Woodworking & lumber guides
Plain-language guides to buying lumber, laying out projects and finishing them, with the numbers worked out and links to the calculators you’ll need.
- Woodworking and lumber words, explainedPlain-English meanings of board foot, nominal vs actual, 4/4, S4S, kerf, on center, joist, ledger, stringer, riser, miter vs bevel, face cord and more.
- What is a board foot? How lumber is measured and pricedA board foot is 144 cubic inches of wood. How to calculate it, why softwood uses nominal size and hardwood uses quarters, and how yards price by the MBF.
- Board foot chart for common lumber sizesBoard feet for every common lumber size, 1×4 to 6×6 at 8 to 20 ft, plus a 4/4–8/4 hardwood chart per linear foot and how to read both.
- Nominal vs actual lumber sizes: the full chartWhy a 2×4 is 1½ × 3½ in: the full chart of nominal and actual lumber sizes in inches and mm, plus plywood, hardwood quarters and metric timber.
- Hardwood buying guide: 4/4, S2S, rough lumber and grades explainedHow to buy hardwood lumber: quarter thickness (4/4, 8/4), rough vs S2S vs S4S, grades like FAS and #1 Common, moisture, and how much extra to buy.
- How to lay out and cut stair stringers, step by stepMeasure total rise, work out risers and treads, and mark a stair stringer with a framing square and stair gauges. With typical code limits to check.
- Framing basics: rafter layout, hips and deck joistsHow common rafters, hips, jacks and deck joists are laid out: run, slope factor, birdsmouth, HAP, the 16.97 hip rule, joist spans and decking spacing.
- Choosing a wood species: hardness, weight and stability comparedCompare common woods — pine, poplar, oak, maple, cherry, walnut, cedar and more — by Janka hardness, weight, movement and typical uses.
- How to finish wood: stain vs oil vs polyurethaneStain adds color; oil, polyurethane and other topcoats protect. How to choose a finish, prep the surface, apply it, and how much you need.
- Essential tools for a beginner woodworking shopThe tools to buy first for woodworking: measuring and marking, a circular or miter saw, drill, clamps, sander and safety gear — and what can wait.
- Buying firewood: cords, face cords and how to check a deliveryA full cord is 128 cu ft; a face cord of 16 in wood is one-third of that. How firewood is sold, how to compare prices, and how to measure a delivery.