A woodworking project in inches? Carefully read this section!
First, a project planned in inches
Let's suppose that you wish to build a picnic table with lumbers sized in inches, for example the classical 2"x4".
But lumbers hide their real sizes
Indeed! Be aware that 2"x4" represents the nominal size of wood, which is not its real size: your lumber is actually smaller, with a section of 1-1/2"x3-1/2" only.
So, which measurements does Woodself provide?
Woodself gives you the real sizes in all plans.
More precisely: if you need a beam measuring 1-1/2"x3-1/2"x12" (actual), you have to buy a 2"x4" lumber, 12" long (nominal). Quite easy, isn't it?
Let's summarize
Refer to the table just here: it reports the actual sizes matching the nominal ones.
| Nominal | Actual |
|---|---|
| 1" x 2" | 3/4" x 1-1/2" |
| 1" x 3" | 3/4" x 2-1/2" |
| 1" x 4" | 3/4" x 3-1/2" |
| 1" x 5" | 3/4" x 4-1/2" |
| 1" x 6" | 3/4" x 5-1/2" |
| 1" x 7" | 3/4" x 6-1/4" |
| 1" x 8" | 3/4" x 7-1/4" |
| 1" x 10" | 3/4" x 9-1/4" |
| 1" x 12" | 3/4" x 11-1/4" |
| 1-1/4" x 4" | 1" x 3-1/2" |
| 1-1/4" x 6" | 1" x 5-1/2" |
| 1-1/4" x 8" | 1" x 7-1/4" |
| 1-1/4" x 10" | 1" x 9-1/4" |
| 1-1/4" x 12" | 1" x 11-1/4" |
| 1-1/2" x 4" | 1-1/4" x 3-1/2" |
| 1-1/2" x 6" | 1-1/4" x 5-1/2" |
| 1-1/2" x 8" | 1" x 9-1/4" |
| 1-1/2" x 10" | 1-1/4" x 9-1/4" |
| 1-1/2" x 12" | 1-1/4" x 11-1/4" |
| 2" x 4" | 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" |
| 2" x 6" | 1-1/2" x 5-1/2" |
| 2" x 8" | 1-1/2" x 7-1/4" |
| 2" x 10" | 1-1/2" x 9-1/4" |
| 2" x 12" | 1-1/2" x 11-1/4" |
| 3" x 6" | 2-1/2" x 5-1/2" |
| 4" x 4" | 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" |
| 4" x 6" | 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" |
