<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3268" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Jude - please comment on why, when selecting boards, you no longer need a sanding block? I know sometimes you can see the grain clearly enough through the saw marks, but often, even up close, the saw marks mask the grain. When I go to select spruce/maple/etc., I find myself walking around the lumber mill with a small hand plane so that I can see things clearly.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG><EM><FONT face=Arial size=2>I remember when we were allowed to hand select boards from the lumberyard. We always had a sanding block in hand to sand the saw marks off the end grain to see what was there; I no longer need that block but it can be just as deceptive in person as it is in a low resolution photo.</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></EM></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG><EM>Jude Reveley, RPT<BR></EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>