Q. I am a small woodworker and buy small quantities of lumber every month. We try to get exactly what we need—species, thickness, etc. This last time, I ordered 502 board feet of lumber. The bundle was 48 inches x 10 feet, with every piece being full length; there were 12 layers. This bundle size has 40 BF per layer, so we got 480 BF, but they charged me for 502 BF which is 5 percent more. My neighbor said that they add to the extra footage to account for shrinkage. Does this make sense?

Atlas Dowel & Wood Products will acquire McFeely’s, Inc., a supplier of fasteners and woodworking tools. Supported by a tax credit, the Harrison, OH firms expect to create 14 jobs.