Dave Balderstone wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, John DeBoo
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>>typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>
>
> SPF, which stands for Spruce, Pine, Fir.
>
I just checked the last stud I bought. It is from Stimpson and is marked
KDHT. It ISN'T marked fir as those I've bought in the past.
Dave
In article <[email protected]>, John DeBoo
<[email protected]> wrote:
> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
> typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
SPF, which stands for Spruce, Pine, Fir.
--
Life. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. -- Dr. Who
David wrote:
>
> John DeBoo wrote:
>
> > What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
> > typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
> > John
> all i've purchased has been Douglas Fir. Pretty cheap at HD.
Only if you're in the far NW...
Virtually all framing lumber these days is what is generically labelled
as "SPF"--spruce/pine/fir and is an undifferentiated mixture of almost
anything that has a limb large enough to make a tubaX out of...
[email protected] wrote:
>
> On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:07:50 -0600, John DeBoo <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
> >typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
> >John
>
> depends where you are.
>
> could be:
> spruce
> pine
> fir
> hemlock
>
> ask the seller.
More than likely they won't know... :)
It'll almost certainly be "SPF"...an undifferentiated mix standing for
spruce/pine/fir including all of the above and more. Many of the really
cheap framing 2x4 now is even more generically labelled as "whitewood".
About all that could be said for it is it is almost certainly a conifer
of some sort.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:07:50 -0600, John DeBoo <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>>typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>>John
>
>
> depends where you are.
>
> could be:
> spruce
> pine
> fir
> hemlock
>
That's the answer. Where you are sort of rules out certain woods, but
you'll have to determine what you have on your own.
Here in the "uppa you ess" we have the white spruce (P glauca) and balsam
fir (A balsamea) that is most abundant in boreal forests. Plantation pine
runs to red (P resinosa) and jack (P banksiana), because they grow the
fastest on decent soil - red- or lousy soil - jack.
The one thing you can use to determine if you have a pine or fir/spruce, is
the color of the knots. Pine has darker knots than either spruce or fir.
Beyond that, the characteristics of the wood are so similar that the
grouping of SPF suits them all.
In article <[email protected]>,
John DeBoo <[email protected]> wrote:
>What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>John
Around here (mid Atlantic East coast USA) the cheapest is usually
marked SPF which means it could be spruce, pine or fir, NOT Douglas
fir, which is usually more costly and has its own stamp. 2nd cheapest
is usually stamped HF which means it can be hemlock or fir (Again, not
Douglas Fir)
--
Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland
[email protected]
"John DeBoo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this typically
> true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
> John
Downstate NY, cheap 2x4's are usually SPF. Larger 2x lumber on the cheap end
is usually Hem-Fir (hemlock or fir, mostly hemlock). Home Depot was all DF
for the larger 2x's last time I shopped. Lowe's started out with hemlock but
may have upgraded recently.
Ever notice the "grade stamp" and various other stamping ???
SPF is a "normal suspect" and that means:
Spruce,pine,fir (which means it "could" be any of those three)
and is acceptable to be a building quality 2x4.
John DeBoo wrote:
> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
> typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
> John
Even cheaper is their "whitewood" 2x4's. Usually KD and much
lighter than the green DF and not as strong. OTOH they're straighter
and don't warp/bow/twist like GDF. "Whitewood" seems to be
pine/spruce or whatever logs the mill had at the time; no one at HD
could give me an answer.
Art
"David" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> John DeBoo wrote:
>
> > What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
> > typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
> > John
> all i've purchased has been Douglas Fir. Pretty cheap at HD.
>
> Dave
George E. Cawthon wrote:
> John DeBoo wrote:
>
>> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>> typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>> John
>
> Depends on where you live. Soft pine. Soft firs. Hemlock. Spruce.
> Doug Fir would be the strongest.
I'm in the SW, Albuquerque to be exact. I would expect a little pitch
or sap here and there like we had 10 years ago when they cost 99¢ but
none that HD or Lowes are carrying have any, plus none of them have the
odor of SPF, thats why I was wondering. There is virtually no odor to
them at all, most are pretty light in weight and almost no knots &
straight. Whats up with that? Quality lumber? I don't think so!
John
On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 19:10:04 -0600, John DeBoo <[email protected]>
wrote:
>George E. Cawthon wrote:
>
>> John DeBoo wrote:
>>
>>> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>>> typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>>> John
>>
>> Depends on where you live. Soft pine. Soft firs. Hemlock. Spruce.
>> Doug Fir would be the strongest.
