I am looking for the dimensions of framing lumber. You can usually find the actual dimensions by subtracting 1/2" from each dimension so that 2x4s are actually 1.5 x 3.5"
But what I want to know is the radius of the edges. Is there a standard and is it documented somewhere ?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks
Answer here
Is that true for all framing and construction lumber ? across different suppliers/mills ?
Thanks
I'm a little curious: what are you doing that you care about the radius?
Cindy Hamilton
Or where you can't just try a piece and see if it's suitable. With a table router you could also create any precise radius you want.
Why: I am attempting to create a brace that would fit over the edge of 2x? lumber and want to know what radius I need to leave on the inside to fit snug of the stud, joist, etc ... Thanks
Not all studs/joists are created equal. You can buy 2 x lumber with essentially no radius.
If I needed a precise fit, I'd either buy my lumber first and build to fit what I bought or I'd grab a router and make my own radius so I would know exactly what it is.
Whiteside router bits for the win!
As I implied in a previous post, there is no standard for the radius across all 2 x ? material. As proof, check out the following images.
I was putting some spare lumber away and took a picture of what I knew to be true. The bottom piece is a 2 x 4 with practically no radius, The top 2 pieces are 2 x 3 with what looks like a 1/4" radius. (The bottom corner of the 2 x 4 is *dented* not radius'd. Look at the top corner.)
I bet if you walked around home depot with a caliper you would understand 2 x 4 might be 1.5 x 3.5 or it could be 33mm thick and some metric swings at 3.5" probably in China or something. I know I measure everything before I start making something that needs to fit. You get all sorts of numbers with the various nominal sizes.
The 2x4 and probably other boards seem to be srinking. I have some 2x4 that I bought at Lowes from years ago and nails so that they did not penetrate both sides. Newer 2x4 from Lowes lets the same nails peneterate and the points stick out alightly. YOu just can not depend on boards being the same no matter what from one board to the next. I had to buy 2 sheets of plywood a few years back to make it the same thickness of an older sheet as they seem to have quit making the thickness I needed and had used in the past.
If you aren't buying cabinet grade plywood, it is metric. Nominal 1/2" is really 12mm. (they round it off to 15/32). I had to buy some metric router bits to get joints to come out right. I suspect the same thing happened to framing lumber. One of our Canadian friends can tell us what a metric 2x4 is but it is smaller than they used to be. If you buy the furring strip grade they are some strange size not even close to any nominal size the store calls them.
During the high point of the lumber steal-a-thon I needed a couple of sheets of 1/2 sheathing. I wasn't matching anything so the actual thickness didn't matter. I looked at the beat-up, warped 1/2" sheathing and then looked at the cabinet grade 1/2" MDO plywood.
The MDO was thicker (a true 1/2"), every sheet was completely flat, perfectly smooth, waterproof and ... wait for it ... $4 cheaper per sheet.
Guess which one I bought. ;-)
MDO is the real deal. I have it in the deck of my pontoon boat, used in salt water for over 30 years. Still good. You do need to seal the edges tho or it might as well be CDX.
If I'm building something that needs to look good, like indoor furniture, I routinely mill the wood myself. I don't have a planer but I can surface all 4 sides using a thickness planer and a table saw.
If I am building something like cabinet I just pay extra for lumber that is "right". We have a good wood guy here who sells pretty stuff in just about any species you want (Alva Hardwoods). I like cypress. You can get decent red oak and occasionally something more exotic at Home Depot here. I got some mahogany there and then it was gone. I wish I bought more. They had some nice S4S Doug Fir there for a while too. When my wife was building I came up with a bunch of rough sawn Western Red Cedar 2x12x16s. I dressed that with a belt sander and made some stuff with it.
Fair enough. Why does it need to fit so snugly? Can't you screw it to the stud, joist, etc.?
Cindy Hamilton
I've got an "indoor lumber yard" near me. They have - or can get - just about any species of wood you want. They're pricey, but their product is top notch. They have lots of exotic cutoffs for small projects or accents.
I used to buy a lot of S2S poplar from them, in standard dimensional thicknesses, but they've stop carrying it due to the price. Now it's just skipped planed, so it needs some milling, but it much higher quality than any S4S that you can buy at a home center.
They are also more fun to talk with. ;-)
The one near me :
The guy in Alva has his own shop so he makes pretty stuff and there used to be a sawmill right down the road but that guy died. Between the two you could get just about anything tho
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