Scrap Calc.

[Nicholas Lingg]

What is a good scrap calculation? I'm quoting building a length of display racks. They will be 4' tall X 8' long using mostly 2" wide material with rail & stile construction. The pieces will be 2" to 48" long. I'm quoting using Poplar random length and width S2S.

[Ethan Melad]

not entirely sure what you mean, but i generally figure (maybe on the heavy side) for 15-20% waste depending on species and finish. since youre talking poplar i'm guessing this is going to be painted, so you may be able to estimate on the low side for waste. also if you can take a look at the lumber yard ahead of time, you'll know what the quality is and how much sap/wane/checking you'll be dealing with.

[Jon Wilson]

I'm going to assume you are talking waste overage. If that is correct,

I usually go 10% if it's a project I have done before using known materials.
I will go 20-25% on a new project, on the higher side if I'm using a material that is new to me
or if the project seems to be a tad more difficult than I'm comfortable with.

[Matt Meiser]

For solid wood, If I'm just ordering x bd-ft of material, I figure as much as 50%. 50% is way high, but lets me build up a stock of material for other projects over time and lets me be more picky about grain, defects, etc than if I was cutting it close. If I go to the local place and find boards I need for something then I can get much closer.

For sheet goods, I use Cutlist Plus and buy what it says unless its a really big project--then I might buy an extra sheet or two.

[Jim Andrew]

If your project is 4x8, as long as you buy material in 4' increments, you won't have much waste, say 4', 8' 12', however random lengths will leave you with lots of cutoffs.