I've found a DIY shelving project that interests me and am setting about researching the best place to obtain the wood required for it.
In this project, and others I have seen, the American instructor commonly refers to the wood in use by the size, either 2 by 4 or 1 by 2 (only 2 sizes are used in this project).
I know from reading around that size wise this would roughly equate to the UK's 44 x 96 and 25 x 44 but it is my belief that in the US if someone refers to 'Using a bit of 2 x 4' then more is understood than just the size. It is also known what the type of wood it is, the cut, whether it is sawn / planned and so on.
So my question is:
Does the UK have a piece of wood that is universally commonly used for hobby / domestic projects that it is simple referred to by a common name and is this typically a suitable substitute for the US 2 x 4? If so is there a common place to purchase this wood (B&Q, Wickes, etc)?
If location makes a difference, I am located in northeast Scotland.