IndyEd

I keep seeing these numbers & I think that they are referring to quarter inches of board thickness but I just want to verify.

Sorry for the elementary question but I just want to verify that what I think, is what it is.

edp

you are correct in your thinking. Who knows why but that is how it is done.

Ed

WDChew

Yes, they are board thickness. However, they are the nominal dimensions before surfacing. A 3/4" finish planed board purchased at a lumber yard is a nominal 4/4.

cabinetman

If you are ordering your wood in the rough, ordering 4/4 and planing to 3/4 only gives you 1/8" surfacing on each side. That may or may not be sufficient.

mics_54

if 4/4 is really only 3/4, is 5/4 really only 4/4? I'm so confused!

steve mackay

LOL ! Its all urban legend now-a-days. If I'm reading your question right. The descriptions are held over from the " good-old-days" when a 2x4 measured 2" x 4". In the modern world they measure 3-ish x 2-ish. Most lables I see now say "stud" so they are'nt really lying. What was once a 4x4 is now a "post". A 5/4 plank ain't even close to an inch and a quarter but thats the lingo. Folks like to say "well, we're figuring in finnishing" but, like woodworkers of old, I'm a stuborn, literal kind of guy. The "Rugged Individualist" the rest of the world seems so terrified of.

Daren

It is just the way hardwood is sold. Yes it is 1/4" increments rough sawn. It is a way to get away from saying 1X and 2x...we all know that a 2X4 is really 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 now. They USED to be 2X4 though.

I will muddy the water now. At my mill I saw 4/4 (1") 1 1/8" thick wet. I am very careful milling and my 4/4 will surface plane out to no less than 7/8", most a full 1". Same with 6/4-8/4...I oversize the cuts to allow for surfacing to full dimension.

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frankp

woodchew, if it's listed as 4/4 it is 4/4 not 3/4 and is usually sold by the board foot. If it's listed as dimensional lumber 2x4 1x8 then it will actually be 1.5x3.5 (roughly) or 3/4x7.5 (roughly) and is sold by length, not by board foot.

Now, these are my experiences and probably YMMV applies. Any place I've seen lumber listed as 4/4 was selling good wood and/or exotic wood, not standard lumber sizes used for construction and the like.

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GeorgeC

FrankP, what is YMMV?

George

Terry Beeson

I know YRMV is Your Results May Vary...

Did I dream this, or did not older sawmills actually have settings 1-16 or something like that and that was how many quarter inches the log was moved over in line with the saw when the lever was pulled?

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IndyEd

Thanks for the info. I have to admit that I did not think that it was that interesting of a question & just wanted to make sure that I was understanding the post correctly, but I guess maybe it was. Thanks for your replies!

Tony B

"did not older sawmills actually have settings 1-16 or something like that and that was how many quarter inches the log was moved over in line with the saw when the lever was pulled? "

I have never heard that before but it does make sense when you consider that not too long ago most perple were totally uneducated.
In marine navigation it was so much easier to count points on a compass than to give a direction in degrees. Two points to starboard was more easily understood than 22 1/2 degrees to starboard. So why not use the quarter system? Same concept.

Thanks Terry

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cabinetman

Your Mileage May Vary

Daren

I don't know, I never ran one, yet . My mill adjusts in 1/10" increments (I have the "economy" model, the rest from the same maker adjusts 20 clicks per inch) So when I said I mill 1 1/8" for 4/4 I am really milling 1 and 2/10", or just a hair over. I have tested my mill and pulled one click off...same thickness in 8' and hold it up to sun and you can see even light through the board, pretty cool.

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smitty1967

Methinks Steve Mackay hasn't bought any "2x4s" in a while!

When was the last time anyone say any dimension lumber measure anywhere near "2-ish" on the "2" side? Last time I checked (about two minutes ago---yes, I ran outside in the cold to measure), they are 3-1/2" x 1-7/16.

But that's just my tape measure. YRMV.


smitty

Leo G

All those measurements are for rough lumber. 4/4 is 1" in the rough. 5/4 is 1 1/3" in the rough. You can usually mill off 3/16" off a rough board and clean it up. Some boards are plump 4/4 can be 1 1/8" thick in the rough. Some can be 1" on the button. But the mills get it in the rough state and that is how it is listed. If you get a board, that is milled, it will still be stated in x/4, just that 1/4" will be milled away.

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