Questions tagged [lumber]
Uses and applications of the common raw material also known as timber (British English, in the US/North America timber refers to standing trees).
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How do I shop for lumber to use in home wood working projects?
When I took wood working as a student, I learned to finish rough wood - cut it to rough size, joint it, plane it, rip and cross/cut on a table saw, etc. As much as I'd love to own large versions of ...
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How to straighten a warped board
So you have a board removed from a pallet that, once removed, shows significant warping. Or perhaps you bought some lumber and you didn't notice an imperfection.
This is visible along the width of ...
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Does dropping boards really relieve internal tensions?
A Fine Woodworking article I read a while back has a picture of Steve Latta dropping boards onto concrete.
The caption reads:
Drop relieves stress. For larger doors, like those on armoires, Latta
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rob♦
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Crosscutting 18" diameter logs by hand
I tried my hand at crosscutting a beefy 18" log with a relatively low tooth-per-inch bowsaw today. I eventually made it all the way through, but not without cutting V-slices into the wood to give the ...
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Is dimensional lumber kiln-dried differently than a kiln-dried board meant for woodworking?
It may just be the species that are normally used for this purpose, but dimensional lumber such as studs, 2x6, 2x12, etc. works differently than any other wood I've used. It requires more effort to ...
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What are the different uses for plain sawn (flat sawn), rift sawn, and quarter sawn boards?
When shopping for lumber, how do you identify each type of board, and what are some examples of when you would choose to use each one?
In other words, what are the visual and physical characteristics ...
rob♦
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When is it best to use kiln-dried vs. air-dried vs. green wood in a project?
Kiln dried wood is usually recommended for woodworking projects since it's more stable than green and air dried lumber.
On the other hand, I've been told kiln dried wood is bad for lathe work, and in ...
rob♦
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How can I ensure my wood is ethically sourced?
Many exocitc woods, particularly well colored and figured species that have been heavily logged in the past, are endangered. I know that there is illegal harvesting in various countries, and I want to ...
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What are some guidelines to consider when determining the thickness of boards to use?
Assuming one has the necessary tools to mill their own boards, what are some guidelines to consider when determining the thickness of boards to use in the various parts of a project?
For some context,...
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When building an outdoor structure, should I use pressure-treated lumber or something like cedar?
I am building a pergola (~10'x10') on my patio (and plan to build a gazebo out in the yard), but before I build it, I want to make sure I'm using the best option for lumber.
Should I use pressure-...
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Hollowing out a piece of timber
Wood, well most wood, is heavy. Is there any such thing as people ever hollowing out the inside of the wood to make the finished product lighter?
For example, let's say I have a 4in. x 4in. x 8' ...
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What is a board foot?
Considering this lumber sales site, what is a board foot?
I am use to seeing lumber measured width by height, but these products are measured thickness by board feet.
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Protecting wood from powder post beetles
I have some rough sawn maple that I'll be storing for a while, I've read that as long as there's no bark on it, it's safe from new infestations of powder post beetles; is this true? Is it better to ...
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Considerations using lumber stored outside
I don't have a shop. My reclaimed wood and what little lumber I have are stored in my shed which doubles as workshop and yard storage. As such it is subject to winter and while it is protected from ...
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Are there any extra considerations to gluing pressure treated lumber?
I am in the process of designing a floating raft, which will be built out of pressure treated lumber. There are various elements I would like create from gluing together some smaller boards rather ...
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Building A Table - Help With Wood Selection and Joints
I am wanting to build a table that will hold a Large Big Green Egg grill. I've created a mock up using SketchUp (Just learned how to use it today, so it is kind of rough)
My design is based on a ...
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What are the techniques to seal or remove sap?
For starters this is not green-wood.
I have been cutting up some 2x4 into small blocks for painting and decoration. The block were cut and then sanded. About 3 days later I had the time to paint them....
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What would be the UK equivalent of the common US 2 by 4 (not just by size)
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 ...
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Using green cedar for planks on a boat
I am building a Swampscott Dory as per "The Dory Book" by John Gardner.
What I am doing is using local wood (Red Cedar) and mills. As such, I am starting from the log, milling it, and then making my ...
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Would a slab constructed from 2x4s be stable?
I have a fairly simple project I'm considering which will require slabs of approximately 3-4 inches thick.
Because of its light weight and price I thought I might use 2x4 dimensional lumber to make ...
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How do you remove bed bugs from lumber?
I have access to a large amount of lumber that is infested with bed bugs.
Is there an extermination technique that I can do at home to rid this wood of the infestation? I am open to applying pretty ...
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What is the yellow stain on the end of this pine I bought?
I bought some pine the other day and it has this yellow stain on the end:
I sanded off the yellow before using the pine, but now I wonder what it was and if that was the right thing to do. So what ...
user2251
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2x4's are not really 2x4. How does this affect the integrity of a structure?
2x4's are about 1.5" x 3.5" in reality. How does this affect the integrity of a structure? Or do the engineers just do their math with 1.5" x 3.5"?
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What are good reasons to return hardwood boards selected by a lumber yard?
I am building a fence with hardwood facing. The lumber yard (not a big box store) selected the lumber, batu decking boards, and delivered it. These are fairly expensive, 1x6 x 8' and 1x4 x 8' boards. ...
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Given final dimensions in mm, how do I choose what dimensional lumber (in customary units) to buy?
I would like to know how to figure out what timber to buy for a 45mm x 46mm x 1.6m part. My lumber supplier sells boards in customary units (2x4, 2x6, etc.). Can anyone provide a solid method to work ...
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Should I use a track saw to cut through 2x12 lumber?
