Al Carrell: Did you ever wonder why a 2x4 is not two and it's not four? Well, it started off as being actually 2x4, but it went through the process of planing, smoothing and drying and now it's not 2x4 any longer, but it's called that. That's called the nominal size. The people in the lumber business really have some funny ways to talk, but I think I've broken the code. If you get ready to order lumber, they're going to talk to you about board feet. Now, what is a board foot? You're probably thinking it's a wooden shoe of some sort. It's not. A board foot is a piece of lumber or the equivalent that is one-inch thick, is one-foot wide, and is one foot long. Now, keep in mind it's not going to actually be one-inch thick. It's not going to actually be one-foot wide, but it will be actually one-foot long. Now, if you had two pieces, you could have two board feet like this where it was two inches thick, or you could have two board feet like this. But, what about when you get into 2x4s, let's say? Well, let's create two board feet with 2x4s. It would be three 2x4s that are one-foot long. Now, you go into a home center and you order whatever you need in the way of 2x4s that are eight feet long. That's all you have to ask for. You just say, "I want 20 2x4s that are eight feet long," and that's what you'll get. It won't be two or they won't be four, but they will actually be eight feet long.

I'm Super Handyman Al Carrell, About the House.