With the base frames complete, its time to get some additional wood for the table tops and lower shelves. So its time to visit the lumber yard.
The dimensions of the top of 22-1/2” x 16-1/2”, with the bottom shelf being 20-5/8” x 14-7/8”. So I’m going to need a minimum rough cut of 24×18 and 22×16. I also wanted the tops to be 7/8” thick, instead of the standard ¾” (or less) it seems in today’s current furniture. That would help set these apart.
A lumber yard sells wood in Board Feet, which is defined as 12” x 12” x 1” thick = 1 board feet. So I needed roughly 96” x 18” x 1” which is equal to 12 board feet. I also add at least 20% due to wastage. Often the wood has knot holes, cracks, or issues which make it so you can’t use it – so 12 board feet * 120% = 14.4 Board Feet.
Finally, just because you need 14.4 BF, doesn’t mean you are going to easily find it. Wood is cut based on what they can get from the tree, not manufactured like plywood. So you may end up buying more because that is what is available on the lumber shelves. In this case, I ended up with two boards, 108” long x 9” wide x 1” thick, which came out to 13.5 BF. I think I can make that work.
Now I will let the wood sit in the shop for a week or two to acclimate before starting work on them.
Kevin