>
>I'm in the SW, Albuquerque to be exact. I would expect a little pitch
>or sap here and there like we had 10 years ago when they cost 99¢ but
>none that HD or Lowes are carrying have any, plus none of them have the
>odor of SPF, thats why I was wondering. There is virtually no odor to
>them at all, most are pretty light in weight and almost no knots &
>straight. Whats up with that? Quality lumber? I don't think so!
>John
sounds like spruce.
"Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] wrote:
> >
> > On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:07:50 -0600, John DeBoo <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
> > >typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
> > >John
> >
> > depends where you are.
> >
> > could be:
> > spruce
> > pine
> > fir
> > hemlock
> >
> > ask the seller.
>
> More than likely they won't know... :)
>
> It'll almost certainly be "SPF"...an undifferentiated mix standing for
> spruce/pine/fir including all of the above and more. Many of the really
> cheap framing 2x4 now is even more generically labelled as "whitewood".
> About all that could be said for it is it is almost certainly a conifer
> of some sort
Reminds me of my engineering days where we would have specifications for
some parts that called out for 1008 or 1010 steel. You might as well just
say "steel", as anything that could be called steel fit the metallurgical
requirements for 1010.
todd
On 10/10/2005 9:18 PM David mumbled something about the following:
> Dave Balderstone wrote:
>
>> In article <[email protected]>, John DeBoo
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>>> typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>>
>>
>>
>> SPF, which stands for Spruce, Pine, Fir.
>>
> I just checked the last stud I bought. It is from Stimpson and is marked
> KDHT. It ISN'T marked fir as those I've bought in the past.
>
KDHT only means Kiln Dried Heat Treated (Heated to 56C for 30 minutes
for sterilization).
--
Odinn
RCOS #7
SENS(less)
"The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never
worshiped anything but himself." -- Sir Richard Francis Burton
Reeky's unofficial homepage ... http://www.reeky.org
'03 FLHTI ........... http://www.sloanclan.org/gallery/ElectraGlide
'97 VN1500D ......... http://www.sloanclan.org/gallery/VulcanClassic
Atlanta Biker Net ... http://www.atlantabiker.net
Vulcan Riders Assoc . http://www.vulcanriders.org
rot13 [email protected] to reply
On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 19:10:04 -0600, John DeBoo <[email protected]> wrote:
>George E. Cawthon wrote:
>
>> John DeBoo wrote:
>>
>>> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>>> typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>>> John
>>
>> Depends on where you live. Soft pine. Soft firs. Hemlock. Spruce.
>> Doug Fir would be the strongest.
>
>I'm in the SW, Albuquerque to be exact. I would expect a little pitch
>or sap here and there like we had 10 years ago when they cost 99¢ but
>none that HD or Lowes are carrying have any, plus none of them have the
>odor of SPF, thats why I was wondering. There is virtually no odor to
>them at all, most are pretty light in weight and almost no knots &
>straight. Whats up with that? Quality lumber? I don't think so!
>John
The only odor in our HD lumber aisles is that kind of sour, stale smell
from the too-wet timber fermenting in its own juices. :-( [bleah!]
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 12:49:56 -0700, "Wood Butcher" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Even cheaper is their "whitewood" 2x4's. Usually KD and much
>lighter than the green DF and not as strong. OTOH they're straighter
>and don't warp/bow/twist like GDF. "Whitewood" seems to be
>pine/spruce or whatever logs the mill had at the time; no one at HD
>could give me an answer.
>
>Art
Anyone remember those old HD commercials from years ago (when they were
still trying to convince people they were a quality outlet) where their
young recruits were put through grueling "boot camp" training and were
shown being able to ID various lumber by size, type, and even area of
origin by feel and smell? [wasn't believable then either, just even more
ironic now]
>
>"David" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> John DeBoo wrote:
>>
>> > What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>> > typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>> > John
>> all i've purchased has been Douglas Fir. Pretty cheap at HD.
>>
>> Dave
>
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:21:51 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, Dave
Balderstone <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> quickly quoth:
>In article <[email protected]>, John DeBoo
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>> typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>
>SPF, which stands for Spruce, Pine, Fir.
And if you're a connoisseur, ask the lumber yard guy for Birdseye SPF.
Gorgeous! <ww, nn, say no more>
---
In Christianity, neither morality nor religion comes into contact
with reality at any point. --FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
---------------------------------------------------------------
- http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development -
On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:07:50 -0600, John DeBoo <[email protected]>
wrote:
>What type of wood are the common *cheap* 2x4s cut from? Is this
>typically true for the other *cheap* 2x whatevers?
>John
depends where you are.
could be:
spruce
pine
fir
hemlock
ask the seller.