarters, and each quarter 

 is then sawed into planks with the cuts at right angles to 

 the annual rings. The pieces taken off are called slabs. 

 Before the logs are placed in the circular saw, all knots, wires, 

 and nails are removed. 



445. Grain and Figure. When we examine the structure 

 of lumber,, we notice that it is composed of bundles of fibers, 

 or threads, called the grain. When the annual rings are wide, 

 the wood is said to be coarse-grained. If the rings are narrow 

 the wood is called fine-grained. Imperfections in the grain 

 of wood are very common and are responsible for peculiar 



