Lumberyard newbie question...

[Jason White]

I want to purchase some 4"x4" hard maple for a project.

At the lumberyard, do I ask for it already cut and dressed that way (like a 4x4 post)?

To be clear, I'm going to need the "final" dimensions to be 4"x4". Is it better to purchase it rough and mill it myself? I'd like to avoid a bunch of milling if possible.

Jason

[Bill White]

I would buy oversize. Trim it slowly so it will stabilize. Have ya got a moisture meter?
Bill ;)

[John Thompson]

Ditto Bill... I would purchase no less than 5/4 rough and go from there.

Sarge..

[Jason White]

Huh?

No, sorry -- 4 inches by 4 inches. Not 4/4 (4-quarter).

Jason


Ditto Bill... I would purchase no less than 5/4 rough and go from there.

Sarge..

[Russ Boyd]

I want to purchase some 4"x4" hard maple for a project.

At the lumberyard, do I ask for it already cut and dressed that way (like a 4x4 post)?

To be clear, I'm going to need the "final" dimensions to be 4"x4". Is it better to purchase it rough and mill it myself? I'd like to avoid a bunch of milling if possible.

Jason
1st, you can't buy an actual 4x4. It will be 3 1/2x3 1/2. You'll need to get a 6x6 unless they happen to have something closer, then rip it to fit your needs. You could buy (6) 1x6, glue it up (4 1/2 would be the result) and then rip to final dimensions. So many choices. Russ

[David Freed]

I want to purchase some 4"x4" hard maple for a project.

I think everyone must have missed the hard maple part of your question. I'm pretty sure a lumberyard would not have 16/4 hard maple. I would also guess if you could find it somewhere, it will be very expensive. It also probably would not finish out at 4". I would say your best bet would be to buy some 4/4 or 5/4 and glue them up.

[John Thompson]

First.. my boo-boo as the the little marks were " and not '. These eyes aren't what they used to be. With that said... I will agree with Fred as I think you are not going to find it that thick. It is getting more difficult to get oak in 16/4 anymore and when I do.. it has to be special ordered which adds to the already expensive price with single shipping to the lumber yard.

Someone may have it but... I seriously doubt it personally.

Good luck...

Sarge..

[Michael Wildt]

The few times I have visited this place I have seen some quite hefty maple. Been a while since I've been there though. They do have really old iron to machine it with and some is already machined. Not too far from Boston.

http://www.wooderylumber.com/

Michael

[Roger Myers]

Jason,
Highland Hardwoods in Brentwood NH has 16/4 FAS rough hard maple on their most recent price list at 9.25 a board foot. Great company to do business with.

http://www.highlandhardwoods.com/default.html

[Blake Barr]

Jason,
Highland Hardwoods in Brentwood NH has 16/4 FAS rough hard maple on their most recent price list at 9.25 a board foot. Great company to do business with.

http://www.highlandhardwoods.com/default.html

I liked highland hardwoods as well... simple enough to get what you want and they seemed to pay no attention as I dug though all of the soft maple....

[Peter Quinn]

I was holding a piece of 16/4 hard maple at work today, my boss stocks a bit in his retail lumber store, it is easily available here on the East coast. Most of what we have is 16/4 X 10"X 10', some places may sell leg blanks in smaller pieces. If you don't find what you are looking for, keep looking, it does exist.

That said we usually glue up 8/4 X 9" split and book matched (sort of, in reverse) to make 4"X 4" leg blanks, but the boss stocks the thick stuff for customers that prefer solid stock. I think he buys it from Northland?

Oh, be prepared for checks, cracks and other unpleasant defects in the 16/4 material. inspect it closely and by all means consider a glue up if that works for you.

[Rick Fisher]

I would laminate that.

I would worry about it cracking later on..

[Jason White]

Yep, that's what I'll do then.

Thanks.

Jason



I would laminate that.

I would worry about it cracking later on..

[David Keller NC]

Jason - You don't need to laminate if the appearance matters. If you're asking this in relation to the bench-building question you asked on another thread, you will want to laminate it for other reasons - specifically, it's a heck of a lot easier to make a tenon by laminating two (for a non-shouldered) or three (for a shouldered) pieces of stock together than it is to cut one.

If this is not for the purpose of building a workbench and appearance matters, you can confidently mill a 4X4 piece of maple so long as you're careful about what you buy at the lumberyard. First off, you need to ensure that the dimensions are truly 16/4 and the board hasn't been dressed (i.e., planed). Most of the time, you can find a 16/4 rough-sawn board that's a bit over 4" thick, though you may nevertheless need to adjust your final dimensions to 3-3/4" by 3-3/4".

The other critical thing is that the board hasn't been sawn off of a small tree. A fair amount of 16/4 is sawn off of small trees because they can get a decent yield that way, otherwise sawing the tree in 4/4 boards would yield very narrow ones that's only good for flooring.

What you're looking for is that the 16/4 board does not contain the pith of the tree (the very center), and that the growth rings aren't extremely curved when viewing the end (which means it was a quite small tree).

[Jason White]

I have a friend with a bunch of 2" thick walnut (air dried). Is this a good choice for a workbench legs and stretchers?

Jason

[Neal Clayton]

2x4s from the borg are good for workbench legs and stretchers.

2" thick walnut is good for making something worthwhile.

[Brian Tax]

Most of what we have is 16/4 X 10"X 10'

That is a big piece of wood, hope you have a fork lift!

[David Keller NC]

"I have a friend with a bunch of 2" thick walnut (air dried). Is this a good choice for a workbench legs and stretchers?"

Of course. So is rosewood. But unless it's heavily checked, you'd be better off selling the walnut and buying some cheap wood.

[Jason White]

I don't know... I've seen some pretty fancy workbenches made of stuff like purpleheart and bubinga!



"I have a friend with a bunch of 2" thick walnut (air dried). Is this a good choice for a workbench legs and stretchers?"

Of course. So is rosewood. But unless it's heavily checked, you'd be better off selling the walnut and buying some cheap wood.

[Richard Wolf]

Yeah, building a fine looking workbench is a great idea. It makes a nice center piece to your work bench and give you something to be proud of when the friends stop in.
Just plan on some nice heavy joints, most likely hand cut.

Richard