Nutty California judge awards 1.6M over 2x4s not being 2" by 4"

It's not clear from the article exactly what it was. It says it was a settlement handed down by a judge. That could mean that it was a negotiated settlement, and the judge agreed to it. Or it could mean that the judge settled the matter by handing down that judgement in favor of the state. If it was actually a negotiated settlement, usually they make that clear by saying the parties agreed to it. And if that's what was, then they can't appeal.

Here's another twist on it. One of the DA's involved said that it would not have been a violation if what Lowes was selling actually conformed to the NIST standards for a 2x4. He says what they were selling was actually smaller than that and then if you call it a 2x4, but don't disclose the actual dimensions, it's illegal.

"Half inch" plywood is really 12mm and sold as 15/32. The surface dimensions are metric too. 120x240 CM

but I have to wonder if that answers the question.

I did notice that Home Depot is now putting the actual dimensions on the signs for each wood product.

It's okay to call it an 8' 2x4 but you can't call it 8' x 2" x 4" because it's not.

I'll be darned if I can copy the link properly, now that Google has gotten all smarty pants on us. But search for the actual injunction and judgment:

lowes-2x4-final-judgement.pdf.

It says nominal descriptions are ok. But I guess we are now faced with 2x4s on the shelves that are sub-nominal. Who knew?

liar!

There wasn't any DA involved, this was a civil action

Hmmm, Don't they have better things to do down there in California? That judge never did any thing with lumber stocks, I bet.

The problem comes in if you are building cabinets or other things where you are putting the wood in a dado. Router bits usually come in standard sizes. If you use a 1/2" bit, the wood will be sloppy in the joint. Fortunately metric stuff is becoming more popular and you can get a 12mm router bit.

OTOH if you buy premium plywood like the hardwood veneers, it will be in "inch" sizes ... usually. It just forces you to use the "good stuff" even when it is not seen unless you want to use metrics and inch sized tools.

Hi, Now some body quick sue all the auto manufacturers. There engine displacement figure is not exactly accurate no. Like 3.7 liter is little under 3.7, etc.

Hey, even on Usenet, we don't tell a whopper like that.

More probably just local government bureaucrats unaware that US federal laws concerning weights and measures are more than a century old and the National Bureau of Standards authorized traditional lumber size standards nearly as long ago.

This is of a piece with people who assert geometry would be easier if pi equalled exactly 3.

He signed the sentence "Thanks Arnold".

Wonder WTF he meant by that ?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

F*CK YOU CALIFORNICATORS!

HAVE YOU NO SHAME? NO SHAME AT ALL?

Jesus H. Christ on a crutch. WTF is the matter with you people?

Speaking to the minority idiots (not to give idiots a bad name) only!

That particular judge was appointed by Arrrrnold and has an (R) by his name.

And the (R) obviously stands for RETARDED?

Well...He is a republican.

it was a civil action brought by the DA on behalf of the People of the State of California.

It's much worse than that, they've got the story all wrong. Clicking on a URL in the story above takes you here:

I suspect not a single person complaining actually drilled down to READ what this case was about. It was about Lowe's selling even smaller sized lumber than what NIST defines as a 2 by 4!!!!! (1.5 by 3") It WAS fraud, not justice gone wild and that is exactly why Lowe's settled. They were clearly in the wrong.

Quote: As long as you meet NIST standards, you can call a 2x4 by its name in California By: Tim Regan One of the district attorney's offices involved in the widely-criticized $1.6 million Lowe's 2x4 settlement said it's "not misleading" to call 2x4 a

"If it's a softwood product like 2x4 lumber and it actually meets the NIST standards, then they don't need to [include] the actual dimensions," said Marin County Deputy District Attorney Andy Perez in an interview with REMODELING. Meet that 1.5-inch by 3.5-inch standard, explained Perez, and you're free to call it a 2x4.

Perez said the problem arose when California inspectors found that Lowe's advertised dimensional building products under nominal descriptions when they didn't actually fit the standards set forth by the NIST. Some of those descriptions, stated the Marin County district attorney's office, were provided to Lowe's by the manufacturers or other suppliers of the lumber.

When can't you call it a 2x4? Perez explained that if a dimensional building product fails to meet the NIST nominal standards, or lacks a nominal dimension standard-as is the case with composite wood-you must include actual dimensions in the advertisement.

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Jeez. Some people need to get more detail oriented and not jump to erroneous conclusions. THAT is what is wrong with America, IMHO - no more attention to detail or critical thinking and an utter willingness to believe anything, especially if it conforms to some sort of personal or political bias of theirs.

SH