Okay, what gives with this?

[Bill_In_Asheville]

###?
Both are alleged 8' 1x4 premium pine boards, yet one is 6 1/8" shorter than the other. I have never come across this much difference before.

 

[tri4sale]

are either one of them 8 feet long? If one is a lot shorter, I'd wager someone chopped off a piece and returned it

 

[Jim M.]

Cutting off a portion of long premium boards and returning is a common problem at the Blue and Orange stores. They generally do it on the 8'+ lumber as it's harder to notice, they usually wait until it's busy to return so it goes undetected.

 

[Bill_In_Asheville]

are either one of them 8 feet long? If one is a lot shorter, I'd wager someone chopped off a piece and returned it

yes, the longer one was on the money, the shorter appeared to have a factory cut

 

[Jeff]

I've never encountered such a thing at a BORG around my area.

The culprit is a customer or a staff member?

I'd wager someone chopped off a piece and returned it

the shorter appeared to have a factory cut

So they got a refund at the Customer Service Desk and the staff put it back in stock?

They generally do it on the 8'+ lumber as it's harder to notice, they usually wait until it's busy to return so it goes undetected.

Who is "they"?

 

[Jim M.]

I had a friend who was a manager at HD and he saw it all the time, the return counter was busy and didn't notice. The "they" are the same people who use a tool and return it; the same ones who will cheat anything and the justify to themselves its because they got cheated at some point. As to why it showed up on the shelf is just laziness or stupidity.

 

[Bill_In_Asheville]

I had a friend who was a manager at HD and he saw it all the time, the return counter was busy and didn't notice. The "they" are the same people who use a tool and return it; the same ones who will cheat anything and the justify to themselves its because they got cheated at some point. As to why it showed up on the shelf is just laziness or stupidity.

WHAT!?!?? Not laziness or stupidity in a retail store? Say it aint so.

 

[bob vaughan]

The jaw-dropping amazing point to me is that the longer board appears to only have three or maybe four annular rings per inch. That was one FAST growing pine subspecies.

 

[red]

I worked HD years ago and it was a normal occurrence for short lumber to be returned. Someone just needed a little bit and returned the rest. Roofers did this all the time with 1/2" plywood. Stand it up around a house to protect the plants when stripping the roof and return it all when done. I don't miss working there at all.

Red

 

[JCW]

appears to only have three or maybe four annular rings per inch. That was one FAST growing pine subspecies.

Plantation grown Radiata. Probably a monthly growth ring LOL. Looks and works like pine, can have large pitch pockets embedded as well as internal splits. Not very stable, warps and twists. I wouldn't use it for anything serious.

 

[Jeff]

Looks and works like pine, can have large pitch pockets embedded as well as internal splits. Not very stable, warps and twists. I wouldn't use it for anything serious.

The pic posted by the OP is "product of New Zealand" and Radiata pine is a commonly grown plantation pine in the Southern Hemisphere. Hmmm, new stuff to me. Another database isn't nearly as critical about its properties when compared to the above.

http://www.wood-database.com/radiata-pine/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_radiata Also, see the "Uses" section

The modern tree is vastly different from the native tree of Monterey.

In its natural state, the wood is poor quality: twisted, knotty and full of sap/resin only really suitable for firewood, but the modern product is very different.

From a New Zealand timber association...

http://www.nzwood.co.nz/learning-centre/

 

[JCW]

A number of years ago when I was making reproduction interior doors, our supply of clear Eastern White Pine temporarily dried up. Our supplier told us this would work the same in our application of raised panels for the doors. The lumber was all planed 13/16 and straight line ripped, 10-12" wide and clear. Some of these boards only 4-6 growth rings. In the course of making several batches of doors, we encountered lots of twist in the panels after they were milled. Some of those that were flat enough to put into doors eventually cracked or twisted. We tried to save the rest of the panels by stickering them and clamping or weighting, but most developed cracks. We also ordered some narrower stock for trim. This milled up fine with a simple bead on the edge. These stayed straight until they were cut and then they would twist overnight with some cracking and checking on the cut ends. Moisture content was fine. My one and only experience with this stuff, never again. Also, the color was a little off from native pine.
You will find that Radiata is used in a lot of millwork products today, and the quality is hit or miss.

 

[ncfromnc]

The term "Premium" means absolutley nothing at the big box stores!