Hi,
I am rather new in ww and you may find this a silly question, but still I want to know.
I have some 2×4, 10 feet long, that need to be planed, by hand.
Do I plane them when they are still at full length or do I saw them in 3 shorter pieces first?
Is there a best way to do this or not?
Thanks.
Replies
what are you trying to build?
Jackplane,
the wood is softwood (pine) and I will use it to build two rigid sawhorses.
tony
for sawhorses, I don't think it's necessary to plane 2x4s unless you're planning to rip them on the tablesaw. Any stock should be squared up before using the tablesaw.
The only edges that need be planed are the tops of the sawhorses, and make sure legs sit flat on the floor. Since you're doing this by hand, it be easier to plane 3' sections using a benchvise.
As a general rule, it is usually best to cross-cut stock to near the final length before trying to plane it. It is much easier to flatten a short peice than it is a long one. You will have to plane away less to get it flat.
One case where I don't necessarily cross cut to near final dimension is when the final peices will be short (say under 12") and they are being taken from stock that is pretty flat to begin with. I don't want to bother handling a bunch of small peices over the jointer and through the planer when I can handle fewer larger peices. I can then cross-cut after planing. I just did this a couple of days ago when making the components for a stack of small drawers. I left them a bit over double length until brought to final thickness then cut them in half as I brought each drawer side (or back) to final size.
Generally, you want to get the wood down to lengths that can be planed without a lot of walking.
For hand planing, being able to maintain a stable stance, with possibly one step forward, is ideal. On the other end of the range, short pieces are harder to plane efficiently. Lengths of 1 1/2 to 4 feet long are the easiest to plane, but, with practice, longer and shorter pieces won't be hard to do.
If your 2x4's are of typical Home Depot quality, wet and knotty with a coarse grain, hand planing them may be a less than satisfying experience.
Also, to correct a popular misconception, commercial 2x4's are rarely pine, which is a wonderful furniture wood and a joy to plane. In much of the U.S., 2x's would most likely be Douglas fir although there are several other possibilities. Tight grained and properly dried, Douglas fir can also be a beautiful, but challenging wood to use for furniture making, but you won't find it in the 2x4 stacks.
John W.
Edited 8/13/2004 5:20 pm ET by JohnW
I have to say john, you are wrong on this one. Most 2x4 are made fith "S.P.F."
which stand for spruce - pine- fir. The fir part of it is just plain fir mostly from the north east. Douglas fir is something completely different and comes from the north west.
C.
On the left side of the Rockies, it's mainly "HEMFIR"; Hemlock and Fir (Douglas, with few exceptions). As John said, the stuff is not pleasant to work with using nice hand tools.
Mack
"WISH IN ONE HAND, #### IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
In my part of CA, most framing is Doug fir and you'll see a lot of hemlock as well. I've worked on a few old houses with gorgeous straight grain fir framing that - because of it's age - is as hard as a rock. Otherwise, straight grain fir is only found in the pricey sections of the hardwood suppliers - lol.
I know what you mean about the hardness; only thing harder than driving a nail in is pulling an old one out!!
That old CVGDF is a sight to behold. I've seen some used as original kitchen cabinets in an old house down in Coburg Oregon and it was very nice. Some guy had a photo of a cabinet with CVGDF doors in FWW a few months back. It was awesome and drew some comment here.
I know of a miller on the Upper Skagit River who does salvaged logs, all DF and all bigger in diameter than I am tall (6'). He sends most of it to Italy where they make high end furniture out of it. I got one 16' X 6" X 12" piece from him and the rings are so tight you can't count them without a magnifier. Hope I can do it justice!
Regards,
Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, #### IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
RE: "Fir"
Really????
All the home center stock (2 x 4, anyway) around here is labeled SPF, and I always thought the "F" stood for Douglas fir. Is the fir from the northeast somehow inferior (or is that "infirior') to Doug fir?
As I recall, all the larger dimensional stock is labeled "hem-fir". Do you suppose the same is true here?
Wood labeled DF is Douglas Fir. There are several variations.
SPF is spruce, pine, and/or fir.
There is not a great difference between DF and SPF.
Edited 8/14/2004 1:23 am ET by GeorgeR
Will lumber marked "SPF" pass building code inspections?
You would need to check with an inspector regarding SPF framing. I've heard that some jurisdictions won't allow hemlock for structural framing.
Cartouche,
My main point was that construction 2x4's are never made from pine, certainly not from eastern or western white pine, which is what is usually meant when someone refers to pine.
You are correct that the Spruce-Pine-Fir grouping does not include Douglas fir, the firs in SPF are either balsam fir or subalpine fir. The pines allowed in the SPF group are jack pine, lodgepole pine, or red pine, but white pine is not in that grouping.
I just went into the shop and found at least one 2x4, bought in a Connecticut Home Depot, that is clearly cut from Douglas fir but I couldn't find a readable stamp on it. I found several 2x6's and 2x8's, also bought at the HD, that are stamped Douglas fir.
John W.
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