Woodworking and carpentry thread

[gregpark]

Broke a clamp today. It was strong but not super strong

[MBAtarga]

As a followup to my laser printed drawer labels - I got a shipment of more 3mm plywood and was able to finish the labels after tweaking the parameters for the engraving and cutting speed/power.




Next I'm planning to use a design tool and make some laser printed boxes.

[URY914]

[MBAtarga]

^ LOL

The orange store isn't any better!

[911 Rod]

Say what you want about HD and Lowes wood, but at least you can pick through it.
The last time I went to a real lumber yard they gave me lots of crap wood and when I pointed it out the guy basically told me to go F#ck myself.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

Say what you want about HD and Lowes wood, but at least you can pick through it.
The last time I went to a real lumber yard they gave me lots of crap wood and when I pointed it out the guy basically told me to go F#ck myself.

That should be predicated on what you specified. Lumber yards frown on sorting because people don't restack and leave a mess. Unstacked lumber twists, etc., faster. If they pick it then the load will be straight off the top of the unit leaving the stack as flat as possible. Some places may even put a full unit on top of a partial to keep it compressed. Pretty labor intensive for a yard that sell s a lot of volume. More common with odd lumber.

If you specify B and better, free of heart center (FOHC) or exposed appearance, you will be paying appropriately but can expect to be able to cull out anything less. Stud grade is not really very good but it should be free of large knots. Only tight knots accepted. There will be some wane allowed. It is graded to be strong vertically, not pretty.

If you pay for #1 and BTR you should be getting deck grade.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Zeke

That should be predicated on what you specified. Lumber yards frown on sorting because people don't restack and leave a mess. Unstacked lumber twists, etc., faster. If they pick it then the load will be straight off the top of the unit leaving the stack as flat as possible. Some places may even put a full unit on top of a partial to keep it compressed. Pretty labor intensive for a yard that sell s a lot of volume. More common with odd lumber.

If you specify B and better, free of heart center (FOHC) or exposed appearance, you will be paying appropriately but can expect to be able to cull out anything less. Stud grade is not really very good but it should be free of large knots. Only tight knots accepted. There will be some wane allowed. It is graded to be strong vertically, not pretty.

If you pay for #1 and BTR you should be getting deck grade.

Lots of great experience and expertise in this comment that many of us don't have.

[gregpark]

I use mostly my own milled lumber but the yards I do buy from know me and don't have a problem with me picking through the stack. They know it's going to be re-stacked better than before. There is one lumber yard near me I don't use, they take your order from the office and don't allow customers in the yard

[Crowbob]

If I’m buying lumber I’m buying lumber that isn’t warped, curved, chipped, knotted-up, or whatever. If it means picking through a pile, so be it. Never once have I had anybody offer to help, either. It’s very rare for me to get enough decent lumber for a project at one visit. I’ll pick through the pile and take the best two or three. Then do it again at my next visit. I usually try to get all the materials before I start, anyway. It’s amazing how bad some of it is. I’ve definitely gotten #1 appearance but only paid the ‘2 or better’ price. But also, if I’m gonna only use 6-7 feet of an 8 foot board, I’ll ignore what the ends look like because they’re getting chopped off anyway.

[herr_oberst]

That lumber guide is hilarious. I've sent it to friends.

I've sorted through stacks and stacks of Lowes and HD in the past, sometimes going home empty handed because the wood is so useless.
I suppose one day in the future, doug fir two-by's will have 3 or 4 rings.


I also see full-length 2x4's on the curb in free piles - fairly frequently. If they're mostly straight, they're going home with me. Here's 4 examples of wood from the free pile. All of these were straight, unused 8 foot 2x's when I scooped 'em up.
The one that says 'PREMIUM" was part of a garage shelving unit that someone just decided to dismantle and throw to the curb. They used them full length, there were 6 of these, each one better than the last. I've never even been able to buy better 2x4's; straight, tight knot, dense. I reused most of these as some shelving in my garage. This one is the last of the stash)

[masraum]

HOLY CARP!


This guy almost used and invented a home vasectomy kit!

@mikelewandowski13

Very Very VERY close call 🚑

♬ The Eye (STEM Piano) - Avalon Infinity

[gregpark]

I banged my shin on this stupidly placed main water supply valve to the house for the last time. This is a side door I use a lot. I used 2x milled from a big Cedar i dropped 5 years ago. The wide board is 2x24 (try buying that at your local lumber yard). The dark splices i added at the miter are from my stash of Brazilian Rosewood. The blue hose is the exhaust end of a sump pump and can roll it out to the street if needed. My downstairs is 6" below grade

[herr_oberst]

Outdoor furniture! That's gorgeous!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by gregpark

I banged my shin on this stupidly placed main water supply valve to the house for the last time. This is a side door I use a lot. I used 2x milled from a big Cedar i dropped 5 years ago. The wide board is 2x24 (try buying that at your local lumber yard). The dark splices i added at the miter are from my stash of Brazilian Rosewood. The blue hose is the exhaust end of a sump pump and can roll it out to the street if needed. My downstairs is 6" below grade

Holy moly! That's a serious bit of kit (huge cedar and rosewood!) for holding a hose. What finish did you use on the wood?

[gregpark]

Sealer first (Marine Once and Done). Then 2 coats of oil based polyurethane

[gregpark]

I installed a 3x3 cedar post first, inserting a ½"x24" stainless steel rod 6" into the bottom of the post. I drilled a ½" hole into the driveway 18" deep into which I pumped a tube of epoxy into before insertion. Before I installed the post I used my Kreg jig for pocket screws. Did the same with the 2x stop screwed to the house. No visible fasteners that way

[gregpark]

It will stop a charging bull elephant from 30 yards away

[masraum]

Very nice! And the marine finish should (based on what I've heard here) mean that the finish will last.

[masraum]

And I'd noticed that there were no fasteners, but I also didn't notice. It was a very clean install, but my brain didn't register why, but it's because there were no fasteners.

[gregpark]

I pocket screwed the sides to the top too. I use the Kreg jig a lot