Bought some 5/4?
#11
Maybe I am not understanding this 4/4 - 5/4 stuff. I thought 4/4 was aboard 1" thick. 5/4 was a board 1-1/4 inch thick.

I bought some wood this morning. 4 pieces of walnut. It is 1.044 inches thick. I was charged for 5/4. Is ANYTHING over 1 inch considered 5/4?

Thanks  Greg
Sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shut, and have the world think you a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.
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#12
No. You were mischarged. 4/4 rough should be 1" thick. Anything thinner will be at least partially surfaced or otherwise noted as out of spec. The rule for rough lumber is that you subtract no more than 1/4" for surfacing. That is to say 5/4 rough will yield completely surfaced lumber at a minimum of 1".

For my part, I generally get within 1/8" of nominal thickness. 4/4" rough gets me 7/8" finished.

I will note that walnut is a notable exception and is milled to maximize yield because of its price. But the rules still apply.
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#13
That is to say 5/4 rough will yield completely surfaced lumber at a minimum of 1".
This is smooth both side at slightly over and inch. Maybe that's why he considers it 5/4.  ????????

( I was able to get it on a Sunday. I guess that's worth something. )
Sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shut, and have the world think you a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.
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#14
Sounds like you have 5/4 S2S if both sides are smooth. S2S = surfaced 2 sides. 5/4 rough should measure at least 1 1/4". just for information S4S would be surfaced top and bottom and both edges smooth. Also the S2S and rough sometimes it comes with one edge "straight line ripped".
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#15
4/4ths is the width of the setting when it is sawn. 5/4s  means  it was 1 1/4 when sawn. Wood shrink's  during the drying process.  So one loses a little. Most mills will skip plane it so one can see the grain and worm holes if any so it should be around 1 3/16ths for 5/4ths
.
If you are having a log custom cut then you can have it sawn a little thicker so that it can be finished at 1/14 or 1 inch thick. If it is your log, you are the paying customer, and can have sawn any way you want. And don't let the sawyer tell you different.

Most of the lumber one gets from the saw mill  is 4/4ths and is in between 15/16ths ( .9375)  and 7/8ths ( .875) at this time. If you go to the home depot then you are buying S4S ( surfaced 4 sides) and it will be 3/4s or .75)

A board foot foot of walnut, is a board foot of walnut  and there is no separate size for Walnut. Usually I figure 5/4ths should get to the final finish  right around 1 1 /8 thick. 

If it is skip planed at the mill it should dress out around 1 3/16ths. ( 1.1875) That is finished out by you  And if it is thinner then you can answer your own question.
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#16
(07-17-2022, 03:19 PM)Gregor1 Wrote: Maybe I am not understanding this 4/4 - 5/4 stuff. I thought 4/4 was aboard 1" thick. 5/4 was a board 1-1/4 inch thick.

I bought some wood this morning. 4 pieces of walnut. It is 1.044 inches thick. I was charged for 5/4. Is ANYTHING over 1 inch considered 5/4?

Thanks  Greg

National Hardwood lumber Association Standards:

After kiln drying a 4/4 board must be at least 1" thick. 

(Before drying) The log will be sawed at 1 1/8, typically.    Typically, dry it will be 1 1/16 if sawed on a circle mill.  Band mills are more accurate and they can saw slightly thinner.  After planing it can be anything that is specified.  Typically if surfaced at a mill, 2 sides, it will be 13/16".    I normally coax 7/8" from 4/4 lumber.   5/4 will be at least 1 1/4 rough, surfaced a bit over 1".  

So, you did not say if your lumber was surfaced or not.  If surfaced you got what you paid for.
Bill Tindall
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#17
(07-17-2022, 04:43 PM)Bill Tindall Wrote: National Hardwood lumber Association Standards:

After kiln drying a 4/4 board must be at least 1" thick. 

(Before drying) The log will be sawed at 1 1/8, typically.    Typically, dry it will be 1 1/16 if sawed on a circle mill.  Band mills are more accurate and they can saw slightly thinner.  After planing it can be anything that is specified.  Typically if surfaced at a mill, 2 sides, it will be 13/16".    I normally coax 7/8" from 4/4 lumber.   5/4 will be at least 1 1/4 rough, surfaced a bit over 1".  

So, you did not say if your lumber was surfaced or not.  If surfaced you got what you paid for.

Bill has it right.  Rough lumber must have a minimum thickness after drying equal to its designation.  My mill cuts 4/4 at 1-1/8" green, increasing to nearly 2-3/8" for 8/4.  

If the OP bought surfaced lumber at 1" or more thick it came from 5/4 and he was not over charged.  

John
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#18
(07-17-2022, 04:43 PM)Bill Tindall Wrote: National Hardwood lumber Association Standards:

After kiln drying a 4/4 board must be at least 1" thick. 

(Before drying) The log will be sawed at 1 1/8, typically.    Typically, dry it will be 1 1/16 if sawed on a circle mill.  Band mills are more accurate and they can saw slightly thinner.  After planing it can be anything that is specified.  Typically if surfaced at a mill, 2 sides, it will be 13/16".    I normally coax 7/8" from 4/4 lumber.   5/4 will be at least 1 1/4 rough, surfaced a bit over 1".  

So, you did not say if your lumber was surfaced or not.  If surfaced you got what you paid for.
I wish the sawmills around me adhered to this.

Once I had some cedar sawn by "a couple of guys with a sawmill". The first 4/4 board came off at just over 7/8. I made them use a tape measure to cut every board a strong 1". I asked them what 4/4 meant and they gave me a wrong answer, but were not open for correction.

I think 5/4 should be probably be thicker than that. Thickness is relative to surfaced vs. rough but you shouldn't lose more than 1/4" after surfacing. The last time I bought 5/4 S2S and came in a 1 1/8".

OTOH I bought some thicker 15/16 soft maple and it got charged equal to 5/4.
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#19
The wood I bought was surfaced 2 sides for the most part. One board still needs some planning, to make it smooth. After that, it will be under 1".
Sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shut, and have the world think you a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.
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#20
(07-18-2022, 08:20 PM)Gregor1 Wrote: The wood I bought was surfaced 2 sides for the most part. One board still needs some planning, to make it smooth. After that, it will be under 1".

Clarification: to make it "smooth" and "for the most part"?   If you are removing original saw mill saw marks to make it smooth then this lumber was not 5/4 from the mill.  However, if you are smoothing planing defects from the mill it was sawed as 5/4.
Bill Tindall
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