Our purpose
Woodworking mistakes often begin before the first cut: the wrong lumber tally, a clearance copied from the wrong slide, or a reveal divided one gap too many. These tools are designed to make that planning work faster without hiding the math.
Lumber Tally is an independently operated educational and calculator website. It is not a lumber dealer, cabinet-hardware manufacturer, engineering firm, or representative of Google. Product names or common trade dimensions may be discussed to explain a calculation, but that does not imply sponsorship or endorsement.
What makes a calculator publishable
Each calculator must solve a specific workshop task, state its units, show the construction assumptions that affect the answer, and include a worked explanation. Formula tests cover normal values, zero values, and important edge cases before release.
We avoid silently choosing a supplier rule or hardware tolerance when practices vary. Instead, the calculator exposes the adjustable value and the guide identifies the document or real-world measurement that should control it. The Calculation Methodology records formulas, rounding rules, test cases, and known limits.
Editorial approach
Articles are written to help a reader complete a measurement or purchasing decision, not merely to repeat a keyword. Worked examples are checked against the published formulas. Numerical claims that depend on a particular project are labeled as examples rather than universal specifications.
If advertising is introduced, it will be visually separated from calculator controls and will not determine formulas or editorial conclusions. Sponsored material, if ever accepted, will be identified as such. Lumber Tally does not currently publish paid product rankings or collect payment for changing a calculator result.
Limits and corrections
Lumberyard rules, hardware tolerances, tooling profiles, and real material dimensions vary. Results are planning estimates, not engineering or manufacturer specifications. We revise calculators when an assumption can be made clearer or a reproducible calculation error is found.
A correction report should include the page, units, exact inputs, displayed result, and expected result. That allows the issue to be reproduced and, when appropriate, added to automated test coverage. General feedback and editorial questions can be sent through the Contact page.
Who the site is for
The site is intended for woodworkers, cabinetmakers, remodelers, students, and homeowners who need transparent planning math. It is not a substitute for safe machine training, structural design, local building-code review, or the installation instructions supplied with hardware and materials.
Last reviewed: July 27, 2026.