Hit my 500th board foot this morning without realizing it

I was stacking my last cut of the day and noticed I had exactly 500 bd ft of red oak milled since January. That number hit me harder than I expected because it means I have either steady work or a serious hoarding problem.

3 comments

3 Comments

walker.julia10d ago

Nah @carter.mila, 500 board feet of anything starts looking like a shop problem not a trophy.

carter.mila11d ago

500 board feet of red oak since January is actually a pretty solid number. That's not hoarding, that's just smart prep for when work picks up. I get why you feel that way, but you're looking at it wrong. Hitting 500 means you've been consistent, not wasteful. If you were hoarding, you'd have random piles of crap wood you'll never touch. Red oak is always useful for something, especially in spring when everyone wants furniture and trim. That stack proves you have actual skill more than you might realize. Milling that much straight lumber takes patience and doesn't happen by accident. You're probably making good cuts and not blowing through material either. So Respectfully, that 500 is a trophy, not a warning sign. You earned every board foot. Keep going, you're doing fine.

ray_sullivan10d ago

Oh man, 500 board feet of red oak! That's funny because I just spent last weekend trying to figure out what to do with a weird 3 foot cutoff of walnut I've had sitting in my shop since 2019. It's too short for anything good but I can't bring myself to toss it. Your stack at least has a purpose behind it. Red oak is like the workhorse wood, you can always sell it or use it for something. That walnut piece though, it's just taking up space and making me feel guilty every time I walk past it. I should probably just burn it or give it away but nah, it's walnut you know? Can't waste walnut. Anyway, you keep stacking that red oak, it'll pay off when the warm weather hits and everyone wants new kitchen tables.