Shopsmith Forums

was just looking at #2 pine 1x8 , they now measure 3/4 x 7 1/4 ?? embarrassing, all the dead lumber laying around rotting in the woods and we are acting like there is a shortage!

No! There is no shortage. The lumber mills have simply found a way to get more 1x8s from a slab of lumber.

Find a lumber yard that sells rough cut lumber and make your own 1x8s.

dusty wrote:No! There is no shortage. The lumber mills have simply found a way to get more 1x8s from a slab of lumber.

Find a lumber yard that sells rough cut lumber and make your own 1x8s.

Yup, that is why I use rough cut stock 99% of the time. Main reason is that S4S stock is rarely flat. To flatten it you end up less than 3/4" thick. Rough cut is easy to flatten and is almost always more than 3/4" thick when flattened.

All construction lumber is undersize from the stated size. Avoid using construction lumber for woodworking. Instead get cabinet lumber that is oversize and you get to do the work of sizing it for your job.
I've seen only softwood sold undersized. Hardwoods are usually sold oversize and finished on only 3 sides.

garys wrote:All construction lumber is undersize from the stated size. Avoid using construction lumber for woodworking. Instead get cabinet lumber that is oversize and you get to do the work of sizing it for your job.
I've seen only softwood sold undersized. Hardwoods are usually sold oversize and finished on only 3 sides.

That is true and has been for a long long time. Hobyman2's point is that the width has always been 1/2" under size. A 1 X 8 is (was) 7 1/2". Now it seems that some (all?) are now 3/4" narrower. The 1 X 8 is now 7 1/4".

I have expected a 1x8 to measure 3/4 x 7 1/4 for over 50 years. 1x8 is the dimension that it had when it was still in the tree!

The 7 1/4 width appeared the same time the same time a 2x4 went from 1 5/8x3 5/8 to 1 1/2 x 3 1/2.

I do remember (not when) the 2X dimension changes. I never knew the 1X dimension changed. As I said I almost never buy S4S material.

I started wood working ,carpenter work ,before I graduated high school in the 70's , when I started a 2x8 measured 1 5/8 x 7 5/8 .
just saying . I dont remember a 2x measuring 1 1/2 until the mid 80's . my first year of robotics we were taught abut tensile strength of materials , there is a huge difference in the strength between a full 2x8 that measure 1 7/8 x 7 7/8 and a board that measures 1 1/2 x 7 1/4 . I needed lumber for the stair case in the rental house , it was built turn of the last century , ya can't buy lumber from a yard to replace what is there , ya have to use rough cut and make it your self or else take short cuts and use shims .to find a usable board for me that means buying it green and drying it , if this is acceptable to you then ok,I do buy a lot of green lumber and dry it , that really isn't the issue , drying time can be a issue . I dont mind drying it but when ya need a piece and ya need it now , using it green is my only option and green lumber is not good inside a wall .?? just saying at some point ya have to know when to say when , if this continues wall studs will have to be 14" on center ,at that point what did ya save ?

FYI at one time you could run a 3" pvc plumbing vent inside a 2x4 wall , now you need a 2x6 wall , if there are any fittings in the wall the 3" bells are 3 3/4 . what did we save ?

"We" saved nothing. The motivation was "What did the lumber industry GAIN".