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Reply to "Todays lumber"

JohnGaltLine posted:

There's quite a bit of good information here so far, but I have to stand firm that there's been no time in my life time that construction grade lumber was suitable for finished work right off the rack. Thats why its not called finish grade

 It may be worse today,It's not as the process of choosing what logs/parts of logs become what boards has improved, but it was never really nice and square and level right off the rack. I get bunks of almost perfect studs and joists all the time  We haven't used old-growth lumber for framing since at least the 1960's and even then it was less common.We use it all the time just depends how old your talking  The introduction of  "top choice" or other 'premium' lumber also leaves the regular stuff at a lower over-all quality, as all the good boards are marked up.Scam  These premium boards seem to be of the same sort of quality that I recall in typical studs 20+ years ago.  Less knots, less twisting and bowing... Still need to be milled at home if you want them to be furniture grade. Pay for clear lumber  for furniture 

Now what you will find is that the lumber mills do more efficiently choose what logs to use for what boards today.  2x4 studs that no one will ever see, stuffed inside a wall?  Use the most knotty, bowed, garbage logs you can find.If we use bowed garbage in the walls you will see drywall waves worse yet a bow in the wall if chair rail or wainscot is installed  If you want a better quality of lumber look into 2x8 or larger boards.No different species Hem fir  or doug fir    Even in a construction/framing grade these are expected to be used as joists, and are unusable as such if they twist or bow much.We crown all joists up so all the bows match severe bows get cut up for headers that carry weight  As such they are milled from better stock.Its the same  If you have a table saw the wider boards are pretty easy to rip down.    In general wider or longer boards will be much better quality than your typical 92 5/8" stud.  No 92 5/8 , 104 5/8 , 116 5/8 are all selected for studs

we sight all studs the bad ones go in a pile and are cut up for small blocks 

JGL

 

I can guarantee today's lumber is as good as any, if its properly handled, Old growth houses are falling down because they had to use smaller framing members......had to cut with the old hand saw. Old growth lumber is a scam to charge more good for decorative beam and such

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