Miss the days of ACTUAL 2X6 SIZED LUMBER!!!!

[Mark Bolton]

Similar topic - green treated decking boards. I went to buy some to replace existing decking boards and the new ones are at least 1/16" thicker. How the heck did that happen? Now there are trip points where the old and new boards lay next to each other. Very frustrating!!

Pat,
While the boards may well have been thicker, it too could have been shrinkage. This would depend on what kind of treated you were buying (the new stuff). Many treating processes leave the wood very saturated so a fair amount of shrinkage and movement can be expected. There are some sources that are drying the material after treating to stabilize it a bit more so these would be less apt to be drastically thicker fresh as opposed to after they've sat in the sun for a while.

If the treated you installed seemed pretty damp it may likely shrink down flush over time.

It of course could have also just been a different mill, different run, and so on, who run material slightly thicker. 1/16" in deck building is high tolerance. When working with treated, no matter how much you fuss with it its going to look bad in short order.

[John Piwaron]

"Miss the days of ACTUAL 2X6 SIZED LUMBER!!!!"

Martin, unless you're pushing 100 years old you weren't around when a 2x6 measured actual 2x6.

I'm not sure that's true - the framing lumber in the walls of my house contain actual "to size" boards. 2x4s for sure. probably others if I'd care to check. those 2x4s look rough. That is, furry as though they'd come off a saw. No planing.

My house was built in 1941.

[John Piwaron]

When I have to replace something on my house I usually find that the size it's made of is different from the size that is currently used for the same job. I choose to make my own to the dimensions of the original rather than try to make a current "standard" work. Yeah, that adds a good bit of hassle to the project.

[Mark Bolton]

I'm not sure that's true - the framing lumber in the walls of my house contain actual "to size" boards. 2x4s for sure. probably others if I'd care to check. those 2x4s look rough. That is, furry as though they'd come off a saw. No planing.

My house was built in 1941.

Houses are still built today with rough lumber especially in rural areas. Its often times because people "think" they can buy the lumber cheaper than the stuff commercially available. Beyond that they do absolutely zero factoring for how heavy, how hard it is to work with, the fact that your luck if you have one straight edge, that your building is going to shrink, twist, and check, as the lumber dries, and so on. Its the old "discount your labor to zero" factor.

My shop and business, as well as my home, are in such an area and it amazes me how often people think they are making out like a bandit building with rough lumber either green off the mill or only slightly air dried (because thats the only time it'll be straight). The issues of using that material in the homes of today with their tight tolerance doors, windows, trim, cabinetry, and so on, are a pretty regular conversation around here. Not to mention there are 5.3 board feet in an 8' 2x4 and around here you can sometimes get hardwood for 450/MBF but more commonly its 650/MBF green. At the 650 number they are paying 3.50 for a 2x4! No bargain there.

[David L Morse]

For more than you ever wanted to know about the changes in lumber sizes over the years check this out.

[John Piwaron]

Houses are still built today with rough lumber especially in rural areas.

I wasn't around in 1941 to know what the builder was thinking. It appears to be pine/douglas fir - something like that. It's also straight and hard. Well, as hard as a coniferous wood might get. I do like that it's really 2x4. And really on 16" centers. That made it easy to put things on the wall. Cabinets and my TV.

I might have liked it more if the wood were oak or similar, but i don't know that anyone was crazy enough then to use a hardwood for that. Keep in mind that this is a house built in the city. I have no doubt that there's plenty of rural homes and maybe others built with lumber harvested on site that may be just that.

[Larry Browning]

The barn at my family's farm is made from full dimension rough sawn oak lumber. My father helped build it back in the 30's. It is now impossible to drive a nail or screw into any of that original lumber without first drilling a pilot hole.

[Clarence Martin]

Found one more board that needs to be replaced on the porch. It's on the main part of the porch, The board is a 2 x 12 x 8 ft in length. 2 inches actual thickness x 12 inches actual width. Looks like I will have to be adding on another piece since treated lumber isn't 12 inches wide.

