# Cherry



## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

I just purchased some 1/2 cherry boards. Not ever having to purchase any hardwood before (I've always used either pine or poplar from homey depot), I am curious to see if what I purchased was expensive or about a nominal price...

I purchased 7 board feet of 4/4 cherry surfaced 1/2". It was on sale for $3.72 a bf. the sale was 40% off! which should make it about $5.20 a db ft.

Do you think this a fair price, or was the place I went to on the expensive side.

Also, how the heck do you figure out a board foot....for dummies like me...?

Thanks guys, and Merry Christmas to youse guyz!


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## Sawdustguy (Dec 30, 2008)

Don't know about the price but a board foot is a piece 12" long by 12" wide by 1" thick.

George


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## bzguy (Jul 11, 2011)

4/4 is a fraction that refers to the original rough 1". 4/4=1
It was "on sale" no doubt because people normally buy and plane it to 3/4 ".


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

Pauley said:


> I just purchased some 1/2 cherry boards. Not ever having to purchase any hardwood before (I've always used either pine or poplar from homey depot), I am curious to see if what I purchased was expensive or about a nominal price...
> 
> I purchased 7 board feet of 4/4 cherry surfaced 1/2". It was on sale for $3.72 a bf. the sale was 40% off! which should make it about $5.20 a db ft.
> 
> ...


did you surface it your self?? if so you just thro away 1/2 of the wood, that is why i buy ruff sawn wood , and plane it down, if it was my 4/4 i would have sawn it down to just about 1/2 and than i would had a good 3/8" left over to use , just saying my self i wouldn't buy from the box store, i have a complete shop with all the tool's need to do the planning and joinging , i guess you have to start some where, if you are going to stay in wood working get some tool's when you can, it will save lot's of money good luck i just read this from your post It was on sale for $3.72 a bf. the sale was 40% off! which should make it about $5.20 a db ft. like it was said in another post a bf is a board 12x12x1" that is a board feet, so what you got was like 3' 1/2 bf because it was 1/2" thick so if it was 1"thick it whould be $7.44 a bf than , depends where you are located make's the price , if it is what you need and need it fast , you have no choice ?


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## kkalin78 (Dec 20, 2012)

You should be able to get 3/4 thickness S4S of 4x4. 1/2 looks a bit small for me. I buy cherry (4x4 S2S) in local macbeath for 6.26 per bf. So far I wasn't be able to find any other place who sale cheaper good quality hardwood in SF Bay area.


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

The cherry I purchased is most likely going to be a small box of some sort, haven't really decided yet. I did not surface it myself, it came that way. I was just curious to see if the price was a fair price so I would know for the next time. There is, however, a local saw mill. I'll have to check with him the next time. Thanks everyone for all the info.

Merry and Happy...


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## railaw (Nov 15, 2011)

Pauley said:


> The cherry I purchased is most likely going to be a small box of some sort, haven't really decided yet. I did not surface it myself, it came that way. I was just curious to see if the price was a fair price so I would know for the next time. There is, however, a local saw mill. I'll have to check with him the next time. Thanks everyone for all the info. Merry and Happy...


I get 4/4 cherry for about 5.50 a bf. that's the standard stuff. Not wide qsawn or whatever. 

Board foot equals lxwxh in inches /144.


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## BanditGTP (Dec 6, 2013)

Here's a link to a lumber yard close to my job.
http://www.gotbigwood.com/HardwoodLumber.html
I am just starting to get into woodworking so I'm not sure what a good price is just yet but this is one of the only places I've come across that has their prices listed on the web site.


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## mike1950 (Aug 29, 2010)

4/4 cherry means 1 inch cherry. 1/2" cherry would be 2/4 cherry. So 4/4 planed to 1/2 is not how it would be described. Price is not bad depending on grade. Thinner wood is not cheaper per board ft. If you got 7 square ft of cherry you really only got 3 1/2 bd ft. 
7x 12 x 1/2 = 3 1/2
7 x 12 x 4/4 = 7
hope that helps.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I am a little confused as to what you actually got. What were the dimensions of the wood that you took home and what was the total price paid?

George


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> I am a little confused as to what you actually got. What were the dimensions of the wood that you took home and what was the total price paid? George


Here is the invoice of what I purchased. It was from the short bin and is 1/2 thick cherry.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Pauley said:


> Here is the invoice of what I purchased. It was from the short bin and is 1/2 thick cherry.


That is too small to read. Can you just write the numbers.

