Buying Rough Cut Lumber

[mountainbreeze]

I am thinking about my next project and I may want to buy some locally available rough cut walnut for it. This would be my first time buying lumber like this so I have some real newb questions about it. The craigslist offering can be seen here.

My questions are:

1. If the finished thickness of the boards for my project are to be 3/4", should I be starting with 1.5" thick boards being offered? Since I can't resaw these boards into two 3/4" boards, it seems like there will be a lot of waste. I know I need something thicker than 3/4" to start with but do I need to go all the way to 1.5"?

2. When determining the total board feet:

a) What is the "fair" way to measure the boards if they vary in width over the length?

b) If the boards are split on the ends or are irregular, is that to be accounted for some how?

c) I assume that "live edges" means the bark is still attached. Is the bark to be included in the measurements?

Any other words of wisdom when purchasing wood like this would be appreciated.

[wa2crk]

Breeze;
Looks like some good stock in there. I do see a lot of sap wood (the light colored wood near the bark) in the stack and that is considered undesireable in a furniture grade wood. You would mill that away. A board foot is 144 cubic inches. The average width of the board times it's length and thickness in inches and then divided by 144 equals board feet.
The 1.5" thickness is unusual for a board unless you may want to build some large tables then it would be a good choice. Table pedestal supports and stringers will require more strength.
There will be a lot of waste in your case so you may want to get a competetive price from another dealer in your area and see if you can absorb the cost of the waste material .
Generally when a finished 3/4" dimension is desired then the mill will make the boards a full 1" or 4/4 (four quarter)dimension. A hardwood dealer will have 3/4" boards that are actually 13/16" in thickness so that final dimensioning can be accomplished. This is the thickness of a 1" board that is surfaced on two sides (S2S)
The final choice is up to you. You could resaw the boards into two 3/4" thickness boards and reduce that to 5/8" thickness for jewelry boxes or some other small projects. I would take some just to have it on hand.
Bill V
PS, when I order rough cut lumber for a project I will order 20 to 25 percent over to make up for waste, splits and other defects.

[dusty]

I purchase my rough cut lumber from Hood Industries (The McEwen Group). If there is no outlet in (near) your area, they sell online. They have a yard in Greenville.

[derekdarling]

'Live Edge' refers to an edge that has not been jonited or cut in any way, whether it has bark or not. 'Live Edge' furniture can be very attractive, and some turners use this as a signature, leaving bark on a 'birds mouth' bowl.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=YNGOirj ... wl&f=false

Derek

[sawmill]

Another thing to keep in mind is was the 1.5 inch thickness when they came off the mill and if it was they could have shrunk as much as an 1/8 of an inch or more. Check them for cup they look nice and flat in the picture but when you lay them on a flat surface they may not be. Take a moisture meter with you and use it.

[trainguytom]

Whenever I've had trees sawed, It's been cut to a 1 1/8" thickness & then stickered to dry. assuming that the drying process results in flat boards, I find that rough thickness works well for ending up with finished boards between 7/8" and 3/4", depending on my needs.

1" rough sawn is okay assuming really flat dry boards to plane down to 3/4".
The 1 1/2" boards, for me at least, represent either too waste from planing, or too much screwing around to maximize board use, like re-sawing to get 3/4" boards & trying to end up with some thinner stock for small projects, home made veneer, etc.