Carpentry & Masonry Trade Knowledge — Practice
Carpentry: lumber: practice questions
Our Carpentry & Masonry bank has 13 questions on this topic. Here are 4 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.
Question 1 · Carpentry
Why should fasteners for preservative-treated lumber be hot-dip galvanized or stainless?
- Plain nails don't fit treated wood
- Treatment chemicals can corrode plain steel fasteners
- Galvanized nails are cheaper
- Plain steel fasteners swell in treated wood and split the boards apart
Show the answer
B. Treatment chemicals can corrode plain steel fasteners — IRC requires corrosion-resistant fasteners in treated wood.
Question 2 · Carpentry
What are the actual dimensions of a dry nominal 2×4?
- 2 × 4 inches exactly
- 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 inches
- 1-1/4 × 3-1/4 inches
- 1-3/4 × 3-3/4 inches
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B. 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 inches — Dressed softwood lumber is smaller than its nominal size.
Question 3 · Carpentry
In which direction does wood shrink the most as it dries?
- Radially, across the growth rings
- It shrinks the same in every direction
- Tangentially, along the growth rings
- Longitudinally, along the length of the board
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C. Tangentially, along the growth rings — Wood Handbook: tangential > radial >> longitudinal shrinkage.
Question 4 · Carpentry
How many board feet are in ten 2×4s that are 8 feet long?
- About 80 board feet
- About 64 board feet
- About 53 board feet
- About 26 board feet
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C. About 53 board feet — Each is 2 × 4 × 8 ÷ 12 = 5.33 bf.