If it's shaped like a potato chip, it's cupping! This is more common in wider boards, but it doesn't hurt to check.
You should also look at the ends to see if the corners are 90 degrees and straight. I've seen some that would make a great canoe! 😉 You can usually tell right away if it's curving off to the side. Sight down the length of the 2x4 to see if it's straight. Set one end down on the floor, and bring the other end up to your eye. Take a quick look at each board you picked out. This isn't a deal-breaker in construction, but a straight board is absolutely necessary for building furniture! As a result, the boards you find at the store can be cupped and bowed. Look for bowing and cuppingĢx4 lumber is cut and milled quickly, and usually isn't given a lot of time to dry. I'm usually pretty picky and will avoid as many knots as possible to save myself some work later on. Set aside any 2x4 lumber without cracks, missing chunks and deep scratches. These are the boards that haven't been picked over, and there's bound to be some great ones in there! Sometimes there will be a band around a new shipment of lumber, and I'll use my car keys to cut the band and pull out all the good stuff. Don't grab boards right off the top!ĭig down or back a few layers until you see all the tightly packed 2x4s all neatly arranged in stacks. These bins get picked through all the time, and the worst ones are left behind.
CHEAPEST MATERIAL TO COVER WALL STUDS CRACKED
When you finally find the pile of 2x4s, you'll probably see a bunch of cracked and damaged boards right on top. Venturing into a lumber yard or the lumber section of the home improvement store for the first time can be daunting! There are so many stacks to choose from! Just grab a lumber cart and wander until you've found the 2x4s you're looking for. But these are almost impossible to transport home in my car, so I stick with what fits in my small SUV! What to look for at the lumber yard In addition to the standard 8 foot length, you can also find 2x4 boards in 10, 12, 14 or even 16 foot sizes. Pay attention to the lengths listed on the lumber bin when buying 2x4s for a project! My woodworking plans always call for 96" long boards, and grabbing the wrong size may mean an extra trip to the store for more supplies! You can also find 2x4 studs that are 92 ⅝" long, which allows builders to account for the thickness of the boards that run along the top and bottom of the wall. Standard 2x4 lengthĢx4 studs are typically 8 feet long, to match the standard length of a sheet of plywood or drywall. You can read more about the history of the 2x4 here.
Eventually, the actual size of a 2x4 was standardized at 1 ½" x 3 ½" to keep the dimensions consistent throughout the industry. Mills were trying to get more boards out of a single log, and charge the same price. Over time, the size of a 2x4 shrunk in order to compete with other building materials. Back in the day, each mill cut down their logs into boards that were roughly 2" x 4" (the nominal size) but the surfacing and drying process was different at each location, resulting in an assortment of actual finished sizes. Actual size vs nominal sizeĢx4 lumber is made from a variety of softwood species. Although initially cut as a true 2x4 during rough sawing, the board shrinks to its finished size through drying and planing processes. What size screws to use with 2x4 lumberīelieve it or not, a 2x4 board does NOT measure 2" x 4"! Why?Ī 2x4's actual dimensions are approximately 1.5" x 3.5".What are the actual dimensions of a 2x4?.
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