# Creating a straight 2x4



## quarinteen (Oct 8, 2014)

Hello all. I need two very straight 2x4s for a project and I can’t find a single piece of usable lumber at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I figure I’ll use one of the straighter and run it through the table saw. I was wondering if it’s possible or recommended to break it down from 1 8 foot into like 4 2 foot pieces and once I get the 2 footers where I want them then glue them maybe make them connected by using the router? Not sure I need 2 of them for use as guide rails.


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## quarinteen (Oct 8, 2014)

Any ideas would be very appreciated. Thank you everyone.


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## Packard (Jul 27, 2018)

When I needed a really straight stud a while back I bought a steel stud.

If they will work for your project, they are all straight.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

More information would be helpful. How long does the final piece(s) need to be. What length/width dimensions do you need for the final piece(s).


How are they to be used?


George


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Go to a real lumber yard. They'll have straight 2x4's.

David


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*It's called "construction" lumber .....a*



quarinteen said:


> Hello all. I need two very straight 2x4s for a project and I can’t find a single piece of usable lumber at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I figure I’ll use one of the straighter and run it through the table saw. I was wondering if it’s possible or recommended to break it down from 1 8 foot into like 4 2 foot pieces and once I get the 2 footers where I want them then glue them maybe make them connected by using the router? Not sure I need 2 of them for use as guide rails.



Construction lumber is wet and bound with steel tape until it gets inside the buildings where it dries unevenly and because where it's cut on the log, warps. Lumber stored outside, out of the sun, can be drier and more straight, from a lumber yard. Hardwood is NOT construction lumber and may be more suitable for precision projects, available at a lumber mill.


What is your project and how long do you need the pieces?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It often takes a lot of digging to find straight wood, especially if it has been picked through before. If you just can't find one buy a 2x6 that the 1 1/2" edge is straight. Then straighten the board on a jointer and rip it to 3 9/16". Then run it edgewise through a planer to get 3 1/2". You could also run the sawn edge back over the jointer taking off 1/16".


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## CharleyL (Jan 13, 2019)

I don't buy lumber from the big box stores. 

I go to real lumber yards and get lumber of much higher quality for usually less than the big box stores are selling the same. Their people know their products and can provide good tips and suggestions too. Most of the sales people in the big box stores have no idea what they are selling. All but the plywood source that I'm listing are family owned small lumber yards. I always hand pick my lumber when I go there and can get very straight materials quite easily and without going through the whole lift to find it. If I tell them that it has to be straight, tiny knots, or knot free they will even pick it for me, and their pick will almost always be what I need. They don't sell in the high volumes, so their stock is always much drier. They buy better quality as well. I have a favorite lumber yard that is less than 4 miles from me for construction lumber and one about 24 miles away that specializes in great plywood and imported hardwoods where I buy my Baltic Birch plywood and imported hardwoods. For domestic hardwoods there is another about 10 miles from me that offers that, but they also have mahogany. Each, except for the plywood dealer, is a full working family owned lumber company that sells all kinds of building products and lumber, but I like each of these for the quality and price of the specific items that I have listed. 

Go to the local small family run lumber yards when you need quality materials. Straight and dry 2X4s should be easy to find there.

Charley


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Think of Lowes as the Walmart of lumber and Home Depot as the K-Mart of lumber.


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## Packard (Jul 27, 2018)

You buy a piece of straight 2 x 4, take it home. Leave it in the basement for two weeks. It is no longer straight. Leave it outdoors in very dry weather and it develops cracks. 

This is all new growth lumber and it will never be as stable as the old growth stuff we used to get.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

There are straight 2x4s there, but you have to look for them. Find out what day they get their deliveries.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Interesting. Closest mill is about 20 miles away. I do need to go there and see what they offer.


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

Look at another lumber yard. You WILL be able to find straight lumber. Most of the white wood (spruce or white pine) construction lumber is pretty dry.



If you don't have a jointer you can use a straight edge sled to use with either a table saw or circular saw.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

The original post was 2 days ago and he poster has not returned. Interesting.




