TPI Lumber Grader Training Course

From May 16-19 2005 I had the pleasure of going to Conyers,GA to train alongside dimensional lumber graders at Timber Products Inspections. This is an intensive 4 day course designed to prepare trainees to grade lumber for structural applications.
Our instructor for the class was Mike Dubose, a TPI inspector with many, many years experience. Rick Patrick, the Director of TP Training Systems kept the class on track with his pithy commentaries and well resined rules of thumb. "Quarter, third, half!"
The class consisted of graders from 2 International Paper mills, quality control inspectors for IP and Universal Wood Products, the newest TP inspector, and some carpenter who wandered in off the street.
Mike did not dote on his students. He drilled and grilled the class till we all suffered mill glaze. Just look at those stacks of knot samples...they're all #2 :)
After learning all we could in the classroom it was time to pitch in and check what we had learned. Off to the lab to break some boards.
Dr. Joe Chen, TPI's "Doctor of Wood", Computer Science and several things MOE, first loaded 2x4's in a bending machine.
He then applied pressure to the underside...
When the fiberstress became extreme it gave me a shake :)
This board was graded as a #3. It broke at #1 dense design values, proving that if we grade well the wood has very good safety margins.
Dr Chen then loaded a #3 2x10 into the tension testing machine and pulled it apart.
The board pulled apart at 18,000 pounds of force, equivalent to select structural design values. Again showing that if the wood is well graded there is a very good safety margin.
It was time for one more day before we split. After more classwork and a long hard study session Wednesday night we returned Thursday for our final tests. The test was in two parts, a written exam and a visual grading test. This class made the highest score recorded in the visual test and was right up there on the written portion. Since we were just a bunch of knotheads, I can only thank our instructors for their fine efforts. "Before I came here I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture I am still confused. But on a higher level." -Enrico Fermi