Fxguy Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Hey guys, just curious, but most plans I see call for 3/4" thick parts but the local woodshop sells wood by the board foot and it's 4/4. Is it just me or is it a shame to waste 1/4" planing it down to 3/4"? Seems silly to get unfinished lumber at 4/4 when it can in some cases be bought as 3/4" already. Am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 If you need 3/4" and buy 3/4" and it warps when you rip it to rough width, then you'll wind up with less than 3/4" by the time you are all squared up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 4/4 is the rough measurement of the wood. Mills cut lumber 4/4 then after planing they come out to 3/4, usually. Are the boards you are looking at planed on both sides? When buying lumber there is usually a tremendous price savings in getting 4/4 rough lumber and planing it down to 3/4, compared to buying lumber that has already been planed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fxguy Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 4/4 is the rough measurement of the wood. Mills cut lumber 4/4 then after planing they come out to 3/4, usually. Are the boards you are looking at planed on both sides? When buying lumber there is usually a tremendous price savings in getting 4/4 rough lumber and planing it down to 3/4, compared to buying lumber that has already been planed. Yeah they are planed on both sides. And there is a price savings, just hate to waste wood! :-) I was just curious if maybe someone out there figured out a way to not waste that much when using the 4/4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Yeah they are planed on both sides. And there is a price savings, just hate to waste wood! :-) I was just curious if maybe someone out there figured out a way to not waste that much when using the 4/4. If your boards are still a full 1" thick after planing, then just adjust your plans to use 1" instead of 3/4. Then you wont have any waste. I did this same thing with a hope chest. The lumber I bought was closer to 5/4 rough, and 4/4 after i planed it. I didnt see any reason to make it thinner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan S Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Hey guys, just curious, but most plans I see call for 3/4" thick parts but the local woodshop sells wood by the board foot and it's 4/4. Is it just me or is it a shame to waste 1/4" planing it down to 3/4"? Seems silly to get unfinished lumber at 4/4 when it can in some cases be bought as 3/4" already. Am I missing something? is it really 1" thick? A lot of wood that's S2S or skip planed is actually 7/8" or 15/16" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 The sawdust you create from planing, is usable in many ways....Mulch animal bedding, and more It's only a waste if you don't figure a way to use it.! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Meh, there's no such thing as "wasting wood" unless a tree is felled and just left to rot. Even then it's not totally waste since it's recycled into the earth as organic material. Once a tree is milled into lumber and brought into a shop, it's being put to the best possible use I can think of. Woodworking is a process of whittling down big pieces of wood into smaller pieces of wood...a certain amount of waste is unavoidable. If you wanna alleviate your guilt about "wasting" wood, go check out the scrap pile at any mill. It's akin to saying you don't like to exercise because your increased respiration is wasting oxygen. You wanna make an omelet, ya gotta break a few eggs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Hurts to see the highway maintenance crew cutting nice, straight trunked oak, cherry, pine and other trees along the right of way, and grinding them up to be left on the spot. Just yesterday I saw that happen to several trees exceeding 14" diameter. Hurts even more to see how they hack the overhanging branches from trees just outside the right of way, leaving behind broken and jagged stumps that are likely to kill the tree anyway. Have to agree with Kikki. Rotting mulch may be good for the soil, but I'd rather see a tree turned into furniture any day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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