# home depot lumber



## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

Is it just me or does anyone else have junk lumber from home depot in there area??

All there 2xs fo nothing but split everytime i try and toe nail, screw or whatever. Its so brittle!

I think HD stocks almost all 2x stock in douglas fur anymore and its not gonna cut it.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Yup, their lumber is chit...:laughing::no:

About all we get out here is Doug Fir or Hem Fir...:laughing:


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## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

The nickname "captian splits" got thrown out today.


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

Warped, split, cupped, wayned...

They have that stuff all day long.

You were expecting straight stuff? :laughing:

I'm a little more jacked about my lumber yard not carrying premium, IFI's anymore.


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## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

tenon0774 said:


> Warped, split, cupped, wayned...
> 
> They have that stuff all day long.
> 
> You were expecting straight stuff? :laughing:



Your right. Sadly i am just an employee and bossman 1 and 2 dont like it when i complain about lumber quality.

:rollseyes:


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## Randy Bush (Mar 7, 2011)

I will not buy lumber from them , most is junk and higher priced then my yards, which will deliever for free.


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

I noticed that lumber stored inside like it is as at hd and lowes is more prone to splitting and warping, lumber stored outside in a covered building is i guess acclimatized better so less of these defects and issues.


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## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

Randy Bush said:


> I will not buy lumber from them , most is junk and higher priced then my yards, which will deliever for free.


I have 2 lumber yards in my area. Both hit or miss. I recently framed out a bathroom and closet with 2xs from them. The bark had to be on in a few spots and it looked like something made tunnels through all of it.

Overall trash


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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

I'm starting to wonder if they get more than two 2x4s out of a single tree anymore.... Regardless of where I am buying it.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

HD's the only place I can get doug fir reasonable around here. I can't get lumber I'm happy with without picking through the piles no matter where I go, not even the local yards.

The ONLY place around here I can walk into and get straight and almost clear select structural is HD. I buy that periodically, and put it away to season, and use it whenever I need to reproduce old mill work.

There's a sawmill about half an hour's drive from here, and I'll go there for some stuff - I plan to use it more in the future.


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

EricBrancard said:


> I'm starting to wonder if they get more than two 2x4s out of a single tree anymore.... Regardless of where I am buying it.


Sustainable growth is not the same as the 300+ year growth that was in great supply prior to 1960.

-Scott


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

FramingPro said:


> I noticed that lumber stored inside like it is as at hd and lowes is more prone to splitting and warping, lumber stored outside in a covered building is i guess acclimatized better so less of these defects and issues.


HD and Lowes lumber will sometimes get soaked before it's moved inside. I haven't seen that with the lumber yards.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

tenon0774 said:


> Sustainable growth is not the same as the 300+ year growth that was in great supply prior to 1960.
> 
> -Scott


I think he was referring to the fact that 2X4s are now cut from trees that were considered too immature in the past. Young trees were always considered to be inferior - nothing but new growth.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

I only buy 2x from my yard unless I am using it for something other then framing. My local yard stock 2x4, Number 1 KD DF for around 3.90 a stud. The growth rings are tighter then I have seen anywhere, the lumber is flat and true as well. The brand is Riverside.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

Each Manufacturer has a separate production line for Box stores. In most cases lumber which does not pass quality control for various reasons, i.e small imperfection, splits, excessive number of knots, etc being packaged and sold to box stores. 
So out of 500 studs, 25% will be crap that you cannot use and, out of the other 75% some can be used, but some of it will split, be bowed or twisted, etc. This why you have to go through a whole pile to pick 25 decent studs. 

Same goes for everything else, Hardwood flooring, Bruce for instance comes in white boxes, and if you get it from a flooring supply its in the brown boxes and its much better material.

Same goes with Plumbing fixtures, known manufactures, same products, but fixtures in the Box stores have different internal parts and they don't last or perform as good as fixtures you purchase in the plumbing supply store.

Same goes for most products. Just last week, I was at the cleaning supply store with someone, and I picked up a dust pan, I had the same exact dust pan from a Box store, same brand, identical model, but the dust pan from a cleaning supply store was made much better, it was more rigid, thicker plastic VS. a flimsy one from the box store.

