wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi,

I'm new to woodworking and I have been purchasing red oak "shorts" from
a local mill. This is kiln dried rough lumber and I don't have a
planer/jointer so I have to get the mill to do this for me. The
problem I am having is that the wood looks fine before planing, but
after it is full of splits, cracks, knots, etc. I find it very
difficult to determine if wood has defects in its rough state. Is this
normal? Is it caused by the planing operation? Is it because "shorts"
are actually rejects? I would really like to know as I am wasting alot
of money.

Thanks for your help.

Jack


Shorts are very often shorts because of defects. Most often the ends of
boards have splits. Planing can cause tear out on wild grain but does not
cause splitting, cracks or knots. Carry a small hand plane with you and
smooth the surface of the pieces that you are considering before committing.