AWFS Happenings
Well, we are headed down to the show floor to see what we can see. In addition to our normal filming, we’ll be taking short video clips and uploading them to YouTube immediately. The widget below will let you keep up to date with the latest. I also included my Twitter widget below so you can read my smarta** comments. haha. By the way, the Youtube account associated with the widget below is my personal account. So if you dig deep enough you’ll find some goofy “domestic” videos that have nothing to do with The Wood Whisperer. Just so’s you know!
Oh and tomorrow around 4pm Eastern, Matt and I are going to record a Wood Talk Online episode from the show. We will try to stream it live, if everything works out. So stay tuned for that.
Krylon Spray Stain
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Krylon recently released a line of exterior wood stains in spray form. A very convenient way to transfer color to your outdoor projects! I sprayed 6 different test boards (maple and white oak) just to see how well the stain applies. Watch the video to see the results and hear my opinion of the product. If you want more information, check out SaveOurSaturdays.com
How To Calculate Lumber For Projects? - Viewer Question
This question comes from Zach who asks:
Hey Marc, I’m a new woodworker and I’m having trouble trying to figure out how much lumber I need for each project. I know how to calculate the amount of board feet needed, but that doesn’t factor in how much material is lost from saw blades and the countless errors I’m bound to make. So, I guess what I’m trying to ask is do you have any sort of formula for calculating the amount of material needed for a project?
And this was my response:
Basically there are two ways I approach this. The “lazy” way and the “accurate” way. The lazy way is to take that board foot number and add about 15-20% to it. Then go to the lumber supplier and buy that many board feet. Now the drawback to this is the fact that you might wind up with the wrong set of boards. For instance, if your project calls for a bunch of long pieces, you might have the right total number of board feet but the boards might not be long enough. So you may wind up making another trip to the lumber supplier if you use this method.
Now the accurate method is to plan everything out on paper. Lets assume you have access to rough boards that are 8′ long and 6-7″ wide. I would draw a bunch of “blanks” on a piece of paper and then try to plan out the cuts for all of your project parts. Keep in mind things like milling and kerf widths since the goal is to be as realistic as possible. You may have to erase a few boards and reorganize them for the sake of saving wood, but eventually you should have a nice cut diagram. The interesting part of this process is that you don’t really need to be concerned with board feet. Instead you want to make sure you are getting the right number of boards so you can make cuts according to your diagram. This process takes a while but it can be worth it since the “lazy” way can be frustrating and disappointing. And furthermore, it makes it much easier to select that perfect wood grain while you are at the lumber yard. Don’t be a afraid to bring a piece of chalk with you so you can mark the boards up as you place them in your cart or vehicle.
Most times, I do a bit of both techniques. If I have a bunch of smaller parts, I lump them into a board foot number and make sure I have that number plus 15%. For larger pieces, I make sure I have the right number of boards. And for certain parts of projects, you want to take it one step further by picking very specific boards. For instance, a table top. You don’t want to let fate decide which boards make a bold statement in your project. So ultimately, a combination of those two techniques is what works for me. Hope this helps.
An Awesome Chat
Tonight’s chat was just fantastic. Its been a while since our last live chat, and even longer since Nicole was involved. It was just like old times, except this time we had over 100 people watching the live stream! Nicole and I had a blast catching up with everyone and believe it or not, Nicole let me eat dinner even after that comment (you know the one!). lol. So I just wanted to thank everyone who showed up and joined in the fun. We’ll have to make a point of doing that more often.
Casual Chat, Tonight 8pm Eastern
Hey folks. Its been a busy time with our recent move, and I really feel out of touch with everyone. So if you have some free time, feel free to join Nicole and I tonight for a little casual chat (just like old times). We’ll talk about our current situation and how its affecting the new shop build. And we really want to hear what you guys are up to as well.
So join us tonight, won’t you? 8pm Eastern on the Chat Page.
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