George


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

GeorgeC said:


> The original post was 2 days ago and he poster has not returned. Interesting.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Maybe he's staking out Lowe's to wait for a new shipment of straight lumber. :grin:


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## chaosdsm (Feb 17, 2019)

quarinteen said:


> Hello all. I need two very straight 2x4s for a project and I can’t find a single piece of usable lumber at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I figure I’ll use one of the straighter and run it through the table saw. I was wondering if it’s possible or recommended to break it down from 1 8 foot into like 4 2 foot pieces and once I get the 2 footers where I want them then glue them maybe make them connected by using the router? Not sure I need 2 of them for use as guide rails.


If you need a better board than what you can find at Lowes / Home Depot, you'll need to step up to #1 grade, and be prepared for the step-up in price...

When it comes to 2x4's, Lowe's and Home Depot ONLY carry "construction grade lumber", not cabinet/furniture grade lumber. Construction grade lumber is made out of Spruce, Pine, or Fir, and is typically #2 grade... aka 'seconds', these are boards that couldn't make the cut to be #1 grade lumber. While some stores may carry rough cut cedar 2x4's they're still construction grade lumber.

Always keep in mind that lumber is basically a sponge, as humidity goes up and down, it absorbs moisture and/or dries out, as temperatures change, it will expand and contract. This causes lumber to warp, bow, twist, crack, etc... The more extreme the changes, the more extreme the warp, bow, twist, crack.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The title is "creating a sraight 2 x 4"*



quarinteen said:


> Hello all. I need two very straight 2x4s for a project and I can’t find a single piece of usable lumber at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I figure I’ll use one of the straighter and run it through the table saw. I was wondering if it’s possible or recommended to break it down from 1 8 foot into like 4 2 foot pieces and once I get the 2 footers where I want them then glue them maybe make them connected by using the router? Not sure I need 2 of them for use as guide rails.



If the OP wants to create a 2 X 4 of unknown length from 2 ft pieces, I will say, NO, it's not a great idea. The length is important as to the means used to create one. However, you could stagger a series of shorter 2 ft pieces and laminate them together with reasonable success. 



Running a slightly curved piece through the table saw will result in a less slightly curved piece, in my experience. You always need a straight edge to register against the fence, whether it's a board that is screwed to the curved portion OR a metal section:


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Here in Southern California, Lowes stocks two types of construction 2 x 4. Typical or green for new construction and Kiln Dried for remodeling of an existing structure. The price difference is usually less than a quarter and many times the KD is cheaper. If it is a fresh lift of KD 2 x 4 you could grab six or eight and easily find two that are straight.


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## redeared (Feb 7, 2019)

The problem with the Homedepot and Lowes is even if looks straight in the store a couple weeks later in your shop it isn't.
If I'm making something like corn hole boards they are fine, but if I am making furniture I only go a company that sells quality wood (only one in the area near me), costs more but worth it


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Finding two straight 2X4's has never been that great of a problem at any lumber yard, finding 20 or more is another topic.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

redeared said:


> The problem with the Homedepot and Lowes is even if looks straight in the store a couple weeks later in your shop it isn't.
> If I'm making something like corn hole boards they are fine, but if I am making furniture I only go a company that sells quality wood (only one in the area near me), costs more but worth it



Why would you use construction grade lumber to build furniture? Lowes/Home Depot here has some hardwoods, but they are very expensive.


Looks like the original poster is long gone, but this thread keeps living.



George


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## redeared (Feb 7, 2019)

I wasn't talking about 2x lumber.
All hardwood is expensive, 1x4 mahogany is over $6 a foot. I recently finished a large book stand and the lumber alone was $800


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

GeorgeC said:


> Why would you use construction grade lumber to build furniture? [...]


Because it is cheap and readily available. Some people don't know better, and others have tight budgets.

I watched a neighbor build a set of furniture in an afternoon. He made a dining table and two benches, a TV stand with shelves, a bookcase, and a coffee table. All of it was built from cheap contraction lumber. He used 2x4s, 2x6s, and 4x4s. He assembled the furniture with Kreg pocket screws and no glue. He did not use plans, and he barely touched the tape measure, mostly cutting to match and cutting to fit. 

It wasn't pretty, but it was sturdy and functional. I left before his wife painted the furniture. It was ready by the next morning. All of it was appallingly crude, but it gave his daughter a quick start when she decided to move out to an apartment with no warning.


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## redeared (Feb 7, 2019)

Rustic has its place, nothing wrong with it.


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