How many board feet for 2k sq ft of floor

[james04]

I am milling red oak for my house and was wondering how much I should send to the kiln. I have a total of 2000 sq ft to cover. So how many board feet after edging? I will be doing 2 1/4",3 1/4,4 1/4" widths.

Also should I remove all sap wood or just on the boards that have it only on one edge? If I have a couple boards that are quarter sawed should I remove the pith or leave the board full width with the pith in the center. I am talking about before drying.

James

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

It would probably be good to saw out pith and cull out other questionable pieces before the kiln drying.  Sap wood is an aesthetic choice:  One of those "beauty is in the eye of...," well, you know.

I have heard that many people add 20% or so.  Since you are mixing widths, you may want
to go a little higher to cover the possibilities.  2000 sq. ft. then would require 2400 bd. ft. or more.

Keep in mind that how careful your edges
have been cut makes a difference, too.   It will take a 3" blank to make a 2-1/4" inch t&g
plank.   That is a higher percentage of loss: at least 25%.  On the wider boards, your % loss is
less.  The % loss on the 5" blank going down to the 4-1/4 plank ends up being 15% minimum.

[Justin L]

If you T&G it, you will loose 1/4" on every pc. plus 1/8" milling allowance. If you average 3 1/4" sizes it will be 10%. To get a 3" face, it would need to be ripped to 3 3/8" wide.

Ripping to width will be 15-25% as Phil said.

Before you rip the width, it needs straight lined, wider boards won't loose as much, skinny crooked ones will lose a bunch. Add another 15-25%

Cut the crooked ones in two before straight lining them so you don't waste as much. ;)

Then allow for cutting out knots, splits etc, trimming the ends square and some for cutting to length when installing. 5-10%?

Then some extra just to be sure you don't run two boards short...5-10%?

Minimum 50% (3000')to maximum 80%=(3600') or somewhere in between. There is a lot of waste in flooring, but running several sizes will help a lot. It depends on a LOT of different things, but this is how I would figure it. Just make sure some waste is allowed for each step.

Oh yea, you're going to loose another 7% in the kiln from shrinkage :(

[abatol]

So what he's trying to say is cut 4500 bdft and send me your left over freight paid  ;D  had to throw that in

[bandmiller2]

James you probibly won't be too far off if you cut twice as much as you think you need.Two ways to go you can make a formal floor ,like the stuff you buy,or random width screwed and pegged.I made oak flooring for our bedroom,random width 3,4,6,8".I used a electric hand plain to break all four top edges,put about a 1/4 " bevel all around,that eliminated the problem of trying to keep cracks small.Countersink, screw and plug with a darker wood nice effect.Tight knots and defects add contrast,alot of work but beautiful. Frank C.

[raycon]

2400 like Phil said. Might want to add more if you're going to do the trim in oak as well.

[metalspinner]

I am finishing up my floor that is 5" and 7" QS red oak.  Because wood collecting is a hobby to me I didn't pay too much attention to numbers, but I was shocked - - at the amount of loss I had in laying this floor.  From culling green lumber, then some KD boards, then some just because, cutting out knots, and end snipe, boards that crooked a bit before laying them...on and on.  Then the moulder, Teenswinger, had losses straightline ripping and such.

My guess - and that is all it is, is that Justin is pretty close.  Now I went with all clear material that finished out at 5" and 7" wide.  So shorter and narrower will yield you much more material.

[scsmith42]

Chris - that is a sharp looking floor!

James, ditto Justin's comments as well as James's comments about the maching loss.

If you want to have a higher recovery rate, consider using only butt logs, quartersawing all of the wood, applying end sealer to the ends of the logs the same day as they are milled, and mill and dry the wood as quickly as possible after logging.

Except for the butt logs, the other items are usually within one's control and they can increase your yield and reduce degrade.

Scott

[james04]

Thank you all for your input. I was afraid of the 3k as I kind of knew it would be that high. I will be leaving some defect for added character. Looks like I am going to need some more logs. Anyone have a good source in eastern CT? I discovered yesterday that the excavator guy destroyed to of my best logs. Split from one end to the other. He liked to push the trees over with the excavator. It's a good thing I feld most of the trees and skidded them over to a pile.

