A board foot (bd. ft.) is the unit of measurement for random width, random length lumber.

Board feet is a measurement of volume, with one board foot = 144 cubic inches. It's abbreviated bd. ft.

Random width and random length lumber is measured this way because each board is a different size.

Take how you feel about the usual lumberyard and throw it out the window. Doing business with Woodworkers Source is better.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Simply stated, we really want you to be happy with what you buy from us.

That's why we stand behind our lumber, wood, veneer, and turning stock with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you're unsatisfied we want to know so we can fix it.

We pay the return shipping if you aren't happy

Yes, that's an awfully expensive proposition -- that's exactly why we work hard to get it right the first time by asking you questions about your projects, being careful with hand selection, and being mindful that you're putting your trust in us to pick out great looking wood that you'll be proud of.

There's Only One Way to Do This, and That's By Hand

Your order gets attention by a real person who selects your wood, one piece at a time, and whose goal is to make you happy that you chose to do business with us.

That's the way we've done it since 1998 when we first started shipping hardwood lumber to woodworkers all over the world. We believe that hand selection is our magic ingredient. Because of that, we'll also stand behind your order with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like the wood you receive from us, we'll replace it.

See It Before You Buy

We can take photos of any of our lumber and send them to you by email, text, or any method you prefer. We'd like to empower you to make decisions and we can make informed suggestions based on your project and your tastes. Call or email us.

Friendly Help and Woodworking Advice

The members of our crew are woodworking hobbyists too, so they get to know many of our woods by working with them. When you call or email, you'll talk to a friendly fellow woodworker who understands your concerns and, more importantly, is willing to help.

We Enjoy the Craft of Woodworking

That's why we provide tips and advice through as many channels as possible:

• Weekly Email Newsletter
• Woodworking Blog
• Video tips
• Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

No One Knows it All

Woodworking is a very broad topic, and there's no one who knows it all. But fortunately we have a staff of people who each have knowledge of different specialties. So if the person you're speaking with doesn't know the answer, they'll find someone who does.

Lumber Sizes Are Random

Hardwoods come in various widths and lengths because it's in raw form as it was sawn from the log - it's not sized to any standardized dimension yet.

This is why lumber is measured by the board foot, and why you may need to buy more footage than you realize. The stack of mahogany above shows how lumber comes in many widths, rarely uniform.

How Do You Get The Sizes You Want?

1. Cut and/or glue your pieces to size in your own shop.
2. Have someone do it for you

When you order lumber from us, you can use the "Minimum Size Request" box on the order form to let us know what your minimum requirements are, or what you want to be able to create.

That means, we'll pick out boards that will yeild what you want.

We can also do custom cutting for you. Contact us for a quote.

Do You Have Woodworking Tools?

If you've got a table saw or other woodworking tools, then you're in the right place! Buy some lumber, then cut and/or glue your boards to make the sizes you need.

Use the "Minimum Size Request" box to ask for boards to be a minimum size. We'll select boards that are larger so you can cut them down.

Don't Have Woodworking Tools?

Contact us for a custom wood cutting quote.

Make It Easier to Cut to Size on Your Table Saw

All of our lumber is stocked surfaced on 2 sides - which means the face and back of the boards are good and smooth and the edges are rough sawn.

A rough edge is rarely suitable to be guided against a table saw fence.

A straight line rip puts a true edge on the board so you can run it against a table saw fence and cut the width you need. A straight line rip is also performed after measuring the board. The rip will remove 1/16" to 1/8" from the width of the board.

5 Things To Know About Size Requests

1. You will recieve wood that is larger than you request
What we do is select wood to exceed the dimensions you need - that way you can cut it down to what you want.

2. You must do the cutting/gluing to create your final sizes
This selection fee is not the same thing as a cut-to-size fee (see bottom). For example, if you request a minimum of 4" wide, you will receive boards that are wider than that. You will be able to yeild 4" widths. Likewise for length requests. You'll receive boards that are longer than your request.

3. You may be charged for more wood than you order
The boards we select may compute to more footage than you anticipated. You will be billed for the actual footage that we ship. We always contact you first to discuss and make sure you get what you need and are not surprised by additional charges.

4. It might take longer
Please be patient. Selecting wood takes time to do it right. Looking for material to meet your size demands will add to the amount of time it takes us to pull your order together. But we promise to do it right, and to do it well.

5. Do You Want To Order Exact Sizes?
No problem. Please call or email us to get a custom cutting quote. We'll be happy to help. Due to the limitations of website software, we can't provide a price for custom cut wood without discussing with you first.

800-423-2450

The Janka hardness test is the international standard for measuring the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear.

It's expressed in psi, or pounds-per-square-inch. The test measures the pressure required to embed an 11.28mm (.444 in) diameter steel ball into wood to half the ball's diameter. The measurement was developed to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring; however, we include it here and compare it to the rating of red oak to help you make a buying choice.

There is a difference between hardness and being difficult to work with. Generally speaking, the harder the wood the easier it is to finish and polish. Harder woods create good, solid long-lasting joinery in furniture.

The hardness of wood varies with the direction of the wood grain, and varies from piece to piece. So a Janka rating is an average of numerous tests performed on all directions and numerous pieces. Use the Janka hardness rating as guide, not a definitive answer.

Image by Nasa-verve, Wikimedia Commons

Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of wood to the density of water.

A wood doesn't float, for example, if it's specific gravity is 1.00 or greater.

We display the specific gravity for each of our woods using it's kiln-dried measurement (instead of the non-dried measurement).

It's Just a Guide

The trouble with this number is that the specific gravity of a wood changes with its moisture content. So use this number just as a ballpark guide to estimate how dense a wood is. We've also compared the number to that of red oak, as red oak is the most commonly used hardwood in North America.

Why Does It Matter To You?

Most of the time, the higher the specific gravity, the more abuse your tools take. Conversely, woods with low specific gravity don't make good choices for furniture and are more difficult to create nice, strong joints with.

Just use this as a guide to help you make an informed choice.