On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 07:39:40 -0500, "George" george@least wrote:


When calculating for solid wood requirements, remember that the material is
_not_ going to be as consistent in size as sheet goods. Even FAS will have
some sapwood or a defect in the worst possible place for your cutting plans.
Order 10-15% more wood in FAS than you think you'll need. For Selects,
20-25% is wise. And _don't_ bother with BF calcs. What you need isn't 1BF,
it's a piece 6' long by 2" wide, which isn't 2" wide, of course, but closer
to 2 1/4 with the jointing and ripping loss.

Good advice. It's amazing how the defect always lands in the middle
of the "perfect" part! This is why magazine board cutting diagrams
are usually worthless.

The ugly stuff left over is often excellent for shop jigs, joinery
practice, hidden parts like corner blocks, etc...

Many of the finest antiques have hidden parts that look like pallet
wood.

Barry