I finally measured my lumber before cutting yesterday

I grabbed a 2x4 from Home Depot in Austin and just assumed it was straight like always, but when I actually checked it with my square it was off by a full 1/4 inch over 8 feet. That little twist would've ruined my whole bookshelf project if I hadn't caught it before the first cut. Does anyone else bother checking their boards before cutting or do you just wing it like I used to?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_thomas26d ago

I just wing it and let the sawdust fall where it may.

paul34626d ago

Man, it's woodworking not brain surgery. If it comes out crooked you just call it rustic.

kim19112d ago

Used to totally wing it myself. Literally would grab boards and just start cutting, figured it was a level enough surface. Then I was building a simple shelf for my kid's room and didn't check one of the 2x4s, ended up with a three foot shelf that wobbled no matter how I adjusted the brackets. Had to take the whole thing down, measure everything again, and buy a new board cause mine was twisted bad. That was a weekend I don't want to repeat. Now I always check each board against my square when I'm picking them out at the store, saves me so much headache later.