How do I Determine Lumber Requirements?
GWB | Posted in Project Plans/CAD Software on
Hi,
I am projecting the amount of lumber to buy for an upcoming project and wonder if there is an easier method than rough guesstimation. Is there a formula or program I can conveniently download with ease and for free?! Let an amateur know please!
Thanks!
Replies
GWB
Rule number one..
you will make a mistake and need a replacement piece..
rule number two ,
the store will be closed when you need it
Rule number three
when the store finally is open they will be out of whatever you need.
Rule number four,
they will politely offer to order the wood you need but it will take between two and six weeks.
Rule number five,
six weeks was just an estimate sir, it takes a while for a tree to grow to maturity
Rule number six,
NO sir, you may not return that special order, simply because the wood is so radically different than all your other wood.
Rule Number seven,
Bail will not be set until you've spent a night in jail. You shouldn't have attempted to shove that board up the store managers posterior.
Rule number eight
Bail will radically exceed what buying the finished piece would have originally cost, while the amount you have to pay your attorney will be the price of that new truck you had your eye on..
Rule number nine
To offset the cost of all of the above you will be forced to sell all your tools.
Rule number 10
The wife will still want the item you were going to make.. and untill you get it for her the bedrooms going to be off limits..
Ah! I've the answer for #10 - don't tell the wife what you are making until it is complete. In the banking world we call that 'managing client expectations."
I approach a project differently. While standing in front of the wood racks and finding the "best" boards for the type of project I am doing, I start the "designing process." In other words, I design based on the wood available (including extra wood to cover my mistakes). I don't work from "plans."
I use Cutlist. You can download a test version for free.
Thanks - I will try that.
Cheers,
Wow. Tough question. There are lots of variables, and many depend on how picky you will be in building your project. Are you going to carefully match grain? Are you going to start with random widths & lengths? Rough or surfaced?
I've never had the patience to carefully project a list of wood prior to heading out to the yard. Further, when I have had a cutlist in advance, I end up rejecting some wood I've purchased, making a stupid mistake or changing the plans mid-stream, resulting in at least one additional trip to the yard.
My preferred method is to roughly guestimate the number of board feet in a piece just by using approximate dimensions of the piece. Then, I add 20-30% (depending on the variables above). I do not try to buy just enough wood so I will end up with nothing left over. Just the opposite. I prefer to have a bit of extra to throw on the woodpile for future use. (Like, for those occasions when I DON'T buy enough wood at the start of the project.) I usually buy rough, random widths. The hard part then becomes laying out the cutlist on the stock to be most efficient. Still, I'm never short of kindling!
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Mike - thanks for the suggestions. A master carpenter once said to me the vast majority of projects fail or at least get sidetracked from poor planning so I try to list all the pieces I'll need. I don't mind an additional trip to the yard but I want to avoid substantially overbuying as I don't have the storage space.
Greg
GWB
substantial overbuying?.. I understand your lack of storage space but are you really ready to pay the price? If space is really as much of a shortage as you indicate, then figure out what you need for materials, add a minimum of 20% and when the project is complete you can either discard the surplus (which will be substanually less than the 20% indicated) or make some little project out of the remnants..
Part of what makes a pro look really good is his willingness to pay the price of learning his craft.. If that means scrapping a piece that does not turn out as he wishes it would have he pays that price..
We're human, all of us..
If a slight error, one that can be overlooked forces you to make a choice. either accept less than perfection and go ahead and use it or redo it to a higher standard..
IF you choose the latter you are on the road to real craftsmanship.. if you accept the former well that was your choice..
It's nice if that choice isn't made for you by lack of enough wood.
I detect that you may be budget limited.. Don't feel bad, most of us are. There are ways around the budget issue. Not by buying less but by spending less.
Remember, it's WOOD, there will be a fair amount of waste. You can never have too much timber. Also, are you buying rough stock? you have to take into account that some will just not be ok for the project and you will need extra to replace it.
Edited 7/10/2007 8:51 pm ET by Napie
Never guess, just buy far more than you need. In a few years time you'll look for projects to use up all the great wood you have ended up with.
Try this project planner
http://www.woodworkerssource.net/planner/
You've received good advice above. I'd like to add a few more considerations. First, wood species is a factor; for example FAS mahogany has much more usable material than FAS cherry which has a lot of sapwood. Also, attention to grain patterns will impact the amount of material. If pleasing grain patterns are important, say on the most visible surfaces, there will be unusable material. You might be able to use the less desirable stuff where it's not noticeable, but maybe not.
In my experience I will need 50 to 100% more wood than the cutlist suggests.
Ed
Ed,
Althopugh I swore I'd never... You can also lay in a stock of pen and pencil guts, trivet tiles and other turning stuff. When you finish the piece, an afternoons work allows you to make most of your christmas presents.
Dave
I like your thinking ;~)
Ed, who thinks too much wood is an oxymoron
All,
You've given me lots to think about which makes my glad I put this post out there. Thanks for the tips!
Greg
I haven't seen these items mentioned, so I will add to the basic "buy more than you think you will need!".
Buy board lengths that conform to your project components. e.g. If you require 4 - 30" pcs., a 10'board will only yield 3 pcs. and a lot of waste; better to go for 12' length.
Buy boards considering if you want grain continuity AROUND a piece. e.g. Buy long enough that the grain flow can be from side-front-side-back. This may be longer than you would normally consider. Note: Cut the pieces in this order rather than 2 sides plus 2 front/backs.
Of course consider component thickness: 12/4 for legs, etc.
Frosty
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