You already know that woodworking is an exercise in turning long boards into short ones, but you may not realize that you can save money by letting someone else do that work for you. The next time you’re at your mill or lumberyard, ask about the availability of “shorts.” While lengths may vary, the term refers to boards shorter than 8 ft. (In my last purchase, the short boards were mostly 6-footers and a handful of 5-footers.) While the quality of the wood was the same as 8-ft. long FAS (first and seconds), the shorts cost 30% less per board foot.
