Replies

1. 
   Bear | Jun 25, 2005 04:49am | #1

   1 board foot is equal to a piece of wood that measures 1" thick by 12" wide by 12" long. Next example: 1bf = 1" thick by 6" wide by 24" long.
   Next example: 1bf = 1" thick by 3" wide by 4' long.

   8/4, or 2" thick by 12" wide by 12" long = 2bf.

   Bear

2. 
   johnhardy | Jun 25, 2005 05:13am | #2

   Bear pretty much covered it. Only other thing I can add is that one board foot equals 144 cubic inches (1" by 12" by 12" is 144 cubic inches). So, if you take a board and multiple its thickness (in inches) by its width (in inches) by its length (in inches) you'll get its cubic volume. Divide that by 144 to get board feet.

   If you are trying to figure board feet for something like crown, you'll have to figure the nominal thickness (probably 4/4, or 1 inch thick) and multiple that by the width and length.

   John

1. 
   JoeWood | Jun 25, 2005 05:27am | #3

   Got it ! I should've figured that out myself .. just wasn't thinking.

   thanks for your help guys !

3. 
   hammer1 | Jun 25, 2005 07:27am | #4

   I think the easiest way to convert to board feet (square feet) is to multiply the dimensions and divide by 12. A stud would be 2" x 4" x 8' divided by 12 or 5.333( 5 1/3) board feet per stud. This saves converting feet to inches. Board foot measure is commonly used with hardwoods these days. Once all lumber was figured that way. Hardwood comes in random lengths and widths so it's easier to convert everything to BF. Many dressed lumber products are priced according to size. A 1x10 per lineal or board foot is often more expensive than a 1x3, due to the size of the log needed. When you sell specific sizes of prepared lumber, it's an easy tally when they are priced by the piece. It would confuse folks if the 2x4 pile at HD read 560/MBF instead of $2.99 each.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   JoeWood | Jun 25, 2005 08:26pm | #5

   Could someone check my math ..

    

   for a 2x6 (full 2"x6")

   2x6=12 x 120 (10') =1,440, divided by 144= 10, times my board foot cost ($3.75)

   = 37.5, divided by 10'= $3.75 a lin foot ?

1. 
   MarkRD | Jun 25, 2005 11:00pm | #6

   Yup. A 2x6 is a board foot per foot (2x6x12=144 cubic inches)
   Mark

   Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.

2. 
   KeithNewton | Jun 25, 2005 11:15pm | #7

   Joe, Here are a few tricks that you can use for quick estimating, and I will try to keep it simple as you did just to get the point across. Lets say that you ordered X amount of lumber from the yard, and when it came they were all 10' length but random widths. As you unloaded it onto a cart or in your shop, you made a stack that had 4 layers. Without measuring each board, you could measure the width of each layer and total that and multiply by 10 to come up with sq. ft.. Actually, I don't measure and add each layer. What I actually do is measure the first layer then hold that number as the starting number for the next layer, then whatever measure is showing on the other side of the stack, becomes the starting point for the next layer until you have gone through the whole stack. This will give you the width without having to use any math.If the combined width comes out to 20' 4" then you would know that there are 200 sq. ft + 4" is 1/3 X 10 or 10/3 or 3 and 1/3' for a total of 203.3 sq. ft.If you bought 6/4 stock, then you know the BF is half again the sq. ft amount.With a little practice, you should be able to figure board ft. faster than you could sharpen your pencil, not to mention writing all of those ft and fractions from each board down.Just make sure that as you are making your stack, that you keep the edges butted tight to each other to avoid cheating yourself. Do you follow this? If you don't get back to me, and I will try to clear it up for you. Once you get the hang of it it is easy and fast. later Keith

1. 
   JoeWood | Jun 25, 2005 11:22pm | #8

   I got it now, but I'm just so set in my ways .. used to thinking in lineal feet.

   think from now on though, I'll get All my prices in Lineal Feet like I usually do !

   I Saved your info in a Word Doc though so I don't forget it ..

1. 
   JoeWood | Jun 25, 2005 11:23pm | #9

   that was addressed to All

3. 
   hammer1 | Jun 26, 2005 08:40am | #10

   That's correct, Joe but you could save a couple of steps by just multiplying 2x6x10 and dividing by 12. In the case of a 2x6, each foot is equal to one square foot or one board foot. This would be true for a 1x12 also. Just don't confuse lineal feet with board feet, in most other cases, they are quite different.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

4. 
   gb93433 | Jun 26, 2005 04:19pm | #11

   Board foootage is the surface measure times thickness. The surface measure is in square feet on the surface. For example to find the board footage of one foot of 2X4 you would find the surface area of a 2x4 one foot long. To find the board footage of a piece of hardwood that measures 4x4x8 it would have 4/12 x 8 = 3 square feet x 4 = 12 board feet. The square feet in hardwood is rounded up or down and tallied tpo the nearest square foot. Board footage is the surface measure times the thickness. Hardwood is graded and tallied according to the surface measure to the nearest foot.

   For the surface area of a 2x4 you would have 4/12 x 1 = 1/3 every lineal foot of a 2x4 would have 1/3 sqaure feet and 2/3 board feet.

   A 2x6 for each foot would have 6/12 x = 1/2 square feet on the surface and 1/2 x 2 board feet.

   A 3x8 for each foot would have 8/12 x 1 = 2/3 square feet on the surface and 2/3 x 3 = 2 board feet

5. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 28, 2005 01:46am | #12

   lineal foot prices.. If marked that.. Just measure the length and ya got the price.. If not.. Walk up to the boss and ask fer the price!

   Chicago here.. I shop at Owl Harwoods.. Sort of expensive but almost all sticks are marked the price on it..  Well, cept for the stuff I cannot affords...

   
   

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   Edited 6/27/2005 6:48 pm ET by Will George

1. 
   JoeWood | Jun 28, 2005 05:49pm | #13

   My supplier just sent me this ..

   Joe, to dertermine LF price, multiply BF by the following-

   2x3- .5 2x4- .667 2x5- .833 2x6- 1 2x8- 1.333 2x10- 1.667 2x12- 2