Around here, the box store located within 10 min of every job we do, no matter where you at...VS a lumber yard which is 30-45 minutes, so if you run short on something, or you need something quick, or you have guys waiting to finish something up,you be going to a Box store no matter what.

When I order a house of lumber, or for lumber for deck, windows new construction or replacements, trim, etc I always get it from my supplier.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

greg24k said:


> In most cases lumber which does not pass quality control for various reasons, i.e small imperfection, splits, excessive number of knots, etc being packaged and sold to box stores.


Hate to break it to you, but lumber from the same mill is the same no matter what place I buy it around here. PT is a great example - all grade stamped #1 looks like #2 to me. 

HD, Lowes, any of the two local lumber yards, it's all the same if it's from the same mill. I'll come across individual lifts that are great - must have been sawing some good logs to get it.

Other stuff, they definitely have some different quality products.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

hdavis said:


> Hate to break it to you, but lumber from the same mill is the same no matter what place I buy it around here. PT is a great example - all grade stamped #1 looks like #2 to me.
> 
> HD, Lowes, any of the two local lumber yards, it's all the same if it's from the same mill. I'll come across individual lifts that are great - must have been sawing some good logs to get it.
> 
> Other stuff, they definitely have some different quality products.


Not around here... Lumber in the box store and the lumber yard comes from a totally different place, different stickers and different quality.
Even if it did come from the same mill, don't mean it's the same quality. 

If you get a bundle from a lumber yard 500 studs, you might have 3% that cannot be used in walls, maybe for blocking. You look at the bundle at HD, almost every other stud is warped, twisted or cracked, not to mention knot location is right at the tips... this is the type of studs which are being kicked to the side at the mill when they pass quality control line before being stacked. They were showing this on one of the shows, I don't remember which one was it, mega factories or how they do that, etc.


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## CITY DECKS INC (Sep 4, 2012)

Hd lowes chit lumber all around. But in a pinch a mans gotta do whatta mans gotta do. 

I get # 1 pt from my suppliers and 90% + is flawless. It's priced with in a about 1 msybe 2% higher but flawless. 2x12 - 2x4 all flawless. What ever is not get sent back and credited on the delivery or used as blocking.they take a lot of pride in grade "a" materials and service accros the board.


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## BlueRidgeGreen (Apr 21, 2012)

At least at the Big Boxes I can spend as long as I like culling the dog****. 

If they wanna stock them.....they will have to clean up after me. I try to be as neat as possible, but when you're keeping only 10%, the cull pile can get a little unwieldy.

It works for smaller stuff, for the big jobs I just have to hope the kid loading the truck down at the yard waited till lunch to get his burn on......and remembers the fat tips I gave him.

Overall, the quality seems comparable......but maybe that's because the local yard is buying low to try and stay afloat with Big Blue right across the street....literally.


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## neill (Sep 29, 2011)

I'd kill for Doug fir. the spruce around here is a nightmare. it has to be a small job for me to get lumber at home depot, but still it's only a bit crappier than the stuff I get at the big lumber yards around here. when you order lumber here you can bet that 15% of the lumber has so much wane on it a drywaller will have a hard time finding the stud. 

it seems if you don't get to home depot first thing the lumber is picked through and scattered everywhere too. it's a real time killer wasting 30 minutes digging through studs at home depot to find 20 straight onesunder 200 hockey sticks scattered all over the top of the pile (and at your feet).


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## Stephen H (Feb 18, 2011)

Railman said:


> My wife & I did a weekend getaway to Charm, Oh. It's in the largest Amish community in the world. Anyway, they have a local lumber yard/mill/hardware store that I doubt has an equal anywhere. They cary over 150 species of lumber from around the world.
> The building itself is awe inspiring, much less their capabilities. You can easily spend a day just looking around. I wasn't really that interested in going there, but once there, I stayed till the lights went out!:thumbsup:
> 
> http://www.keimlumber.com/aboutus
> ...


when we work down in Stark county we will typically see a Keim truck going up or down 77.

Typically I buy most of our lumber from Terry Lumber in Pennisula-it's worth the drive.
Stephen


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## TRMolnar (Mar 19, 2012)

CENTERLINE MV said:


> Chains aren't allowed here except for gas stations and Stop & Shop, although there is one ACE hardware franchise.


