Poll: Most used board dimensions in your furniture shop

[Mulekicker]

Calling all professional furniture makers out there to help me decide how to break down some nice hardwood logs I have.

I have been hobby sawing for 7 years, mostly to provide lumber for my work as a carpenter. This has been a lot of framing and siding lumber but has also included plenty of nice trim and interior built in type work.  In the next few years I'm trying to transition to more of a shop based workload, and am looking to improve my finer woodworking skills to the point that they are marketable.

I have some nice maple and walnut logs that I want to cut now "for the future" and am looking for some advice on what dimensions to mill them at. I know a variety of sizes is nice and necessary for most furniture, but don't have the years of shop experience to know how much more of one you end up using than another.

SO, if you make furniture for a living, and have can rattle off a quick number "80% of my stock is 5/4" for example, that would be helpful.  I hope to make a variety and range of pieces, and obviously everyone will have different styles of work, but I'm just interested in hearing everyone's take on this.

Thanks!

[Den-Den]

I consider myself "semi-professional" not "professional".
4/4 is the thickness I use the most.  At least 2/3 of what I use is 4/4.  I saw most hardwoods at 1-1/8" thick for 4/4 stock.  For thicker stock, I cut 6/4, 8/4 and 9/4 depending on what I think it will get used for.

[Menagerie-Manor]

Calling all professional furniture makers out there to help me decide how to break down some nice hardwood logs I have.

I have been hobby sawing for 7 years, mostly to provide lumber for my work as a carpenter. This has been a lot of framing and siding lumber but has also included plenty of nice trim and interior built in type work.  In the next few years I'm trying to transition to more of a shop based workload, and am looking to improve my finer woodworking skills to the point that they are marketable.

I have some nice maple and walnut logs that I want to cut now "for the future" and am looking for some advice on what dimensions to mill them at. I know a variety of sizes is nice and necessary for most furniture, but don't have the years of shop experience to know how much more of one you end up using than another.

SO, if you make furniture for a living, and have can rattle off a quick number "80% of my stock is 5/4" for example, that would be helpful.  I hope to make a variety and range of pieces, and obviously everyone will have different styles of work, but I'm just interested in hearing everyone's take on this.

Thanks!

My usual preference is a true 5/4 dimension for rough sawn as it leave a lot more wiggle room for planer and correction.

[Jack Lilley]

I saw hardwood to 1-1/8" to have the extra for flattening on the jointer and usually 4-8" widths. I've seen several times the extra 1/8" was needed to dress a board flat at 3/4".

[Walnut Beast]

I saw hardwood to 1-1/8" to have the extra for flattening on the jointer and usually 4-8" widths. I've seen several times the extra 1/8" was needed to dress a board flat at 3/4".

I started sawing 1 1/8. Good to know 

[kantuckid]

I saw same as above, heavy 4/4, 5/4, 8 & 9/4, and larger squares for table legs plus a few natural edge slabs.  

[DWyatt]

I will add another vote for 75% of what I use is 4/4 (sawed at 1 1/8"). The perk of this is that I can get 3/4" material, but if I want something just slightly thicker, I can take a good straight board and get 7/8"-15/16" off the planer. Another 20% of what I use is 9/4 (sawed at 2 3/8"). This is for table tops, legs for dressers and small stands, etc. 

As for the width, I saw as wide as the log will allow for most thick stuff. It is good to also keep in mind that typical face frames are 1 1/2" and Rail & Stiles are 2 1/4"-2 1/2" typically for what I make. So I will try to focus on 4/4 x 8 1/2" boards if I know a large portion of the boards will go toward making cabinets. This will allow 5 face frame pieces or 3 rail & stile pieces after jointing and ripping with little waste. 

[scsmith42]

Boards less than 8" are sawed to be 4/4 dry.  Boards wider than 8" are milled to be 5/4 dry, unless I need thicker stock for inventory (6/4 and 8/4).

Live edge slabs >12" start at 8/4 dry scale.  Green thickness can increase to 4" depending upon width and grade.  Low grade, uber wide slabs (>54") are usually milled between 3.25" - 4" green.

[Tom K]

I wouldn't say I'm a professional, but 85% of what I use is 4/4. As long as it is sawn right I prefer 15/16"-1" dry so there is plenty of room to straighten and plan out defects. My preference on width would be 6-12" wide with a length of 10-12'. I like to get multiple pieces out of each board.

[metalspinner]

As wide as possible. You mentioned custom furniture...
Boards cut from the same tree are a big plus to me. That usually means the color and figure of the grain is the same.  That is also why I like wide boards. Not because they will be used as wide boards, but because all my "narrow" boards are kept together within the wide one.
I will often rip a rough 12" or 16" wide board into smaller piece to use together in a face frame or a panel glue up so the color and figure all matches.

[farmfromkansas]

I retired from being a pro after I turned 50.  Built quite a few cabinets before then, and a few after.  4/4 is the most used thickness, but I like the 5/4 for cabinet door frames, I make them 7/8" because then you can send the whole door through the wide belt sander, and the raised panel gets sanded flush with the frame.  ROS will clean up any cross grain sanding marks. Can make my panels 5/8 if there is enough that will not clean up at 3/4, and it is thick enough for a raised panel.  Ran into a walnut log with twisted grain, did not notice it when sawing, but makes beautiful panels and drawer fronts.  Have seen pictures of a custom guitar with that twisted grain. Be interesting to see what causes a tree to grow like that.