translates to higher prices for you, but it may make the most sense to buy S4S lumber if you don’t own a thickness planer or jointer to prepare board surfaces yourself.
To find specialty or thicker hardwoods, you’ll need to shop at a traditional lumberyard. A good lumberyard will offer a wide selection of hardwoods in random widths and in an assortment of thicknesses and grades (See Hardwood Lumber Grades, below). In addition to S4S, you’ll find S2S lumber (planed smooth on two faces but the edges are rough), and roughsawn boards that are simply cut from the log, dried and shipped to the lumberyard.
Because of their diverse uses, hardwoods are offered in a much larger variety of thicknesses than standard 1x and 2x softwoods. This has led to the quartering system for determining lumber thickness, which allows you to buy hardwoods in ¼-in. thickness increments from ¼ in. on up. Most yards offer popular hardwood species in three, four, five, six, eight, ten and even twelve quarter thicknesses (which read as ¾, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, 10/4 and 12/4 on the label at the rack). These correspond to rough (pre-planed) thicknesses of ¾ in., 1 in., 1¼ in., 1½ in., 2 in., 2½ in. and 3 in.
HARDWOOD LUMBER GRADES
Hardwood lumber is graded using a different classification system than softwoods. Grades are based on the percentage of clear face cuts that can be made around a board’s defects (knots, splits, pitch pockets, and so forth. From highest grade (clearest) to lowest (most allowable defects), the grades are:
| Grade | Percentage of clear cuts |
| FAS (Firsts & Seconds) | 83⅓% |
| Select | 83⅓% |
| No. 1 Common | 66⅔% |
| No. 2A & 2B Common | 50% |
| No. 3A Common | 33⅓% |
| No. 3B Common | 25% |
Choose the lumber grade that best suits the needs of your project parts and your budget. It could be that a Common grade will provide all the knot-free lumber you need at a significant savings over FAS.
Hardwood surfacing options: If the extent of your hardwood needs amounts to only an occasional project, buy S4S boards at the yard. They’ll come planed on both faces and jointed flat on both edges, ready for cutting into project parts. If you have access to a jointer, consider buying S2S lumber, which still has rough edges but the faces are planed smooth. The most economical hardwood comes roughsawn to the lumberyard and will require you to do all of the surface preparation yourself. Some lumberyards will plane your stock for a nominal fee, if you don’t own a planer.
CALCULATING BOARD FEET
Hardwood lumber is sold at most lumberyards by the board foot, which can make calculating the amount of lumber you need a little confusing. The three boards below, for instance, all equal 2 board feet, though their physical dimensions are quite different. A board foot is actually 1/12 of a cubic foot of rough lumber, or 144 cubic inches. It is the equivalent of a piece of stock that is 12 in. wide, 12 in. long and 1 in. thick. But any combination of dimensions that multiplies to 144 is equivalent to one board foot.
To calculate the number of board feet a piece of lumber contains, its thickness times its width times its length (all in inches) then divide by 144. If one dimension is easier to calculate in feet rather than inches, divide by 12 instead. When calculating board feet, don’t forget to build some waste into the project estimate. The pros generally count on close to 30% when they’re buying S2S stock, and 40% with roughsawn lumber (mostly because they can’t see the defects until after planing).
Large retail lumber outlets and home centers make shopping for lumber easy. Most of the lumber you’ll find is fully surfaced and ready for building. Some larger home centers even stock lumber inside where it’s kept warm and dry. The downside to all of this convenience is that species options are limited, especially for hardwoods.
Buying Lumber
It’s important to know your options for where to shop for wood. Chain home improvement stores generally offer a basic variety of framing lumber and nominal softwood but very little hardwood. What they do carry is often priced lower than specialty yard stock, but the grades and dimensions are limited. Here are a couple of other options to consider:
Contractor yards, where framing and finish carpenters buy their materials, usually offer a wider array of lumber options, including an assortment of millwork products and custom moldings. Often they can special-order materials that the chain stores simply can’t supply. The quality of the stock here is better, and the prices reflect the quality you’ll find.
Specialty yards: Most metropolitan areas have specialty yards that sell only hardwoods and veneered sheet goods. Their primary customers are commercial cabinetmakers, architectural millwork shops and professional furniture builders. While the salespeople here are used to dealing with pros, they are usually willing to take a few minutes to explain the finer points to an interested amateur. However, time is money for these folks, so they won’t appreciate spending too much time on what they by necessity must consider a minor sale. The stock sold here here is normally S2S or roughsawn, so you’ll need a jointer or planer to prepare the lumber further. Be aware that, when buying roughsawn lumber, you can’t tell much about the color, grain or quality of the board until after you expose it to the planer knives.
Reclaimed lumber
In recent years there has been a lot of talk about reclaimed lumber. Most reclaimed lumber is salvaged from the beams and timbers of old buildings, and some is recovered from the chilly depths of the Great Lakes. Such lumber was culled from virgin forests a century or more ago, and it is generally very straight-grained and true. It is also extremely seasoned; only large swings in temperature or humidity seem to affect it. Reclaimed lumber is generally a great product, and numerous mills advertise on the internet. The price may be high, however, especially for premium cuts and grades.
Buying reclaimed lumber is by no means your only source for obtaining it. Before you toss an old piece of furniture or dispose of boards and trim from a big remodeling project, consider reusing the lumber for woodworking. Sometimes all it needs is to be stripped, sanded or run through a planer. Visually inspect any reclaimed lumber carefully or check it with a metal detector before passing it through a saw or router, to be sure there are no hidden metal fasteners present.
Don’t overlook “diamonds in the rough”: These mahogany boards, salvaged from a discarded couch and passed through a planer, will make excellent stock for a woodworking project.
MAIL-ORDER LUMBER
Lumber by mail: If you don’t have a specialty lumberyard nearby or need a more