The track saw I have is the Bosch GKT13-225L, which I usually use to cut plywood sheets. I had to cut some 2x12 lumber to make 2x8's but I don't have a table saw, so I figured I could use the track ...
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Why is a 1x2 nominal planed to 0.75x1.5?
I know that a 2x4 is actually 1.5x3.5 because the 2 and 4 refer to the rough-sawn dimensions. But when planing a rough 1x2 and other 1 inch nominal thickness lumber into S4S, why do they only take 1/8"...
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Actual KVH sleepers dimensions
I know that for some kinds of lumber there is significant difference in nominal and actual size (for instance 2 by 4).
How is with KVH (dried and glued up construction lumber used in EU)? What are ...
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Using newly cut wood with dry wood
I have offcuts of Macrocarpa that I'd like to use instead of keeping them there doing nothing useful. I acquired some Macrocarpa wood that is still wet, it seems that it has been cut recently, I've ...
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Can I span across 22' without support for an outdoor pergola?
We are building an outdoor pergola and foundation work was done by a contractor who built a cement foundation that is 22' by 12'. I have no idea why he made one side so much larger than another.
Will ...
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Woodmizer LT40 - smallest diameter of log?
I'm trying to determine the smallest diameter of log that I can use on my new "used" LT40 (safely). I guess I'm trying to find the board feet yield for different size logs, so that I know whether or ...
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Maximum size for an unsupported bench [duplicate]
I intend to make a number of simple wooden benches in the near future.
However, my aim is to make a wider bench capable of seating four across - pew style. Can I reliably assume that the same plan ...
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Strength of board from squared branches as opposed to trunk wood
I have a lot of well-dried branches and I was wondering whether it was possible to turn them into constructional lumber by gluing them together as follows:
cut them into equal length parts of about ...
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Submerge wood in a barrel to improve it - Is my wife right that this is a bad idea?
I was about to submerge fresh pieces of wood of various types in our barrel filled with water - to let the saps come out and after some time get good wood. These pieces will be used for small objects, ...
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What are suitable indoor storage options for wood
What are some suitable storage options for wood indoors. Specifically for wood planks ranging 8 - 10 feet long by 10 - 18 inches wide. The thickness is anywhere from 1 - 2 inches. I am looking for ...
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Not finding trim to match plans
I’m very new to woodworking - I’ve installed a floor and done baseboards, and was thinking for my next project I could build a Little Free Library to improve my skills.
Looking at the example plans on ...
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2 3/4" x 1 1/8" board?
Lumber question for any professional homeowners / handyfolks out there:
I'm replacing a piece of rotted wood on each side of my garage door frame (piece circled in the image). The actual dimensions ...
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Reuse old cedar clapboards?
(I'm not sure if this question belongs in this forum. If not, feel free to delete it.)
I have some old (c 1950?) cedar clapboards that I'd like to re-install. However, some are cracked. Some of ...
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Lumber thickness
I want to build Shoji screen door and need to set a frame from lumber pine to hold the door.
Door width 5.5 meters(18 feet), height 2.5 meters (8.1 feet)
Between the left and right lumbers(blue ones) ...
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Building a pergola on a new patio slab - wood quality
I'd like a pergola with natural wood color and grain appearance. I live near the west side of the Sierra Nevada, where drought and beetles have decimated the Ponderosa pines. An acquaintance has ...
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How to choose desirable oak slabs for projects
I'm new to woodworking and have recently been given the opportunity to pick up free logs of a recently felled oak tree. (I believe logs is the proper term here, correct me if I'm wrong. Cords? Slabs?) ...
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Sourcing Wood for non-commercial DIY Projects
Now to be honest this is specific to the UK, which if this site is anything like StackOverflow, means my question will soon be closed as "too localised". However, please consider that the UK is very ...
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Lumber Calculator
I know how many boards I need and their dimensions. Is there some sort of calculator that can tell me how many long boards to buy so that I lower the cost? For example, I need 2 60" 2x4's and I also ...
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Lumber Dimensions for Brachiation Ladder (Monkey Bars)
My American Ninja Warrior watching daughter has asked me to build her a Brachiation Ladder (fancy name for overhead ladder or monkey bars). Here's an example:
The interesting part is that she doesn'...
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Simple Joint for 2x4 frame to 2x4 post?
I'm finishing up plans to build a rather large, and relatively rough (i.e. this project is more carpentry than woodworking), workbench out of standard 2x4 SYP lumber and MDF for the benchtop and ...
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Notching and dimensioning a lot of 2x lumber to a specific size
I need to cut 32 of these:
They're 2x8's, each a foot long, with a corner removed. I'm hoping to cut them safely and efficiently. I thought about running them across the table saw, maybe 3 or 4 at ...
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Wood types in Southeast Asia
What sort of wood found in Southeast Asia is lightweight and can be used to build teething toys for children?
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Do I need to dry white oak before it can be used for an outdoor balance beam?
I'm planning to build an outdoor balance beam in a 3-part right-angle Z- shape ( ‾‾|__ ) and have access to some fresh-cut white oak (6"x6") which I think will do well outside, but I'm not ...
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Dowel vs screwed butt for strongest butt joint in moving structural frame
Hi I am reading about all the different joint types and when to use them.
I am building a frame out of 2x2 lumber, joined at 90% most of the time, that will be under a lot of stress.
I figured out ...
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How to safely cut old lumber with old nails in it?
A friend gave me a bunch of really old lumber (the late 1800s, early 1900s) and they have a bunch of old handmade nails in them which I tried pulling out but half of them broke off in the wood. I ...
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