Board Foot Calculations

[Rick Lasita]

I have decided to build my own workbrench, we'll debate my decision later :) replacing an old Sjoberg, that has served me well. Now, the legs are 3" square, and the upper and lower trestles are 3 1/2 in square. I will laminate 8/4 stock and mill to size. This is where I am getting confused. One leg is 3x3x32, do I calculate the bf on 1.5x1.5x32 times 2? or 3x3x32 ? Maybe it is just too early in the morning

[Jason Roehl]

I have decided to build my own workbrench, we'll debate my decision later :) replacing an old Sjoberg, that has served me well. Now, the legs are 3" square, and the upper and lower trestles are 3 1/2 in square. I will laminate 8/4 stock and mill to size. This is where I am getting confused. One leg is 3x3x32, do I calculate the bf on 1.5x1.5x32 times 2? or 3x3x32 ? Maybe it is just too early in the morning
First, 1.5x1.5x32 times 2 =/= 3x3x32.

One finished leg is 3x3x32, which is 288 cubic inches, or 2.00 bf. But that's finished--you'll need more due to milling, kerf waste, cupping, warping, twist, etc. Just for the four(I assume) legs, I would use, from what you described, maybe 2 pcs of 8/4"x4"x12', or some other combination, it all depends on what is available. BF is a good place to START to determine what wood you need, but widths and lengths available also have a big impact (you can't get 3 32" pcs out of an 8' board due to kerf waste, nor 2 3" wide pieces out of a 6" wide board), as well as the quality of the wood (how many bf will you lose to working around defects?)

Bottom line--buy a bunch extra--it's always good to have leftovers anyway. :D

[Rick Lasita]

Thanks for the reply Jason

Rick