Yes on most your hardwood you don’t have to take very much off to get a clean surface.
Your dimensional lumber is mostly fast grown pine. After cutting it down can warp alot in the drying process. Its simple easier for them to take more off after drying it to keep the sizes consistant. The material removed is used for other purposes so it is not waste to them.
I’ll bet making more money is a part of it as well though.
That makes sense.
Or, to look at another way, to get smooth surfaced true 2x4’s they would have had to jack their prices up due to the extra wood used. That would never have sold, especially since it turns out that for almost all home construction in the US 1.5 x3.5 inches is plenty strong, so the extra wood really would have been wasted. The product is smaller, but it is not any less useful.
I recall that this was just about exactly what happened. However, I think it was far more than 20 years ago.
2 x 4, 1-5/8 x 3-5/8, 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 = Progress"
Well, yes. It is progress. Uses less natural resources to do exactly the same job. In fact, construction technology has progressed such that the house built 100 years ago with true 2x4’s on 16" centers could now be built with 1.2x3.5’s on 24" centers. Same end product, less material used. Progress!
We’re not dealing in factual answere on this, but I believe it was much longer than 20 years; more like 45 or 50 that the dimensions were changed from 1-5/8 x 3-5/8 to 1-12 x 3-1/2.
I’m not sure where your building houses with studs 24 inches on center. None of the building codes around me would let that fly. I suppose you ‘could’ do it
Progress would mean the houses built today would last a hundred years. Seems like everything put up today has an expected lifespan before its going to be torn down and replaced.
I think that 20 years sounds much closer. IIRC, it was around that time that i measured some and had the same question. Could be wrong, tho.
I also believe that the lumber companies are shorting themselves by naming them by the pre-finished measurements. e.g., just think of a delivered piece of redwood measuring 1.5" x 3.5". Why not call it a 20’ by 300’, it’s pristine measurement?
hh
We’re into pet peeve territory here. Go to Home Depot and measure their lumber, and you’ll find that most of it is just a hair shy of the expected dimension. So the 2 x 4 isn’t actually 1 1/2 by 3 1/2, it’s maybe a 32nd shy all around. Measure a 1 x 10, and it’s not anything like 9 1/4 wide. By my lights, the lumber companies are cheating, and part of the problem, as I understand it, is that standard sizes are not a matter of government mandate, but of self-policing on the part of the industry.
What’s worse is that makers of other building products have gotten into the act too. Look at cement block, for instance, and the difference between the nominal and the actual size. What’s their excuse?
Or even PC makers.
I’m looking at a CRT labeled as “19 inches”, but by actual measurement is only 17-3/4 inches of screen showing. And the picture doesn’t quite reach to the edge of that.
And rental car companies! A Ford Taurus is not a full-size car.
I don’t think this is a new development. CRT display sizes for consumer products have always used the diagonal measure.
If you are building a “real” house you are going to use 2x6 (1 1/2 x 5 1/2) studs on the outside walls anyway. That way you get sufficient strength and enough space for adaquate insulation. The [less than] 2x4 studs on the interior non-load bearing walls are perfectly adaquate.
Not where I live. 2 x 4 studs on 16" centers are the norm.
It varies. Most codes require 2x4 16 on center. Most houses in colder climates use 2x6 not because its required but because it’s a better warmer house.
As I said, “if you are building a ‘real’ house”, not just throwing up a structure that complies with the minimum standards. The 2x6 studs in the load bearing walls offer a lot of advantages. But hey, do whatever you want as long as it’s legal. The codes let you do a lot of things that I would never do if I was building my own home from the start.
Sure. But what I’m talking about is the exaggerated diagonal measurement. One that says their CRT is a 19-inch, when the actual (diagonal) measurement is only 17-3/4 inches.
Oh come on. People have been building walls with 2x4’s on 16 inch centers for over 100 years. It is hardly a substandard building method that will lead to the house falling down in 50 years. In fact, as I posted earlier, structural analysis shows that 2x4 on 24 inch center is structurally sufficient if done properly. I have no idea which areas of the country this is allowed by code because local code is by nature conservative. But here is a link to a recommendation for it (pdf)[url=]http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/bldrs_lenders_raters/downloads/BuilderGuide3D.pdf, and there have been articles about it in Fine HomeBuilding. There are cases where “just complying with minimum standards” is perfectly acceptable and will produce a fine long lasting structure.
In cold climates the choice is 2x6 stuffed with insulation of 2x4 stuffed with insulation and covered in a 1-1/2 layer of styrofoam insulating board. Neither is inherently “better” than the other. Although 2x6 does give you more room to run wires in external walls.
A lot of things are perfectly acceptable but not desirable. If given the opportunity always build with 2x6 on structural walls. First of all, always over-insulate. It provides sound proofing and climate control. We either need heat retention or ability to air condition efficiently. Houses built before the '70 were horribly under insulated because energy was cheap. It is much more efficient to install insulation at the time of construction than to retrofit. Do you KNOW what energy will cost in 20 years? Why not plan for the worst case, just in case. Also the sound proofing is a bonus.
The 2x6 studs provide for a much more rigid stucture that will stay on square. There is hardly anyplace that is not subject to some kind of extreme weather. Why not spend a few dollars at the outset to prevent future problems with flexing and cracking in the structure.
With the 2x6 studs you will prevent potential problems with windows and doors developing fit problems. A sliding door that doesn’t slide properly because of a sag or a flex is a PITA.
As I said before, go ahead and do what you want. There are a lot of MacMansions out there that have been built according to code that are pieces of crap that will cause their owner endless aggavation in the coming years. Go buy them, mortgage your future, try to impress your neighbors and live with the endless problems.
Personally, I will spend a few extra dollars and get it done right. Having done numerous renovations, I have found that meeting the minimum standards is a losing proposition in the long run. Overbuild now and rest easy later.