How much wood for a dining table?
A 42″ × 72″ farmhouse-style table in white oak: 8/4 legs, a 4/4 glued-up top with breadboard ends, and 6/4 aprons.
Parts total 39.1 BF; with 20% waste you'd buy 46.9 BF — about $316.91 at our 2026-08 price estimates, weighing roughly 184 lb.
Cut list
| Part | Species | Qty | Thick | W × L | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top boards | White Oak | 7 | 4/4 | 6.5″ × 76″ | 24.01 |
| Breadboard ends | White Oak | 2 | 4/4 | 3.5″ × 44″ | 2.14 |
| Legs | White Oak | 4 | 8/4 | 3.5″ × 29″ | 5.64 |
| Long aprons | White Oak | 2 | 6/4 | 4″ × 58″ | 4.83 |
| End aprons | White Oak | 2 | 6/4 | 4″ × 30″ | 2.50 |
Cost by species
| Species | Buy (BF) | $ / BF | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak | 46.9 | 6.75 | $316.91 |
The top uses 20% waste — glue-ups burn stock fast when you cut around defects and match grain. Buy long and cut the best 76″ from each board.
Why it's built this way
The breadboard ends are not decoration — a 42″-wide oak top will change width by roughly 1/4–3/8″ between humid summer and heated winter, and breadboards hold it flat while letting that happen. They must be attached with elongated holes or sliding tenons, pinned only at the center; glue them solid and the top will crack itself apart within a year or two. That movement math is also why the top screws to the aprons through slotted clips, never rigidly.
At the lumberyard
Ask the yard for boards from one flitch (the same log) for the top — color and grain match across a glue-up is worth more than a clear grade. Rift or quartersawn boards move half as much as flatsawn and show straight, calm grain; a mixed top of flat and quartered boards will telegraph the difference in both figure and seasonal behavior.