Do you think that a "two by four" is actually 2" x 4"Lol..I'm lost
Point well taken. The accompanying article which I did not scan talked about the "actual" sizes. I just thought it was a handy reference chart for ballpark computations. ChuckSince the table gives nominal BF, it doesn't seem all that useful. Nominal sizes for dimension lumber are standard but I've never heard of nominal sizes for BF. If I did that table, I produce ACTUAL BF.
Put another way, the table doesn't tell you much about how many BF you're going to get, it tells you how many imaginary BF you WOULD get if the nominal sizes were actual sizes. I don't get how that's useful.
Two by fours aren't sold by the BF though..... Just cross.out the word nominal and the chart works fine. Don't know why they used that word....Do you think that a "two by four" is actually 2" x 4"
They used to be but they're shrinking. I think it's a modern day application of the theory of gigantism, miniaturization, and evolution. Lumber survival and propagation of the species obviously favors smaller boards. Hence, a 2X4 that used to be precisely 2 inches by 4 inches is now 1.75 inches by 3.5 inches.Do you think that a "two by four" is actually 2" x 4"
I haven't seen a 1.75 inch born after 1975They used to be but they're shrinking. I think it's a modern day application of the theory of gigantism, miniaturization, and evolution. Lumber survival and propagation of the species obviously favors smaller boards. Hence, a 2X4 that used to be precisely 2 inches by 4 inches is now 1.75 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches.
EDIT: OK, forget the below. If they replace the word "nominal" with the word "actual" then yes, the chart works. I still think their INTENT was that they were describing dimensional lumber, but perhaps they don't know what "nominal" means.Two by fours aren't sold by the BF though..... Just cross.out the word nominal and the chart works fine. Don't know why they used that word....
No, it is not. It is 1.5" x 3.5" and has been, as Frank pointed out, for many decades.Hence, a 2X4 that used to be precisely 2 inches by 4 inches is now 1.75 inches by 3.5 inches.
That size doesn't exist any more when saying 2 x whatever. Today I believe today's Redwood 2x's are 1 3/8" x -1/2". Most other 2x's are at 1 1/2".They used to be but they're shrinking. I think it's a modern day application of the theory of gigantism, miniaturization, and evolution. Lumber survival and propagation of the species obviously favors smaller boards. Hence, a 2X4 that used to be precisely 2 inches by 4 inches is now 1.75 inches by 3.5 inches.
The publication date of the woodworking book I took this chart from was 1974... ChuckI haven't seen a 1.75 inch born after 1975
See, there you go. Boards are just getting smaller and smaller, just like birds and reptiles are getting smaller and smaller from the dinosaurs they came from. It's evolution in action I say.That size doesn't exist any more when saying 2 x whatever. Today I believe today's Redwood 2x's are 1 3/8" x -1/2". Most other 2x's are at 1 1/2".
All hardwoods I ever purchased are 4/4 at 13/16" thick surfaced, or Blank/Rough at 15/16" thick X the actual width. 5/4 would be 1 3/16" thick for rough and surfaced would be 1 1/16 thick. All quarter sizes are always 1/16 thinner for rough, and surfaced is always 3/16 thinner than the quarter thickness. lately I've gotten some 8/4 Spanish Cedar that was almost 2 1/4 thick, but other hardwoods usually come in at 1 15/16 or 1 13/16 respectively.
Back to the chart. It took awhile to figure out what it is supposed to convey. I had to look for a 6 bdft number to finally get the method. 1 x 6x 12 feet = 6 bdft and then figured it out.
My method never fails. 1' x width x length = then divide by 144. Never fails...... 1 x 6.25 x 66 = 412.5" divide x 144 = 2.8645833 bdft.
I find it really interesting how many people here in the US use metric measurements when posting sizes of things they've done and sometimes how they'll go with length, width and thickness rather thickness, width and length. TWL is how I learned and it's ________ when others list it as LTW....... Jerry (in Tucson)
Why do the words keep getting bigger if they KNOW everyone's brains are shrinking as well...See, there you go. Boards are just getting smaller and smaller, just like birds and reptiles are getting smaller and smaller from the dinosaurs they came from. It's evolution in action I say.
Because when you get older, the smaller words are harder to see. ......... Jerry (in Tucson)Why do the words keep getting bigger if they KNOW everyone's brains are shrinking as well...