Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Freeper needs help calculating BOARD FEET (Vanity)
7/01/05

Posted on 07/01/2005 9:23:42 PM PDT by Timeout

I have an opportunity to get a good price on some hardwood flooring. My cabinet man is going to add it to his order at a lumber mill.

But I need to give him the order in board feet. I don't know how to convert square feet to board feet. I've searched around and found some formulas, but I'm doing something wrong because I'm getting different answers.

If there's a "wood" Freeper out there I sure would appreciate your help!

Total area to be covered = 215 square feet. With 10% waste allowance, let's say 240 sq ft.

The planks are 3/4" thick, 4" wide, 8 ft. long.

One flooring website says to multiply sq ft by 1.25 for 4" wide planks (at 3/4"). For 240 sq ft, that would equal 300 board feet.

Another site gives the formula for calculating the bd feet in a given plank:

Thickness in inches X width in inches X length in feet divided by 12...or T x W x L / 12.

My planks would be .75 x 4 x 8 /12 = 2 bd ft per board. I've laid it out and it will take 84 boards...93 allowing for waste. At 2 bd ft per board, that's only 186 bd feet as opposed to the 300 above.

See why I'm confused? Can someone help me?


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: help
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-28 last
To: Timeout

I worked in a lumber mill in the 60s and thickness was expressed in quarters. A one inch thickness was four quarters, one and a fourth inch was five quarters etc.


21 posted on 07/02/2005 2:58:05 AM PDT by Graybeard58 (Remember and pray for Spec.4 Matt Maupin - MIA/POW- Iraq since 04/09/04)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Timeout; Mo1
(before you wade through all this, check my profile)

Hardwood is normally priced per nominal (rough) board foot (BF).

If you need boards with an actual dimension of 3/4 x 4, the rough stock used to mill them to that size will be 1" thick x whatever widths the mill has on hand to cut from.
Your BF price from the mill will be based on the cost of the rough stock (nominal) plus the milling time required to reach finish (actual) size.

How a mill chooses to cull their rough stock to meet your order is their problem/job,
but if they try to tell you that they have to get your 4" width out of 6" stock and charge you accordingly, they're full of shi'ite.    

The rule of thumb is to add 1/2" to both the width and thickness dimensions of the sizes you need to end up with.

To reach actual thickness, a good mill will knock the first 3/16 of the crud/fuzz off both sides of the stock's width in the planer, then run the material through a wide-belt sander to meet your spec thickness, ready to stain.

Ripping to width is somewhat less wasteful because once the outer crud is removed from both edges, subsequent narrowing of the stock will involve the loss of ~1/8" for the width (kerf) of the rip blade plus ~1/32 after a pass over the jointer.

(with cherry and walnut running around $8/BF +/-, I do the math beforehand ;-)

As someone above stated, board footage is a volume measurement, but a nominal 1" thickness simplifies things a bit.
1 board foot = 144 cubic inches = 1" thick x 12" wide x 12" long.

So, assuming a room 22' x 10' with flooring boards at 4" wide:

Room = 22' x 10' = 220 square feet

Board = 4" x 96" = 384"/144 = 2.67 square fee

Room / board = 220/2.67 = 82.4 = 83 boards
Adding 10% for waste = 92 boards
(unless you do this for a living or are very careful, 15-20% would be wiser)

When you call the mill, specify 3/4 x 4 x 96 as the finished dimensions and tell them your nominal dimensions are:
1" x 4.5" x 96" x 92(pieces) = 276 board feet       (39,744 square inches / 144)

All that assumes plain edged boards, but if tongue/groove is what you're envisioning, the tongue will require an extra 1/2" in the stock's nominal width.
You'll need to recompute accordingly and plan on a higher BF price to cover the machining time for milling the tongues/grooves.

Are we clear now ?

22 posted on 07/02/2005 4:28:18 AM PDT by tomkat (somewhat spoiled by an honest Amish hardwood supplier ;-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tomkat

Yes! I just knew there was a good "wood" Freeper out there just waiting to be discovered!

One more point:
These boards are in stock at the mill. She let me look at them in her warehouse. They already have tongue & groove and a "release" pocket on the back and are milled to 4" or 6" widths and various lengths. She then quoted me the bd ft price.

Given that, would a professional assume to convert to the nominal width before ordering?

You're right about the waste allowance. Given the good price, I can afford to be generous. Thanks.


23 posted on 07/02/2005 4:54:17 AM PDT by Timeout
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: tomkat

BTW, I'm not placing the order. I have to give it to my cabinet man and he's going to add it to his order...all a little surrepticious.

I don't get the impression he orders in board feet...I assume he orders by board size.

Maybe the best thing to do is to tell him to order 100 planks (20% waste). Since that's the way he normally orders, I assume the mill will simply convert his order to board feet at shipment.


24 posted on 07/02/2005 5:08:38 AM PDT by Timeout
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Timeout
If the stuff's already milled/ready to install and she's quoting you finished dimensions, nominal sizes needn't muddy the waters.

From the previous example:

22' x 10' = 264" x 120" = 31,680 in² / 144 = 220 BF + whatever waste allowance you decide on.

Hope that helps.
Gotta scoot - board feet await my attention here in PA

25 posted on 07/02/2005 5:27:59 AM PDT by tomkat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: tomkat

Tomkat is correct and I am not going through the exercise again as planned. Read his piece and be proud to be a FReeper and recipient of such information.


26 posted on 07/02/2005 5:39:30 AM PDT by bert ( "Market forces, not political majorities, will compel societies to reconfigure themselves in ways t)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: bert
...be proud to be a FReeper and recipient of such information.

I'm always proud of FR and GRATEFUL for the resources it makes available. Thanks to all of you.

27 posted on 07/02/2005 6:00:09 AM PDT by Timeout
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: tomkat
Are we clear now ?

I don't have clue of what you just said

But I knew you would have the answer :0)

28 posted on 07/02/2005 8:39:39 AM PDT by Mo1 (We will stay in the fight until the fight is won ~~~ President G.W. Bush)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-28 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson