On 22 Nov 2006 06:07:39 -0800, "
wrote:

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.

Hi Jack,

Without knowing exactly what you're dealing with, I'd be willing to
guess that those "shorts" are the pieces the sawmill cuts off the ends
of the finished planks to remove the checking (cracks caused while
drying).

I know wood is kind of expensive, but you'll probably be happier
buying full lengths. I don't know what kind of quantities the mill
will sell you, but there is usually a hardwood dealer in most areas
that will sell you as little as a single plank at a time.