Posted on 07/10/2016 8:54:19 PM PDT by Eddie01
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts over the years, while I’m not the handiest or craftiest guy, I do make an effort to expand my DIY skills when I can. One thing that often leaves me scratching my head is purchasing lumber whenever I take on a project that requires it.
You’d think lumber would be simple; it’s just going and buying a piece of wood, right? But it’s surprisingly complex. There are so many choices that, even with a supply list in hand, I often find myself wandering the lumber section at the home improvement store for 20 minutes trying to figure out which pieces of wood I should buy. Common board? Structural? C or D grade plywood? Pressure treated?
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at artofmanliness.com ...
yes, 4 inch.
it was fun creating a pattern with it. Had a few 20 foot boards which I accentuated.
You're a goddess. :)
For your information, I already knew and have applied at least 75% of the information in the article for perhaps 30+ years in various home handy person projects--and didn't need to antagonize a man to do it, either. There are many beautiful things around my home which I designed and either built myself or had fabricated by a master craftsman. Oak, hickory, and beech are favorites of mine (oak is my absolute fav!) for things I expect to have around for a long time. Pine is good enough for small projects which don't have to stand the test of time, such as a feeding cage I built to allow my smaller cat a peaceful place to eat which the larger food-stealing cat could not enter due to her size.
Tonight's project involved fabric rather than wood; I designed and sewed a skirt to disguise an ugly electric radiator which takes up valuable real estate in my home yet is only used for the rare occasions when the heat goes out. Mounted on top of the radiator is a very pretty stained wooden box (half price at a craft store) which rests on a beveled plaque I picked up at a liquidator for a couple dollars. I put small cup hooks in the bottom of the plank, ran mini bungee cords under the horizontal top tube of the radiator and hooked them into the cup hooks for a sturdy platform which could be removed if I needed to use the radiator. I used industrial velcro to fasten the stained box on top of the plaque so that it could also be removed if I needed to use the radiator. The skirt was made of some beautiful upholstery fabric someone gave me, so zero cost there. The result of my endeavor is an attractive storage table which holds a lot of craft supplies on top, but which can be converted back to its original purpose (heating) in a matter of seconds.
Maybe Eddie01 should go find someone to antagonize, if it will make him feel better.
Seriously, though - I like your interior renovation improv style. :)
That's if you can drive a nail into them. Well-cured oak has the density of a brick -- and is just as penetrable.
Our ante-bellum home in Alabama was framed and floored in heart pine, cut on the property in 1830. One of the piers, the one that the house was levelled on, was a 4' diameter pine stump. I imagine most of the wood came out of that one tree. Talk about "good wood", real 2 x 4's, even 4 x 8's...and beautiful to behold.
But...if it ever caught fire, heart pine burns like solid turpentine. Run, don't walk, to the nearest exit.
High capacity lumber with extended Glock clips is dangerous.
When I was a kid we built a fort using scrap wood from projects. Piled them on a red flyer wagon and hauled them back home. (Had to straighten out the axles more than once.)
Used pallets as the foundation. We knew better, but convinced ourselves that the crappy looking 4’x8’ plywood left out was also “scrap”. (As I got older I figured those were probably for foundation forms.)
M4L Lumber
I guess I ought to read it before buying wood for my 5x8 trailer.
I didn’t read the article, but it looks like he’s talking construction lumber. When you get into buying hardwood lumber, it’s a whole ‘nother world.
Interesting article, however I rarely purchase any type of wood from a ‘box store’ - we have two excellent lumberyards in town that have higher quality lumber for less money.
If you need REALLY good structural lumber get the #1’s that are used for trusses (both local lumberyards have truss plants as well). It’s a bit more expensive but they build very well with virtually zero waste.
Plywood from lumber often has 2 more plys than ‘box store’ plywood as well.
Our barn was built over 100 years ago,all oak and beech beams.Try driving a nail into a 100 year old 12x12.
I live in a tear down neighborhood. Fancy houses are springing up all around me.
I dumpster dive for their fancy wood. When the cabinetry goes in at the end is when the dumpster contains the nice finishing wood.
Also, I have found that the supporting wood that temporarily holds up the walls is of very poor quality.
Wait wait wait: You’re a chick?
I retract every haiku I’ve ever wrote.
I apologize for my crudity. I had no idea.
A freight truck rolled up to my curb a few weeks ago, and the driver & I offloaded over 2.5 tons of Ipe (Ironwood, Pau Laupe, Brazilian walnut) lumber for our new deck. I then preceded to hump the lumber to the backyard, one piece at a time. This stuff is heavy...weighs 69 pounds per cubic foot. I actually had to cut the 4”x4”x16’ posts lumber in half to be able to carry the 8 foot lengths back. Carrying the 5/4”x20’ boards was fun too. The load is currently stacked and “acclimating” to the local environment. Will be installing next week.
Not your typical Lowe’s or Homo Depot lumber, but it’s beautiful and should still be here long after I’m gone...
I dumpster dive for their fancy wood. When the cabinetry goes in at the end is when the dumpster contains the nice finishing wood.
If the scrap lumber is in a trash dumpster, especially if the dumpster is sitting on the public street, it’s probably fair game. But I would caution against going on the actual job site and taking lumber just because it looks like scrap. It would be better to ask the job super if you can take it first. Most of the time they will say yes and be glad to be rid of it. But also keep in mind that some refuse haulers give discounts or rebates on the amount of recyclable materials and scrap wood can be recycled to make things like particle board. They could also be concerned about liability should you get injured while climbing though a dumpster on their propery. So again, ask permission first.
With that being said, my late dad was a carpenter and built cabinet complete with a butcher block top - individual hardwood scraps, glued and using wooden dowels to make it, that he made nearly entirely from scrap woods off a job site. That was nearly 40 years ago and I’m still using it. : )
I drill a hole first, dip the nail in dish soap, then drive it.
I LOVE old wood.
I’ve only ever taken from the dumpster or if clarified that a pile is scrap, cut offs, with the work crew.
***Try driving a nail into a 100 year old 12x12.***
LOL! That is the point I was trying to make. OAK!
I remember my dad driving a nail into OAK! A short section would always split. a long section would bend the nail, and the next, and the next. He had no drill to make a pilot hole.
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