Where to buy decent timber?

[AndersMalmgren]

Where can you find decent lumber? Right now I'm looking for 45x45 to put up some walls. I've been to Södermalms Trä, k-rauta, Bauhaus, and Ekesiöö. All of them have lumber that's been cut before the wood is dry, so the wood warps; even if you pick out the best pieces, they warp when they come into the warmth.

Last summer we were going to redo the roof on the cabin at the summer house, and the quality of the raw planks available is of the 7th sorting. What happens to the first six sorts?

 

[AndersS]

The timber is cut to dimensions and then laid out for drying. The next step is then to go to splitting and dimension planing. The main reason timber warps and becomes like bananas is more because it is so fast-growing with large annual rings. Specifically, 45*45 is what I find most sensitive, but it can often be forced into place if you screw it down. Similar problems also exist with joinery timber, even if you dry it down, as it tends to warp or crack due to large annual rings.

The advice I can give is to buy the timber when you are going to use it and get it in place as soon as possible, applies to construction timber. If I have to store it, I layer with spacers and then place weights on top to counteract it. I have stopped storing 45*45 and 45*95, so if I have any leftover, it becomes firewood.

 

[AndersMalmgren]

Tested with clamps, but when the clamps are removed it goes "boing" and we have bananas
You can tell it's fast-growing, just two strokes with the handsaw and you've cut a 45x45 (You can also make deep marks with your nail in the wood, so it's noticeable that it's way too soft)

 

[AndersMalmgren]

Now we have a system running, we let the stuff sit outside but under a roof, so it retains approximately the same moisture level as in the lumberyard. In this way, one can buy more lumber and avoid frequent trips to the lumberyard.

Perhaps a business idea for someone to start selling high-quality lumber, I would be a definite customer.

 

[Forbo]

You should consider buying steel studs instead right away, it will be marginally more expensive and guaranteed to be perfectly straight... moreover, it goes faster. Also, buy a tool like this at Jula, and then you can just squeeze the studs together. https://www.jula.se/catalog/verktyg...ktyg/tanger/specialtanger/stuknittang-123009/

 

[schmakita]

Agree with Forbo! If you need perfectly straight walls, steel studs are a good way to go for a bit more money.

Otherwise, walls built with 45x70 that are mounted directly, including wall covering, after purchase turn out quite well, but sometimes space is a dilemma, and in that case, as mentioned, steel studs can be a pretty good alternative!

 

[AndersMalmgren]

Today we planned to buy OSB but it turns out that the thickness varies from 11-13mm on the same sheet! How the hell are you supposed to get straight walls with that low tolerance. Apparently not many people measure the sheets with calipers was the answer we got.

 

[mexitegel]

From your previous threads, I've understood that you are a perfectionist, but you might need to seek help soon

A 2 mm difference on OSB doesn't matter when your wall is finished. It probably moves more with humidity and temperature variations than that.

 

[schmakita]

Thought the same thing you wrote, mexi, if you're complaining about a two mm variation in sheet material, you probably shouldn't be building anything containing wood at all!
I do think that precision is a virtue, but you have to find a pragmatic balance

 

[AndersMalmgren]

A board with the same moisture content throughout should not vary by 2 millimeters, and at Ekesiöö they had OSB that was exactly 11mm throughout, though it cost a bit more.

 

[schmakita]

I agree with you on that, but I wouldn't have paid more for such a relatively small variation.
A mm is easy to build up with joint compound and paint in some areas if one is not very particular.
If you're building a wall with wooden studs, it can easily add up to a few mm in some places.
You can probably measure a mm difference if you measure in different seasons.

As long as it stays measurable and not visible, it's probably okay!?

 

[AndersMalmgren]

If you build a wall with wooden studs, it can easily be a few mm more in some places.

We have aligned the studs with 1/10 mm precision, so you want all tolerances to stay within that
View attachment 131338

 

[mexitegel]

You hardly have 1/10 mm precision with a plumb line. By the way, did you use a calibrated caliper when you measured the OSB boards?

 

[AndersMalmgren]

You need to have a sharp tip!
Mechanical quality caliper!

 

[AndersS]

Have you checked that the reglarna are perfectly straight, i.e., not bending 1mm or more
But practically, it doesn't matter and even a plumb line provides inaccurate results since the string can't be centered that precisely.

I have fine carpenters in the family, including instrument builders, and even they adapt the construction method according to what is required and needed.
But the most important thing is that you are satisfied with the result.