I just spent Easter weekend up in those parts... I'd give up box stores for those views anytime!


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## CENTERLINE MV (Jan 9, 2011)

TRMolnar said:


> I just spent Easter weekend up in those parts... I'd give up box stores for those views anytime!


Totally, this has been my view as of late:









From this house (shot taken from above photo):


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## Wireman64 (Dec 16, 2012)

Carpenter eyes said:


> Is it just me or does anyone else have junk lumber from home depot in there area??
> 
> All there 2xs fo nothing but split everytime i try and toe nail, screw or whatever. Its so brittle!
> 
> I think HD stocks almost all 2x stock in douglas fur anymore and its not gonna cut it.


I decided to cheap out and buy 2x12x14's kd df for a set of stringers to use in my garage , by the time i was done nailing all the treads and risers on i wanted to kill myself ! Talk about splitting !


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

CCCo. said:


> Thought this might fit in with this thread,
> 
> http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodworking_blog/index.php/rethinking-the-simple-2x4/#more-4705
> 
> -


Good fit for this thread. If an editor isn't too good for a big box, I don't see why anyone else would be. I actually do what the editor does. Sometimes you'll find a lift of good 2X4s, or planks in larger sizes. It's the luck of the draw. Whatever is being cut for saw logs and delivered to the mill is what you end up buying. If a company like GP decides to cut some older timber sections, you're going to have some good lumber out of it. With computerized control of how the log is cut / what products are produced, some time the sweet spot will be 2X10X12', sometimes 2X12X10', sometimes 2X8X who knows. I've bought most of a lift (more than once) of mostly clear, straight grained doug fir 2X4s. I've bought 2X12X10 SYP totally clear. All that at HD.

Bottom line is, at the big mills, good logs make for good lumber, and it gets graded and sent every where. Same thing happens with crappy logs. I just see a lot of crappy stuff everywhere.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Wireman64 said:


> I decided to cheap out and buy 2x12x14's kd df for a set of stringers to use in my garage , by the time i was done nailing all the treads and risers on i wanted to kill myself ! Talk about splitting !


One word: screws


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## TRMolnar (Mar 19, 2012)

CENTERLINE MV said:


> Totally, this has been my view as of late:
> 
> From this house (shot taken from above photo):


Man, that's beautiful... Living there would be awesome. Are there many suppliers on the vineyard or do you guys have to ride the ferry?


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## Wireman64 (Dec 16, 2012)

hdavis said:


> One word: screws


The way it was splitting i was afraid to used screws and didn't have time to pre drill , turned out ok, but the thought of just scraping them lingers in the back of my head


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## CENTERLINE MV (Jan 9, 2011)

TRMolnar said:


> Man, that's beautiful... Living there would be awesome. Are there many suppliers on the vineyard or do you guys have to ride the ferry?


There are a few lumber yards here. I refuse to order from off-island regardless of how much cheaper it is. I fully support the local economy and the families that live here.


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## Lumber Salesman (May 10, 2017)

Railman said:


> Here' s a better look at the interior. Keep in mind that all of the woodwork is done in cherry!
> https://maps.google.com/maps?q=&lay...83214&spn=0.005123,0.012059&z=16&source=embed


All the millwork was done in house too!


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## John1957 (Nov 20, 2016)

I can find straighter Bananas at my food mart than lumber from the big box stores.

Frustrating.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

John1957 said:


> I can find straighter Bananas at my food mart than lumber from the big box stores.
> 
> Frustrating.


Somewhere on here there are shots of a deck and railing - the railing was all done with curved material bought that way, and stockpiled until the right design situation came along. Probably got a big discount for taking that stuff off their hands, too.

The guy took lemons, and made champagne...


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## PMDB (May 13, 2017)

It's called Home Cheapo for a reason


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## john5mt (Jan 21, 2007)

:thumbup: nice thread resurrection


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

PMDB said:


> It's called Home Cheapo for a reason


Nothing cheap over here... 8' 2x4 is 4.70$


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> Nothing cheap over here... 8' 2x4 is 4.70$


Jeebus - that include a massage?


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## Mordekyle (May 20, 2014)

SmallTownGuy said:


> Jeebus - that include a massage?




No, but cupping is included.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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