Where to get straight 2-by-4s in Dublin?

xboxdad · 02-12-2019 2:33pm #1

Hello,

I'm just getting into DIY woodwork, so this question might be a bit dumb, but:

All the 2-by-4s I was looking at in B&Q were very significantly bent and some even twisted. I had high hopes for C16 CLS ones, but those were the worst.
I don't have a table saw, just a mitre saw, I need straight 2x4s, can't cut them straight myself. ...and looking at the amount of bending, even that wouldn't be a real option.

Am I looking at the wrong supplier or I'm having unrealistic expectations?
If straight 2x4s exist, can you please let me know where to find them?

Thank you.

DublinDilbert · 02-12-2019 2:55pm

I believe your looking for Graded Timber, most bulider providers will be able to sort you out and much cheaper than the big chain stores. You'll probably have to buy a 4.8M length but can just cut to size for transport.

listermint · 02-12-2019 2:56pm

You pay based on grade of the timber,

Try woodworkers in terenure for good timber.

Outside of that you can pay by grade in any builders merchants.

Goodwins have a very good website however i dont think it shows grade differences

xboxdad · 02-12-2019 3:05pm

DublinDilbert wrote: »

I believe your looking for Graded Timber, most bulider providers will be able to sort you out and much cheaper than the big chain stores. You'll probably have to buy a 4.8M length but can just cut to size for transport.

listermint wrote: »

You pay based on grade of the timber,

Try woodworkers in terenure for good timber.

Outside of that you can pay by grade in any builders merchants.

Goodwins have a very good website however i dont think it shows grade differences

Thanks guys. I believed C16 CLS is some sort of grading that'll cost more, but will be straight at least. I'll go to my local builder's providers and have a chat with them about graded timber. I don't think I can actually pick one out and look at it at places like that, but maybe they'll tell me which grading will guarantee it's straight.

Idioteque · 02-12-2019 3:28pm

They do exist but given the inherant nature of the material and how they've been stored, you'll rarely find every length in a batch straight.

Best bet is to head to a local builders providers or sawmills and check each board yourself. Goodwins don't mind this and I've recently bought some timber from timbertrove and found them great to deal with. Also, they are the only place I found that would cut the timber for me also (and free at that!). Handy if you're buying 4.8 meter lengths which is what most of these places supply at.

xboxdad · 02-12-2019 3:29pm

Idioteque wrote: »

They do exist but given the inherant nature of the material and how they've been stored, you'll rarely find every length in a batch straight.

Best bet is to head to a local builders providers or sawmills and check each board yourself. Goodwins don't mind this and I've recently bought some timber from timbertrove and found them great to deal with. Also, they are the only place I found that would cut the timber for me also (and free at that!). Handy if you're buying 4.8 meter lengths which is what most of these places supply at.

Thank you!

Lumen · 02-12-2019 7:41pm

xboxdad wrote: »

Thanks guys. I believed C16 CLS is some sort of grading that'll cost more, but will be straight at least. I'll go to my local builder's providers and have a chat with them about graded timber. I don't think I can actually pick one out and look at it at places like that, but maybe they'll tell me which grading will guarantee it's straight.

C16 is pretty low grade, and whilst it might be planed it won't stay straight for very long.

The higher grades of construction tend to have fewer knots, but they won't necessarily stay any straighter.

If you're looking for dimensional stability, you need to be looking at different types of wood, not just different grades.

xboxdad · 03-12-2019 8:58am

Lumen wrote: »

C16 is pretty low grade, and whilst it might be planed it won't stay straight for very long.

The higher grades of construction tend to have fewer knots, but they won't necessarily stay any straighter.

If you're looking for dimensional stability, you need to be looking at different types of wood, not just different grades.

Thank you. What types of wood would you recommend in this case?

Lumen · 03-12-2019 9:36am

xboxdad wrote: »

What types of wood would you recommend in this case?

What are you building? How will it be finished?

(it's probably a question for the woodworking forum, although that's fairly quiet)

xboxdad · 03-12-2019 10:45am

Lumen wrote: »

What are you building? How will it be finished?

(it's probably a question for the woodworking forum, although that's fairly quiet)

A floating wall for the TV in the living room.
A couple of 2x4s screwed into the studs (won't touch the ground or the ceiling).
It'll be finished with laminate flooring.
The TV bracket will be fixed onto a piece of 2x4 directly through a cutout in the laminate.

On YouTube some ppl just buy the 2x4s and nail the laminate flooring onto it. They say it's very important to have a straight wall for this. They obviously didn't buy bent 2x4s therefore.

