How much extra lumber to order?

Question

I'm building new wooden screens for my house windows. It's a craftsman-style house so plain 1x3 and 1x4 pine is all I need. I've measured all the windows and have added up the amount I need if there were no wastage in cutting, but of course there are always some little ends left. Is there a good rule-of-thumb for how much "extra" to order? I'd expect less waste with longer original lengths, but it's hard for me to transport lengths longer than 12' in my little truck.

Answer 1

Dr. Feelgood has an excellent system.  I will add that lumber is available in lengths in multiples of 2'.  If you need a piece that is just under 5' and a piece that is just under 3', you can get both from a piece that is 8' long.  Hope this helps.

Answer 2

always order at least 10% more than you think you need

Answer 3

I would get a couple extra lengths of both sizes, it's realatively cheap lumber and you can return uncut pcs. As you know get some good straight boards. At gas prices today it's much cheaper to get too much than to go back and get more.

I am General Contractor and with labor per man at $20 hr plus benefits. If i purchase 20 extra studs for a framing job, that's about $60.  If I have 3 carpenters on a framing job and they run out of lumber-that's 3 men waiting plus 1 runner to go get $60 worth of lumber.

Get a little extra - keep in garage or shop if it's left over.

Answer 4

I would assume you have all the dimensions of the windows.   Many will be typical in size, so the estimate will be easier.   Start with the longest dimensions....and a count for that dimension...(total sides at this dimension).   then, figure the length you need to have a minimal amount of waste....or match up your cutoff to another dimension...and so on.  You should be able to  have less than 5% waste doing it this way...   Hint: create a spreadsheet with all the lengths you need.   As you make your cuts, remove that piece (s) from the list, and add your cutoff to your supply side of the spreadsheet.  Also, allow one or two extra lengths to allow for quality of lumber issues and bad cuts...