Metalsppiner,

That is just beautiful! I wish had enough logs to do that. It's what I originally wanted to do.

Does anyone like ash for flooring? What about quarter sawn? I have a decent amount and I think I can get some more fairly cheep.

James

[flip]

Nice floor!  Looks like you got a little fleck in each board, love the consistancy good work!

[ksu_chainsaw]

Ash will finish out similar to oak.  I have made several low dollar table tops and other furniture from ash, and with a little stain, they look pretty close to some other oak furniture that they were set next to.

Charles

[raycon]

Eastern CT? What town or area? If theres a commercial mill near by might be worth a visit. Many cut flooring blanks and will give you a tour. Good FYI stuff.

A few will sell logs. Probably most will in person if they have logs to spare.

[james04]

Eastern CT? What town or area? If theres a commercial mill near by might be worth a visit. Many cut flooring blanks and will give you a tour. Good FYI stuff.

A few will sell logs. Probably most will in person if they have logs to spare.

Ok, thats my fault. Ashford is were I live. Hull Forestry is in the area. But they sell flooring at a premium. I doubt they would be willing to part with a couple of logs. Do you know of loggers in this area. It is near Storrs (UCONN). I am friendly with a local logger but, I have misplaced his card and he seems to be not home. His gate is always locked and there are no tire tracks in the snow up his drive way. 

James

[raycon]

Ashford nothing rings a bell at the moment.

You are in Logrite's  area in case you did not know.

Search "CT forest practitioners" in google one of the hits will be our  DEP's list  for forest practitioners your loggers number will probably be there.



Ray

[woodmills1]

I would cut and dry double what i needed to finish.  Any leftover would be baseboard or molding.

[Cedarman]

Our main room 20 x 40 is quarter sawn ash.  The wood came from thick backing boards from a veneer mill that I resawed to 1", dried, ripped on the wood mizer to 3 different widths and had a guy run through his moulder.  Mine has a lot dark heartwood mixed with the lighter sapwood.  It is absolutely beautiful.  Ash makes a great floor.

[james04]

If I can get the logs I will cut double. It will not go to waste.

Raycon,

Thank you that list will come in handy.

Cedarman,

Do you have any photos. I would love to see what that looks like.

James

[jason.weir]

I just finished my oak floor - 850 sq\ft.  I think I started with about 1200 bd/ft, and don't have much left over.  This was from logs off my property and was sawn at a local mill.  All mill run, sawn through and through.  To minimize waste we got it from the mill with one round edge.

After drying for 4 years in Dad's barn it was then planed, it then sat for a year in my basement further drying and getting acclimated to the house all the while waiting for a stroke of ambition to hit me..

The oak was run through the table saw to get somewhat a straight edge, then through the jointer to get a perfect edge. Then back through the table saw to size it.

To further minimize waste I sized it from 3" to 7" in half inch increments.

As this is all square edge material I drilled almost 5000 countersink'd holes, screwed 5000 screws. Made, glued, hammered and chisel'd off 5000 plugs.  They put the last of 5 coats of poly on in Wed morning.. I've very happy with the results..

PHOTOS MUST BE IN YOUR FORESTRY FORUM GALLERY


-Jason

[WDH]

Chris,

I have logs, and I have a mill, and , uh...................., I might need a flooring consultant ;D.  That is a beautiful floor.  I am ready to tear up some carpet.

Jason,

That looks like a labor of love, and it too is beautiful.  You have to be very proud of the results!

[jason.weir]

WDH - it was a labor of love...

Lots of labor and I love that its done....

I won't soon do another large screwed and pegged floor..

-Jason

[metalspinner]

Those are a lot of big numbers, Jason.  With my attention span, that job would have taken me years. :  I really like the variation of color in your floor.

WDH,

One small flooring job should not make me a consultant. :D  But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. ;D

[jason.weir]

Metalspinner...

As I have a similar attention span it did take me years. 

7 years since the trees were cut
4 years since we moved in the house
1 1/2 years since I put the first board down.

My wife is glad its done...

Next is finishing the cabinets and ughh! painting...

-J

[WDH]

Next is finishing the cabinets and ughh! painting...

-J

Ughh, ughh, ughh is right.  I despise painting, so most stuff in my house is wood with varnish.  Very little paint.  Ughh .