George


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> That is too small to read. Can you just write the numbers. George


Qty. 7 BDFT

Shorts bin 

Description: 4/4 Cherry Surfaced 1/2". Retail 3.720. $26.04


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Pauley said:


> Qty. 7 BDFT Shorts bin Description: 4/4 Cherry Surfaced 1/2". Retail 3.720. $26.04


What was the total length and width of the 1/2" boards that you bought?
I buy rough sawn 4/4 cherry for $3 per board foot KD. Local sawyer.
TOM


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

TomC said:


> What was the total length and width of the 1/2" boards that you bought? I buy rough sawn 4/4 cherry for $3 per board foot KD. Local sawyer. TOM


 They were random widths, like 4 to 6 inch ... Approx. each board was bout 3 ft or so long and there were 5 or 6 boards.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Pauley said:


> They were random widths, like 4 to 6 inch ... Approx. each board was bout 3 ft or so long and there were 5 or 6 boards.


Do you not know exactly what you bought? It is very difficult for someone to tell you whether or not you got a good price without exact information.

George


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## mrcanterbury (May 7, 2012)

I live in New Hampshire also and find highland hardwoods to have good prices. Goose Bay in Chichester is the only other supplier in my area that I know of and they are comparable in pricing. The shorts bin at highland is always my first stop, but I buy rough cut only.


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

mrcanterbury said:


> I live in New Hampshire also and find highland hardwoods to have good prices. Goose Bay in Chichester is the only other supplier in my area that I know of and they are comparable in pricing. The shorts bin at highland is always my first stop, but I buy rough cut only.


 That's, more or less, what I was looking for...by the way, I live in Derry....have you ever gone to Esty's Lumber in Londonderry?


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## Black540i (Jan 4, 2013)

I buy 4/4 cherry for $1/bd.ft. only air dried but its pretty dry by the time I get it. A couple days inside and its ready to use. Helps to know someone with a saw mill


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## mrcanterbury (May 7, 2012)

Pauley said:


> That's, more or less, what I was looking for...by the way, I live in Derry....have you ever gone to Esty's Lumber in Londonderry?


I've never heard of them. Where in Londonderry is it?


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

mrcanterbury said:


> I've never heard of them. Where in Londonderry is it?


Estys is just off route 102 in Londonderry. The address is 

9 Old Nashua Rd, Londonderry
(603) 432-5184


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## paintr56 (Dec 31, 2006)

That isn't a bad price from a retail store. The Sale price seems to be a good sale. If you buy rough sawn from a small mill you can do better, but it requires additional work. Any thing under 1 inch is normally considered 1" thick for determining board footage. 

Jim


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## EWerner (Oct 14, 2010)

Find a sawyer as lumber will be priced much cheaper since you will be eliminating one or more middle men. I pay $2.50 bf.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

I just found some 4/4 air dried cherry for $1.65 per BF.
TOM


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## nbo10 (Jan 26, 2011)

I have read that wood 1/2" and under is normally sold by the square foot. Any truth? I've only seen 4/4 and greater at the lumber yard I frequent.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

nbo10 said:


> I have read that wood 1/2" and under is normally sold by the square foot. Any truth? I've only seen 4/4 and greater at the lumber yard I frequent.


Wouldn't that be the same as board foot? 

Al

Nails only hold themselves.


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## nbo10 (Jan 26, 2011)

Al B Thayer said:


> Wouldn't that be the same as board foot?
> 
> Al
> 
> Nails only hold themselves.


No, because at 1/2" a 12"x12" piece is half board foot.


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## Woodenhorse (May 24, 2011)

It is customary for boards less then 4/4 to be sold by the square foot, often at the board foot price. So if you buy a piece that is 12"x12"x1" or 12"x12"x1/2" you would pay the same price.


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## Priusjames (Jan 13, 2014)

nbo10 said:


> No, because at 1/2" a 12"x12" piece is half board foot.


+1 on 1/2" x 12"x12" being half board foot.

You still haven't said exactly how many feet/inches long x how many inches wide each board is. Without that, it's tough to say what the actual/real price per bd/ft you paid was. 

In my world, 4/4 is 1" thick rough, or 3/4 with at least 2 sides planed.

Sounds like a decent price, unless you only got something like two boards three feet each...one each 6 and 7 inches wide x 1/2" thick. Without the actual number and sizes of each board, it's impossible to do the math...as far as I can tell.


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

GeorgeC said:


> That is too small to read. Can you just write the numbers.
> 
> George


George you can make it bigger hold down the CTRL key while rolling the roller on the mouse, one way smaller the other way bigger , fyi


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