How Hardwood Lumber is Sized?
Unlike dimension lumber, which is milled to nominal thicknesses, widths and lengths, cabinet-quality stock comes in random widths and lengths to keep waste to an absolute minimum. In addition, because all furniture and other wood working projects have different dimensions, there’s no need for dimension stock. Thickness, though has been standardized, and is expressed in different ways, such as 4/4 (1”), 5/4 (1-1/4”), 6/4 (1-1/2”), and so on. Don’t be confused by all this; just remember that the quarter designation and the nominal thickness are the same animal.
When you order cabinet-quality lumber; you’ll receive a board as long a or longer than and as wide as or wider than the item ordered. The thickness (if surfaced) to the lumber grades chart. When you purchase hardwood lumber, it’s by the board foot. If the dealer has the boards already priced, he arrived at those prices by figuring the number of board feet each contained.
A board foot, simply, equals 144 cubic inches of wood. Think of it as a piece 1 inch thick and 12 inches square. Because board footage always is calculated in quarters of an inch thickness, starting a no less than 1 inch (even if the order less than an inch, you’ll pay for 1 inch thickness), a 5/4 board 6 inches wide and 72 inches long would be figured like this: 1.25 (thickness) x 6 (width)x72 (length)=540. Divide 540 by 144 to determine the number of board feet in the stock. If the board length is stated in feet rather than inches, use the same method but divide your total by 12 instead of 144.
Unlike dimension lumber, which is milled to nominal thicknesses, widths and lengths, cabinet-quality stock comes in random widths and lengths to keep waste to an absolute minimum. In addition, because all furniture and other wood working projects have different dimensions, there’s no need for dimension stock. Thickness, though has been standardized, and is expressed in different ways, such as 4/4 (1”), 5/4 (1-1/4”), 6/4 (1-1/2”), and so on. Don’t be confused by all this; just remember that the quarter designation and the nominal thickness are the same animal.
When you order cabinet-quality lumber; you’ll receive a board as long a or longer than and as wide as or wider than the item ordered. The thickness (if surfaced) to the lumber grades chart. When you purchase hardwood lumber, it’s by the board foot. If the dealer has the boards already priced, he arrived at those prices by figuring the number of board feet each contained.
A board foot, simply, equals 144 cubic inches of wood. Think of it as a piece 1 inch thick and 12 inches square. Because board footage always is calculated in quarters of an inch thickness, starting a no less than 1 inch (even if the order less than an inch, you’ll pay for 1 inch thickness), a 5/4 board 6 inches wide and 72 inches long would be figured like this: 1.25 (thickness) x 6 (width)x72 (length)=540. Divide 540 by 144 to determine the number of board feet in the stock. If the board length is stated in feet rather than inches, use the same method but divide your total by 12 instead of 144.
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