[Woodworkers] A lousy 1 x 4

[Clint Warren]

Hi, I’m Clint and I’m an old timer. I don’t know when it happened. Gradually I guess, a complaint about cost of a candy bar, then a burger, wood and now it is pretty much everything.

Speaking of wood, I bought some finger jointed pine from HD. Pre-primed to use for some painted trim.  Every single piece I ripped down either bowed out or pinched tight on my saw blade.  I can’t figure out how they so consistently screwed up finger jointed material. In my experience this would be bad kiln drying and I would have thought it was dried before the jointing process. It was not cheap either, I only bought it because you can’t normally find decent 1x4 or 1x6 at HD. I can’t believe what they expect you pay for poplar and don’t get me started on walnut or oak. Who prices these things jeeze loweez? I tell you .. wait a minute gotta go chase some kids off the lawn.

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________________________________
From: Woodworkers <woodworkers-bounces at lists.sawdusters.org> on behalf of Dave Heitstuman via Woodworkers <woodworkers at lists.sawdusters.org>
Sent: Friday, August 9, 2019 1:05:20 PM
To: A place where woodworkers talk about woodworking <woodworkers at lists.sawdusters.org>
Cc: Dave Heitstuman <DaveH at sphcontrols.com>
Subject: [Woodworkers] A lousy 1 x 4

I have been trying to organize and reconnoiter the storage in the garage.  First order of business was to build some better shelving.  Many years ago I literally stumbled on to an idea for a way to make shelves that are surprisingly strong and require no support beyond screwing them to the wall or in this case the studs in the garage.  The principle is so simple any fool can do it.  A 1x4 along the wall, a 1x2 (a full 2” ripped from a 1x4) for the front.  Tapered cross members, running front to back.  I have made shelves as deep as 14” and have loaded them up pretty darn heavy and they don’t sag or pull away from the wall at all.
So I ran over to the orange store for some 1x4’s for some new shelves.  $6.67 each.
$6.67 cents for a 1 x 4?  $6.67 for crappy 1x4’s.  $6.67 for twisted bowed and otherwise useless 1x4’s.  After sorting through most of the rack I managed to find 8 mostly decent 1x4’s  The gal at the check stand thought she was going to have to do CPR on me when she gave me the total.

I get it that things do not cost what they did years ago, it costs more to make it, to transport it, to get it on the rack at HD, but.  $6.67 for a 1x4 that is full of knots and is not flat or straight.  That just does not seem right.  We can all make fun of the old timers that say things like “back in my day” so I guess I have become that old timer.  I can remember buying 1x4’s at a Pay N Pak back in the early 80’s.  Pay N Pak was a NW chain that truly was an early version of HD or Lowes.  You could get 1x4’s for $.69 (yes that is cents) that were straight, clear, and probably graded as #1 or better.   1 x 6’s were $.99 yes 99 cents not quite as clear but they were straight.

I’m done, I just had to get that off my chest.

2Dave


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