I do realize I could try and mitigate the issues with the 2x4s by putting a sheet of MDF/PlyWood over it, but I'd like to start out with a clean situation and good materials instead of designing for mitigating issues from the start.
Even if I decide to put that sheet of MDF/PlyWood over it anyways.

listermint · 03-12-2019 1:37pm

For what your building, They would want to be super warped timbers to be a problem. ive built something similar in the past a number of years ago. Just go into any building merchants and pick the straightest (by eye) 2x4 and dont be worrying about graded timber. You dont need to be concerned if its a few mm out. Its all going to be covered.

xboxdad · 03-12-2019 2:07pm

listermint wrote: »

For what your building, They would want to be super warped timbers to be a problem. ive built something similar in the past a number of years ago. Just go into any building merchants and pick the straightest (by eye) 2x4 and dont be worrying about graded timber. You dont need to be concerned if its a few mm out. Its all going to be covered.

Thank you!
I'm talking about like 4cm bending on the length of 2.4m. Telling by eye.
Most of them were like this at my local B&Q.
If I had a table saw and had to make it straight, I'd be left with a toothpick

endacl · 03-12-2019 2:13pm

xboxdad wrote: »

I'm just getting into DIY woodwork

xboxdad wrote: »

If I had a table saw and had to make it straight, I'd be left with a toothpick

Hey, don’t knock it. Toothpick making is a great beginner project!

Strahan Timber are also a good supplier, and will cut to size for you.
https://www.strahan.ie/

xboxdad · 03-12-2019 2:16pm

endacl wrote: »

Hey, don’t knock it. Toothpick making is a great beginner project!

Strahan Timber are also a good supplier, and will cut to size for you.
https://www.strahan.ie/

Thank you!

the_pen_turner · 04-12-2019 12:10am

40mm over 2400. jesus that bad. buy loads of them and make a large circle.
any decent builders providers will have one a lot better thn that.

GreeBo · 04-12-2019 11:53am

xboxdad wrote: »

Thank you!
I'm talking about like 4cm bending on the length of 2.4m. Telling by eye.
Most of them were like this at my local B&Q.
If I had a table saw and had to make it straight, I'd be left with a toothpick

If you are fixing them to studs then you can pull them straight with screws... Not that it will really matter since you are covering them.

You might be in danger of over engineering your solution... Serms like you just need some sections of 2x4 to raise your piece off the existing wall, then sheet with ply or MDF and finish with your laminate.
18mm ply will give you all the support you need with just some 2x4 in the corners and every couple of feet.

You don't want this thing to weigh a ton.

xboxdad · 04-12-2019 12:12pm

GreeBo wrote: »

If you are fixing them to studs then you can pull them straight with screws... Not that it will really matter since you are covering them.

You might be in danger of over engineering your solution... Serms like you just need some sections of 2x4 to raise your piece off the existing wall, then sheet with ply or MDF and finish with your laminate.
18mm ply will give you all the support you need with just some 2x4 in the corners and every couple of feet.

You don't want this thing to weigh a ton.

Thank you. Yes, I'm looking into minimizing 2x4 use and using MDF to serve as my wall. Heard a lot about plywood warping and looking at the quality of 2x4s I don't trust I could find flat plywood easily either. I'm just not comfortable with trying and force everything (2x4s, plywood) to straighten out by screws as that'd mean the entire structure is under constant pressure wanting to blow apart

I also plan to do other projects like to build extensive shelving for a storage room from 2x4s so I'd still like to find material that's not heavily bent like the ones I found at B&Q.

looksee · 04-12-2019 12:31pm

I got some 2x2 from a builders providers for the same purpose (shelving) and it was lovely and straight. Some heavier timber for a stud wall had some glorious curves though, think giants' hurleys. The carpenter did a great job of solving it though by doing a partial cut on the outside of the curve then pulling it straight, worked perfectly!

Effects · 04-12-2019 4:41pm

I've never had issues with buying ply wood and finding it warped, as most of it is stored flat.
I've had ply warp on me once when used as a cabinet door. I put that down to it being the door to a comms cabinet and the heat from the equipment.

Calahonda52 · 04-12-2019 4:50pm

PAO from places like TJ O' Mahoney's has always been good for me

xboxdad · 05-12-2019 9:18am

Calahonda52 wrote: »

PAO from places like TJ O' Mahoney's has always been good for me

Nice one, I never heard of PAO before. "Known as Planed All Over (PAO) or Machined"
I have something specific to look for now, thanks!

Calahonda52 · 05-12-2019 7:33pm

xboxdad wrote: »

Nice one, I never heard of PAO before. "Known as Planed All Over (PAO) or Machined"
I have something specific to look for now, thanks!

Glad to share, its so much easier to work with for small jobs like this

Where to get straight 2-by-4s in Dublin?

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