Why isn't a 1 X 2 a 1 X 2?

[tillie]

I just re-read a post I did last year on how to build your own robber screen.  (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=5431.0)

In describing how I made the screen, I said I used a piece of wood that was 1.5" X .75"   If I had known this thing about lumber, I would have said I used a 1" X 2"  ;) ;) ;)

Linda T learning more and more about construction every day I am a beekeeper!

[Michael Bush]

I don't think any box is an untrimmed board anymore, although I'm sure they all were at one time:

Dadant Deep - 11 5/8"
1 x 12 - 11 1/4"
Deep 9 5/8"
1 x 10 - 9 1/4"
1 x 8 - 7 1/4"
Medium 6 5/8"
Shallow 5 3/4" (sometimes 5 11/16")
1 x 6 - 5 1/2"
Extra shallow 4 3/4" (sometimes 4 11/16")
1 x 4 - 3 1/2"

[tillie]

I'm in the mountains and wanted to build a raised bed garden.  So when I went to Home Depot to buy 2" X 12"s I felt fully informed that I would not be getting boards that big - so I changed my calculations about how much soil I would need to put in them.  I tell you, this forum is a great source of so many things - including construction education which I am getting in spades!!!!

Linda T learning more and more about construction in the N Ga Mountains

[Brian D. Bray]

If you want wood that is close to 1 inch thick you have to buy 5/4 which is only 7/8.  5/4 is often used in decking and stair casings.

[Zoot]

Brian,

Just curious - is that Home Depot 5/4? The lumber yards out here (and certainly any hardwood retailer, wholesaler) sells 5/4 that is 1 1/8" thick. Pine made for stair treads is still usually 1".
6/4 = 1 1/2"
8/4 = 1 3/4"
16/4 = 3 1/2"

[Understudy]

All I can say is that people who do the construction work must not be oldest children  ;) - it's too hard for me as an oldest child to operate with so little precision.  I read the earlier post from kawayanan that specificity happens, simply using the real measurements but in the case you described, kathyp, that's where I'd lose my mind!

Linda T in Atlanta befuddled and amazed that buildings stand when they are built and can be repaired when they are old!

Hate to break it to you. I am an oldest child. Love construction work.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Zoot]

ditto. Precision is merely a matter of a given individual's preference. The biggest jump in the whole learning curve is simply comprehending just how much control one has and how irrelevant store bought material dimensions are to the nuances of detail.

[Brian D. Bray]

Both the 1 1/8th and the 1" would be marked as 5/4.  The difference is in the intended use or cutting preference by the manufacturer.

[Jerrymac]

A little off topic.

I just bought a flat cooking pan that said it was 18 inches long. The shallow side angle outward as it goes up from the bottom of the pan, which measures 16 3/8 inches, and then curls over after it reaches the top. The outside most extreme measurement is only 17 13/16. So wood isn't all that is messed up.

[Zoot]

Same goes for computer monitors (lets really stray here...). One manufacturer's 19 inch can be an inch or so more or less than another's with regard to actual viewing space.

Jerrymac -
were you inspired to measure your cooking pan as a result of our stimulating dialogue here or do you always measure your cookware?

[Jerrymac]

I wondered if anyone would wonder why I did that.  :-D

That little stick that you break off of the top bar (the wedge) is right at 17 inches. (mine are right at 6 7/8) I want to place them in a shallow long pan and melt wax on them. I made (well my wife made) a tray out of aluminum foil and we placed some of the sticks in it, placed some wax on top and put it in the oven at 175F (lowest setting). Then I took it out and let it cool. That stuff is really stuck together and there is no way you are going to use that flimsy aluminum again. So I wanted a sturdy pan to do this with.

To answer the next question that is in your head. I then scrape off the excess wax and staple them onto the top bar to make a guide for the bees in a foundationless frame. Should see how it works pretty soon if the weather would straighten out. We keep getting everybody else's rain.

[Zoot]

looking forward to hearing your results. No rain here which is fine for the moment anyway. Most beautiful, perfect May in memory.