Rough Sawn Lumber
Rough sawn lumber has been cut from the log but not planed or surfaced, retaining the texture marks left by the sawmill blade. It is sold at full sawn dimensions (thicker and wider than surfaced lumber) and offers the most flexibility for custom milling. Rough sawn is the standard form for wholesale hardwood lumber.
In-Depth Explanation
Rough sawn lumber comes directly from the sawmill without any further surfacing, so all four faces show the saw marks from the circular saw, bandsaw, or frame saw used to produce it. The advantage is maximum material: a rough-sawn 4/4 board is a full 1 inch thick (or slightly over), giving the buyer material to work with when jointing, planing, and sanding to a finished dimension. Professional woodworkers and cabinet shops typically prefer rough-sawn lumber because they can mill it precisely to their specifications, and because it costs less per board foot than surfaced stock — they're not paying the mill for surfacing they'd redo anyway. The trade-off is that evaluating rough-sawn wood for color, figure, and defects requires experience, as saw marks can obscure these features. Some buyers splash water on rough-sawn boards to temporarily reveal the grain pattern, simulating what the wood will look like with a finish. Rough sawn lumber must be allowed to acclimate to the shop environment and may need additional drying time before milling.
Usage Example
The furniture maker purchased rough-sawn 8/4 cherry in random widths and lengths, knowing he'd get maximum thickness to work with for his tabletop project.