(Music Playing)
Male: Welcome to Episode 4 of the Wood Whisperer video contest. Today, we are going to tackle a topic that all Wood Workers have to deal with on a regular basis and that is selecting and buying lumber. In these days, I just walk in to the lumber dealer, think of what I think what I need and I walk out. But there was a time when it was not quite so simple.
Now, I remember vividly my first trip to a real hardwood dealer. I just receive my first table songs of Christmas gift. I was ready to go to my wife a beautiful nice stand. I knew it I want a 3-quarter-inch birch and I knew I would need at least a couple of words. But when I got there, I was confused from the start, I could even figure out where I was supposed to park and then, I could even forget where the entrance was. Now, already I felt completely out of place but do not worry the worse is yet to come.
I finally find my way in, I start looking what appears to be the hardwood selection. I mean total of the racks and racks of hardwoods in different lengths, widths, thicknesses, it was just amazing.
So, logically I start looking for prices, ugly enough, there were none to be found. So, feeling like a real loser, I walk up to the counter where I very disinterested girl was sitting. I remember like it was just yesterday.
Male: Hi! Do you guys have a current price list?
Female: What?
Male: Do you guys have a current price list?
Female: For what?
Male: Birch.
Female: What Grade?
Male: Good?
Female: A quarter, a 6 quarter, a 4 quarter?
Male: Hmm? 8? 6? What now?
Female: A quarter is $8.00 of board foot for as 4S as 2S is $7.00 board foot.(Female talks)
Male: What the hell this girl is talking about? It is like she is speaking in another language? You know, she is actually kind of cute. Maybe I should give her my number.
Female: So, how many (beep) board feet do you want?
Male: So, to make a long story just a little bit longer. I pick up a bunch of boards and I hope that I had enough money to pay for him. Unfortunately, I did, I drove home feeling a little bit shell shock and realizing that I had some homework to do and I hopefully after this episode. You would be a little bit prepared than I was when you make your trips to the lumber yard.
(Music Playing)
Male: Now, first thing that I would like to talk about is thickness. One of the first thing you will notice when you buy hardwood is that the thicknesses are not mark in inches. Instead, a convention of quarters is used.
For instance, a one-inch board like this guy here, we would be referring to is four quarters. Which is usually brand as a fraction 4/4 and as we know, 4 divided by 4 equals 1. It is one inch. The two-inch board, kind of this guy here, is 8 quarters and 8 divided by 4 equals 2, and so on through different thicknesses.
One thing that keep in mind is a lot of wood is sold is pre-surface, so four quarter board will actually be close in a three quarters of an inch and an eight quarter board is actually closer to one and three quarters. Now, for me I actually have a thickness plainer and a joiner, so I prefer to buy my wood in the roughest form possible and I am going to let to thickness myself.
(Music Playing)
Male: Here is a question that jumps into mind of just about every beginning woodworker. What the heck is a board foot? Now, board is a essentially a unit of volume that is use for measuring hardwoods. Since hardwood generally comes in a number of different lengths, widths, and thicknesses. It is much easier to express their quantity in terms of volume and it is also simplifies pricing for the lumber dealer.
So, how do we calculate board feet?
Now, get into the mathematical details if we have the time. If we are not that so boring but let us try to keep it simple.
Now, this example here is a board foot. I know it is a board foot because it says it right here, on board foot. I also know it is a board foot because it is 12 inches long, 12 inches wide and about 1 inch thick and that is 144 cubic inches.
So, if one board foot is a 144 cubic inches, all we need to do when measuring any board is to multiply the length by the width by the thickness, all in inches and divide by 144.
The result of the calculation is the number of board feet. Now, on with this formula a tape measure and a calculator, we can tackle any board foot calculation right on the spot.
Now, it is inevitable that one day you are going to forget your calculator. What is the woodworker to do? Well, if you memorized one simple example, you can always make a descent ball part estimate.
Just remember, that a four quarter board that is 8 feet long and 6 inches wide is 4 board feet. And from my experienced most hardwood is cut somewhere near 6 inches wide and 8 foot long. How wonderfully convenient.
(Music Playing)
Male: So, let us talk about the different types of cuts that you might come across at the lumber yard. A long carefully cut one of three ways. Either flats sawn, quarter sawn or rifts sawn. Check out this diagram to see how each cut is made from the whole log.
Most of the boards you will come across will be flats sawn. This is the cheapest, quickest way for sawyers to cut the log into planks. Quarter sawing is a cutting technique that results in various stable lumber. It is very times consuming and labor intensive and thus results in a higher price tag.
Probably the most common quarter sawing wood, you are going to come across is quarter sawn white oak. Which is revered for its fleck pattern which immerges when it is quarter sawn. You will find the most common used for quarter sawn white is in emission style furniture.
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