# Dining Set Board foot calculations



## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

So I want to start gathering wood for a dining set. 6 or 8 chairs, 5 foot table, with a leaf (or two) to make it 8 feet.

I can easily calculate the board feet for the table, I'm trying to figure out how to calculate for chairs. I'm thinking of high back chairs, maybe 42-45 inches with either a single wide slat or dual slats, and a lumbar curve. Padded seats with tapered square legs. 
Something vaguely like this, but not quite: http://www.nycbed.com/product-logos/originals/27235_HighbackDiningSideChairinBu.jpg

So for you folks who have built a lot of chairs and tables, how do you calculate how much wood you need for the chairs? 

Also for a chair like the one linked, how do you properly prevent it from separating? I've rebuilt several of our current dining chairs with a similar bottom half and find I just can't get them to stay joined properly. I'm thinking of adding another set of front to back stringers but I'm open to other suggestions.

I'm just in the beginning design stages of this set (probably will take me 10 years to build the way I get projects done) so I have lots of time for tweaking and adjusting final aesthetics.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

There's no formula that I know of to figure bd ft. I do it the same way with most projects. I draw a full scale version, and do a take off of the parts needed. And, from that, I can figure for several chairs. As always, I usually figure 20%-25% overage...JIC.

















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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

frankp said:


> I'm just in the beginning design stages of this set (probably will take me 10 years to build the way I get projects done) so I have lots of time for tweaking and adjusting final aesthetics.


Wow 10 years. So your growing and milling your own trees. :laughing:


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Richard, just realistic about the time it takes me to finish large (or even small) projects. I have too many irons in the fire all the time and young children don't help that problem.


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## MissionIsMyMission (Apr 3, 2012)

For chairs I normally calculate the dimensions of each individual part and then calculate how to cut it out from the desired material. i.e. 1x8x8 piece of red oak. Then multiply by the number of chairs I'm building.


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