[Jim Andrew]

The framing lumber you get at the lumber yards is not dry like the hardwood you build your projects from. It is stamped kiln dried, but it is nowhere near as dry as lumber you would use to build furniture. Also, most of it is stored outside, so if it was somewhat dry at some time, it has had time to pick up moisture from the outside air, and rain etc. When you build a house, you want to let the frame dry somewhat before you install sheetrock. I used to have to go in and cut a few studs and add scabs on the side as some studs would bow out of line with the others in the wall. It is worse on interior walls where they have no boxing attached. Just 2 or 3 weeks makes a lot of difference.

[Jeff Duncan]

Old buildings like barns, and going even further back homes, commonly had whatever wood was available on the lot used to frame. So many real old buildings have oak or other hardwood timbers in them. Remember though at the time they were not kiln dried first, maybe air dried a little, but that was probably about it. Working with green wood, or partially dried wood is much easier than kiln dried wood. You can easily drive nails and hand cut joints in oak, but once it's fully dried out it's a different story It's the same with modern framing material, you can easily cut and nail into studs as they're pretty soft. However if you try to nail into a stud that's say been sitting in a corner of the basement for several years drying out, the tendency to split is greatly increased!

As a rough guide kiln dried hardwoods generally will be in the 6-10% range for MC. Kiln dried framing woods will be, IIRC, in the 16-20% range. I'm not sure about PT woods as they seem to be wetter than green wood The wetter the wood is when installed the greater the amount of shrinkage you can expect as it inevitably dries out. So that 2" x 12" board may have been a bit wider when installed?

good luck,
JeffD

[Steve Peterson]

Back in the early 80's, I tore down an old stick built shed and put it back together at another location. It was probably around 20-30 years old at the time, so built in the 60s. Some of the 2x4s were 1.75 by 3.75 rough cut size. Others were the standard 1.5 by 3.5. What a hassle trying to re-use the oversize lumber. I just wish that all lumber would be made the same size. Real 2x4 dimensions would be great for making headers without needing to put in a 1/2" spacer.

[Mark Bolton]

Back in the early 80's, I tore down an old stick built shed and put it back together at another location. It was probably around 20-30 years old at the time, so built in the 60s. Some of the 2x4s were 1.75 by 3.75 rough cut size. Others were the standard 1.5 by 3.5. What a hassle trying to re-use the oversize lumber. I just wish that all lumber would be made the same size. Real 2x4 dimensions would be great for making headers without needing to put in a 1/2" spacer.

Prices would go up a lot and probably make installing the fillers a little less uncomfortable If we wanted full 2x4's we'd be paying for material cut at 2 1/2 x 4 1/2, dried, surfaced, less pieces per kiln load, less on a truck, more weight, and so on.

At least for the last several decades all material has been made the same size so the standards are set. Its just the nomenclature that gets people confused who dont work with the stuff regularly.

[Roger Feeley]

The house I grew up in was built in 1928. I don't remember the studs but my dad told me once that they were actually 2x4" and made of oak. He said that they were smooth in the 2" dimension but rough along the 4" sides. I do know that the siding was all old growth redwood. As far as I know, that siding is still there.

[Dell Littlefield]

Yesterday, I found some 2X4s, reported to be from the 1800s in white oak. The actual measurements are 1 3/4 by 3 3/4.

[seth henry]

Not sure where you are, but here in the Northeast if you go to Craigslist and search on bandmill or woodmizer you will find tons of guys with portable mills offering wood milling. Call one of these guys and they can saw dimensional to spec and should be wired into cheap logs. I use Hemlock for decks and other outdoor framing instead of PT and it holds up pretty well with the bonus of no toxic chemicals. Way cheaper too 40-60 cents BF milled.

Went out to measure the front porch steps that need to be replaced. The old boards got some rot in them and replacing them with pressure treated 2x6's. Steps are 2 steps and they have 2 8 ft boards each 2x6. When I say 2x6 I mean 2 inches thick by 6 inches wide ! Want to replace them with 2x6 's of the same size , but that is impossible to find !