Posted on 09/10/2014 6:24:49 PM PDT by representativerepublic
in the old days 2x4s were actually a finished piece of wood, 2 inches by 4 inches.
now 2x4 is the rough cut dimensions, the finished wood board is something like 1.75 x 3.5 inches. but they still refer to it as a 2x4 and everyone who uses them knows they arent exactly 2x4.
You and me both. It shouldn't stand. Nominal sizes are used everywhere, not just Lowes. It's handy when describing wood stock because actual sizes can vary. For instance, plywood varies in actual thickness depending on grade and what grade each side has. You can have grade B on one side, and grade C on the flip side depending on how nice you want your finished project to look on the outside versus inside. The B grade is smoother, hence more milling than the C side. So 1/2 inch nominal can be 15/32 inch or 7/16 inch or whatever. Much easier just to label it with the nominal size and the grade.
There are still old homes and buildings around that were built with full dimension wood.
One of my great grandfathers was a carpenter who spent a career building bridges for railroads. From what I got from my grandpa the main reason for the reduction was because you just get more boards per railcar load of trees. By 1900 or so the American forests had been greatly reduced because wood was used for so many things.
There were many many small farms under cultivation that now are being reclaimed by forestation. Wooden ships are almost gone. Use of wood for heat and cooking is minimal now. We have tree plantations now where they are grown like crops.
Just my two cents worth anyway.
Oh and this got me remembering———— my grandpa was one of two girls and six boys. Their mother handled the girls but he said the most spine chilling word she said was-——”Just wait ‘til your father gets home”. I gather he was pretty mild-mannered but if she said they had gone over the line in mis-behaving he got out the razor strop and since he had arms like Popeye from the years on his job. Owww.
Obviously has NEVER done ANY home repairs
Well there you go... Problem solved. ;)
I’ve been in construction for years.
Common knowledge.
1.5 / 3.5 is the true dimension of a 2x4.
Out of curiosity I simply went to websites, including archives, of common and uncommon lumber retailers...
Every last one of them had a specification description which includes actual dimensions.
Every... stinking ... One.
Including .... wait for it ... Lowe’s.
I think this is more likely Marin county anticapitalist nonsense from the north bay out of touch financial and tech sector millionaire boys club. My guess, they want all the big-box types out of Marin.
” I gather he was pretty mild-mannered but if she said they had gone over the line in mis-behaving he got out the razor strop and since he had arms like Popeye from the years on his job. Owww.”
I’ll bet that they loved and respected him though. Things were much simpler then.
.
Money grab. Pure and simple $1.6 Million from Lowes as a gift to a blue, broker’n the ten commandments State of California.
It’s either that, or the Judge is one of those radical activist types leveling the playing field after Home Depot had customer files hacked recently, and is suffering the consequences of that.
Could be the Judge is stupid.
Wait a minute....I live in Marin County (this is not the first time I’ve been embarrassed by it) and there’s not a Lowe’s in the county. We’ve got a Home Depot in San Rafael, but there’s no Lowe’s here. So what was this suit against Lowe’s doing in the Marin County Court?
I saw an explanation awhile back for why wood is not the size it is called. The measurements are the size of the wood before milling.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is a federal agency within the US Dept. Of Commerce. It’s Table of Softwood Lumber Sizes says a 2x4 is 1-9/16” x 3-9/16 when wet, and 1-1/2” x 3-1/2 when dry. That is what the Bureau of Weights and Measures goes by when inspecting retail stores. There are heavy fines when stores mark products with incorrect prices.
Not only that, but with the way tile is sized, the grout lines are pretty much worked out in the calculations just by calculating the tile alone. Now I’m going to have to calculate the tile AND the stupid grout lines.
whats next, a can of pork without beans? clothres are notorious for having variations in size by manufacturers...how about the government you can keep your doctor, a dollar is worth what now? did anyone defend this case ?
a little more info-4 counties in California
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_26423318/marin-judge-orders-lowes-home-centers-pay-1
My folk’s house was built with actual 2x4s, probably in the late 1940s. And lathe and plaster walls.
Yes they should immediately stop selling 10 penny nails because they are not made from 10 pennies.
CA prison guards should also object to being called screws.
And let’s rename the ball-peen hammer the testicular pounding thing.
Never mind.
Did the judge notice the 2x3s were not actually studs and that morning wood isn’t wood?
the article appears to be misleading= softwood 2 by 4 is
1 1/2 by 3 1/2
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/dms/programs/qc/QCManual/Sec15_Spec_Comm.pdf
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