Ok, green lumber. I was wondering why, when all the books I have recommend dry
lumber for serious use, stores like Home Depot only appear to carry green lumber
(in my area). Is that information out of date, or is home boy depot really out of it on
this matter ?

That lumber you see is Pressure Treated and is not within the realm of the
type lumber your books are talking about.


"Scott Moore" wrote in message
news:dCL4b.323072$o%2.147956@sccrnsc02...
Ok, green lumber. I was wondering why, when all the books I have recommend
dry
lumber for serious use, stores like Home Depot only appear to carry green
lumber
(in my area). Is that information out of date, or is home boy depot really
out of it on
this matter ?

"Scott Moore" wrote in message
news:dCL4b.323072$o%2.147956@sccrnsc02...
Ok, green lumber. I was wondering why, when all the books I have recommend
dry
lumber for serious use, stores like Home Depot only appear to carry green
lumber
(in my area). Is that information out of date, or is home boy depot really
out of it on
this matter ?


Many lumber yards carry green construction lumber. When I built our deck, I
spaced the 2x redwood 1/8-inches apart; when dried, the spaced increased to
3/8" -- enough to catch high heels. Hardwoods [oak, maple, walnut] are
generally lower in moisture content, but you are on your own to find a
source of dry lumber. Without a moisture meter, I built a red oak table
from wood that the dealer assured me was 12% or lower. I let it set in the
shop for two weeks, glued it up, and was awakened at 3:00 a.m. by the
explosion as the base dried and split apart. I usually drive 275 miles to
get my hardwood lumber to be assured of getting properly dried wood. I
would never buy hardwood from the discount chains without a moisture
meter -- besides, it's usually too expensive. Of course, you can save by
buying green lumber and drying it yourself if you have the space. We used
to cut and dry our own lumber, but that's a job for a young man. Green
lumber is heavy, and the board you need is always on the bottom of the
stack. harrym

Construction lumber is dried to ~20% moisture content (S-Dry) so it can be
surfaced to approximate dimensions. It is expected to be used in
construction, where end-to end dimension is the only really important one.

Lumber for indoor uses is normally kiln dried to ~8% moisture content, a
fair compromise for furniture or inside millwork.

You have to buy the proper grades.

BTW, "Green" normally assumes no drying.

"Scott Moore" wrote in message
news:dCL4b.323072$o%2.147956@sccrnsc02...
Ok, green lumber. I was wondering why, when all the books I have recommend
dry
lumber for serious use, stores like Home Depot only appear to carry green
lumber
(in my area). Is that information out of date, or is home boy depot really
out of it on
this matter ?

"HarryM" wrote in message ...
meter -- besides, it's usually too expensive. Of course, you can save by
buying green lumber and drying it yourself if you have the space. We used
to cut and dry our own lumber, but that's a job for a young man. Green
lumber is heavy, and the board you need is always on the bottom of the
stack. harrym



I think when I decided that green lumber was not a good idea was when I saved some
2x4s from a project in the garage. They sat for 6 months, they were straight as can be.

When I tried to use them, I could not believe how twisted they were, and several had split.
After that, I got some KD lumber, and was amazed how nice it was.

couldn't be. it warps like hell when you use a PT 4x4 post for fencing.
that's why some of the pro's don't like using it. too many
complaints from customers a few months after the fence is built. I've
got such a twisted PT 4x4 used at the hinge side of a gate that i had to
sand off part of it so the gate would close. a few months later, it
twisted some more and I had to sand it down some more. but it's folly
to put in non-treated wood in termite country.

dave

vmtw wrote:

Is pressure treated lumber dried before it is pressure treated?