A lot many of you, and I am talking to my Instagram followers here, have DMed me about how you feel the lumber yard fellow may be selling you wood at a higher markup. It is a legitimate concern to have if you are not familiar with how they came up with the price often followed by calculations that sound like mumbo jumbo. While we are accustomed to simplicity when shopping for most things either available online or off the shelf from supermarkets where prices are clearly mentioned and do not change significantly from seller to seller, buying natural wood in India can be a tricky affair. In this post, I will be taking you through the process I follow to estimate the quantity I need and the cost of wood.

BUY FROM FEW TRUSTED SELLERS

This tip is solely based on my personal experience {especially as a woman} while navigating the lumber markets in Delhi and now in Goa. Big sawmills with a good variety of wood usually have bulk orders coming in and a DIYer buying small quantities of wood at a time is not all that exciting for them. I recommend planning your projects & buying wood for a few at a time, which will save you the hassle of shopping every now and then and also make you a valuable customer. Secondly, buy from the same set of sellers. Do a market survey, list a few sellers easily accessible to you, and who keep a good variety and ask them for their price list. Determine who are the nice guys and buy only from them. I have realized that these transactions improve with time as one builds a relationship with the seller. When I moved to Goa this is the first thing I did. I now go to 2 sellers here depending on the wood I am looking for.

PLAN YOUR PROJECTS; MAKE A DRAWING

Whenever buying for a few projects, it is good to have estimated the quantity before heading to the sawmill. I usually end up making a quick 2D drawing on AutoCAD to create a cut list. If you don't know (or have) the software, SketchUp is an excellent and easy to use 3D modeling application, and the online version is free!! Making a drawing also helps visualize the design, especially for larger builds.

CARRY A CUT LIST

Always carry a cut list. From your drawing or sketch, just list the stock required for your project. Here is how my cut list looks for the latest project.

all dimensions in Inches

2 x 4s

32 inches * 2 pcs - 64 inches

28 inches * 6 pcs - 168 inches

12 inches * 6 pcs - 72 inches

1 x 2s

12 inches * 6 pcs - 72 inches

15 inches * 6 pcs - 90 inches

1 x 4s

28 inches * 1 pc - 28 inches

Now if you have been working with wood, you will know that 2x4s, 1x2s, 1x4s, 1x 3/4 etc. refer to cross-section of lumber.

Now account for the fact that whatever cross-section you ask for, you will get one fourth-inch less each way, because that goes into planing. So asking for a 2 x 4 will result in you taking home a 1 3/4 x 3 3/4 However, the seller will calculate on the basis of 2 x 4. Also if you want the final size to be 2 x 4, the seller will take a 2 1/4 x 4 1/4 and will size to your dimension. Again, they will calculate as per lumber used.

According to my list, I took home 304+ inches (length) of 2 x 4s, 165+ inches of 1 x 2s, and 28+ inches of 1 x 4s which was dimensioned from lumber 1/4 an inch higher than final dimensions.

Now wood is usually sold at price/cubic foot. The prices on my list above are per cubic foot. Mango and Silver are among the cheapest wood followed by soft woods like Pine, Shivan etc. The dark toned hard woods are some of the more expensive ones.

Quantity and Price of wood I bought:

(I am adding 0.25 to all sections to account for wastage during planing)

1) 304 inches of 2 x 4 would be

2.25 x 4.25 x 304 = 2907 cu. inch

2) 165 inches of 1 x 2 would be

1.25 x 2.25 x 165 = 464 cu. inch

3) 28 inches of 1 x 4 would be

1.25 x 4.25 x 28 = 149 cu. inch

Total: 2907 + 464 + 149 = 3520 cu inch of wood; convert into cu feet and there you have it!; I bought approx 2 cu feet of wood.

Price: I bought Matti Wood and therefor the price I paid came to 2 * 1650 (matti wood price/cu feet) = INR 3300!!

This is an indicative pricing, close to actual but sometimes it may go up depending on sizes wood available at the lumber mill. The seller will calculate as per raw material he used to bring it to your cut list. But this price is in 10%+ ball park and a good estimate for how much how are supposed to pay.

Well that's it!. Happy making to you 😃