Question about lumber sizing

[Merkava_4]

I got this block of Douglas Fir from a construction site that measures:

3-3/4'' Thick x 14-1/4'' Wide x 17-1/2'' long.

What size dimensional lumber was that piece cut from ?

 

[Kira]

Sounds like it was cut off a "designer beam".

Years ago in Connecticut I got a cut from a church's designer beam which essentially was built from 9 "2X4" glued together side-by-side, 5 feet long.
I turned mine into a hinged counter top. It could be dropped out of the way in the narrow kitchen I had at the time.

Wish I took it with me.

 

[CT8]

WAG 4" by 16"

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: CT8
WAG 4" by 16"

Could you please explain what you mean? What he describes does not seem to be a standard nominal chunk 'o wood (.5 to .75 inch difference). I've never seen the acronym WAG with lumber. Time to be educated.

Or, is that the military "Wild arse guess" you are referring to?

My guess is that it was a specialty product, like the beam mentioned above.

 

[CT8]

Wild arse guess!! yes

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I got this block of Douglas Fir from a construction site that measures:

3-3/4'' Thick x 14-1/4'' Wide x 17-1/2'' long.

What size dimensional lumber was that piece cut from ?


It doesn't have to be cut from a larger piece, other than the original tree. That may simply be the original size. It is possible to have custom beams milled to a specific size (our home has several).

 

[expat]

Rough cut lumber is a nominal full inch size ie. a 2x8 is about 2" x 8" the length is a generous aproximation of the actual length in feet.

After the wood is planed it will be 1/2" in thickness and width
ie. the 2x8 will now be 1 1/2" x 7 1/2" the length will be cut to the actual length ie. an 8' stud will be 8'

But the thickness and width dimensions may change somewhat as the wood dries, so your 2x8 may end up something like 1 1/2" x 7 1/4"

 

[Astro14]

It wasn't cut from dimensional lumber. It was a cut off from a larger flitch or piece. Visit a real lumber supply company (not Home Depot, or Lowes) and see what real (not dimensional pine intended for construction) wood looks like. It ain't cheap, however.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
It wasn't cut from dimensional lumber. It was a cut off from a larger flitch or piece. Visit a real lumber supply company (not Home Depot, or Lowes) and see what real (not dimensional pine intended for construction) wood looks like. It ain't cheap, however.

You can just find a guy with a saw mill too. Gets very cheap if you bring your own logs, but even buying a beam from them isn't too bad either. Almost all wood is cheap, its just the labor that gets added to process and handle, and retail it.
If you order a custom size from a small mill, and don't need it yesterday, the larger beams get cheaper per bd ft. as there's less sawing/time involved.

 

[Astro14]

Yeah - using a mill is the best way to get precisely what you want.

I've got a Black Cherry tree drying in the back yard. A friend needed the tree removed (it was dying and blocked a renovation project on a rental property) and I found a guy with a portable bandsaw mill. We sawed it on site and I loaded it in the back of the 4 Runner (likely a bit over the GVWR, but the tires were aired up, and the speed was never over 30 MPH on city streets) to bring it home.

I elected to have it sawn 4/4 - there was a lot of good wood in the tree, but going 12/4 or even 8/4 would have left a lot of wood out of the cut, and I wanted all the wood I could get from the tree.


You may note the clever derivation of my BITOG username in the photo...as well as a few of the cars in my signature...

 

[IndyIan]

Looks like a good haul! 4/4 is always a pretty safe thickness for hardwoods. Also a 8/4 board gets pretty hard to work with unless its quite narrow. I haven't had a mill out at my place for a few years now, but its always fun see what's inside a tree, unless you find some metal...

Have you made anything with the cherry yet?

 

[ironman_gq]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Sounds like it was cut off a "designer beam".

Years ago in Connecticut I got a cut from a church's designer beam which essentially was built from 9 "2X4" glued together side-by-side, 5 feet long.
I turned mine into a hinged counter top. It could be dropped out of the way in the narrow kitchen I had at the time.

Wish I took it with me.


Sounds like you found a glu-lam beam, those are very spendy pieces of lumber and all custom built for a particular job.

 

[Astro14]

Sadly, I've not had the time for woodworking that I would have liked.

I've built a shed, worked on the Mercedes (long story), fixed some stuff around the house, and been commuting to/from Denver for work.

It's not left me the time I would have liked...

But, like buying a book, buying lumber is an act of faith in a bright future - one with time to sit and read, or to work with my hands on something I enjoy.