MARITIME LUMBER BUREAU – Lumber Grading Course Prerequisites

Are you looking to become a qualified Maritime Lumber Bureau licensed grader?  The lumber grading course taught at the Maritime Lumber Bureau’s  training office in Amherst, Nova Scotia is a two week course with a limited degree of difficulty along with a high level of attention demands.

Upon completion  of the course, students will be qualified  to grade and grade stamp  to the structural grades at our member Atlantic facilities.

If you have an interest in becoming a grader, you must be able to comply with the following course prerequisites:

1. Reading and writing skills. Students are required to read and understand the grading rules as written in the Rule books and work books, and as well complete written assignments and written exams.

2. Students must be able to read and understand a tape measure.

3. Students must have a basic understanding of math with emphasis on fractions. Lumber defects will be studied and measured during the course. Must have an ability to add, subtract,  multiply and divide fractions. Must be able to find an average. The ability to do calculations on a calculator is an asset. See examples below.

4. Students  should have an ability to retain or memorize  small tables or charts, such as the different lumber sizes (Table).

1 W’ + 1 7/8″ Divided by 2 =?

1/6th of 8′ =?

What is the average of 2′ 4″ + 3′ 8″ = ?

If you feel you can comply with the above and are comfortable with the above, you may be well on your way to becoming a new lumber grader!   Please contact the office of the Maritime Lumber Bureau for more information.

FRACTIONS DIVIDED BY TWO (in half)

1/16  divided by 2 =     1/32 19/16   divided by 2 =   25/32 3 1/16  divided by 2 =  117/32 4 9/16  divided by 2 = 2 9/32
1/8      divided by 2 =       1/16 15/8     divided by 2 =   13/16 3 1/8    divided by 2 =   19/16 4 5/8    divided by 2 =   2 5/16
3/16    divided by 2 =       3/32 111/16 divided by 2 =  27/32 3 3/16  divided by 2 =   119/32 4 11/16 divided by 2 =  2 11/32
1/4      divided by 2 =       1/8 13/4      divided by 2 =   7/8 3 1/4    divided by 2 =  15/8 43/4     divided by 2 =  2 3/8
15/16   divided by 2 =     5/32 113/16 divided by 2 =   29/32 3 5/16   divided by 2 = 1 21/32 4 13/16 divided by 2 =   2 13/32
3/8       divided by 2 =        3/16 17/8      divided by 2 =   15/16 3 3/8      divided by 2 = 111/16 4 7/8      divided by 2 =   2 7/16
7/16    divided by 2 =       7/32 1/2       divided by 2 =       1/4 115/16 divided by 2 =  31/32 3 7/16   divided by 2 = 123/32 4 15/16 divided by 2 =  2 15/32  J
2                divided by 2 =   1 31/2     divided by 2 =  1 3/4 5              divided by 2 =  2 1/2
9/16    divided by 2 =     9/32 21/16   divided by 2 =  11/32 3 9/16   divided by 2 = 125/32 5 1/16   divided by 2 =   2 17/32
5/8        divided by 2 =     5/16 21/8      divided by 2 =  11/16 3 5/8      divided by 2 =    113/16  51/8     divided  by 2 =  2 9/16                                                             5 3/16   divided by 2 =  2 19/32
11/16 divided by 2 =                            11/32 2 3/16   divided by 2 =   1 3/32 3 11/16  divided by 2 = 1 27/32
3/4        divided by 2 =    3/8 2 1/4      divided by 2 =  11/8 3 3/4       divided by 2 =  17/8  51/4      divided  by 2 =  2 5/8                  5 5/16    divided by 2 =  2 21/32
13/16 divided by 2 =                            13/32 2 5/16  divided by 2 =   15/32 3 13/16   divided by 2 = 129/32
7/8        divided by 2 =    7/16 2 3/8    divided by 2 =   13/16 3 7/8        divided by 2 = 115/16  5 3/8      divided by 2 =   2 11/16  5 7/16    divided by 2  =   2 23/32 51/2        divided by 2 = 2 3/4
15/16 divided by 2 =                            15/32 2 7/16  divided by 2 =                           17/32 3 15/16   divided by 2 = 131/32
1          divided by 2 =     1/2 21/2    divided by 2 =   11/4 4                divided by 2 =     2
11/16 divided by 2 =                                   17/32 2 9/16  divided by 2 =                           19/32 41/16   divided by 2 =   2 1/32 5 9/16      divided by 2 =  2 25/32
11/8  divided by 2 =       9/16 2 5/8      divided by 2 =  15/16 41/8        divided by 2 =  2 1/16 5 5/8         divided by 2 =  2 13/16
13/16  divided by 2 =                            19/32 2 11/16 divided by 2 =  111/32 4 3/16    divided by 2 =  2 3/32 5 11/16    divided by 2 = 2 27/32
11/4     divided by 2 =   5/8 2/34       divided by 2 = 13/8 41/4       divided by 2 =  2 1/8 5 3/4         divided by 2 =  2 7/8
15/16  divided by 2 =   21/32 2 13/16 divided by 2 = 113/32 4 5/16    divided by 2 =  2 5/32 5 13/16   divided by 2 =  2 29/32
13/8  divided by 2 =   11/16 2 7/8       divided by 2 = 1 7/16 43/8       divided by 2 =  2 3/16 5 7/8         divided by 2 =  2 15/16
17/16  divided by 2 =                           23/32 2 15/16 divided by 2 = 115/32 4 7/16    divided by 2 = 2 7/32 5 15/16   divided by 2 = 2 31/32
11/2  divided by 2 =   3/4 3               divided by 2 = 11/2 41/2        divided by 2 =  2 1/4 6                 divided by 2 =   3