Where to Get 2x4 for DIY Furniture

• 

  Lexus101 on 17/08/2021 - 22:27

  +1

  Not a carpenter here but try to help.

  All coloured timber (green/blue/etc) are treated with chemicals to withstand rot and bugs. They are Not Suitable for furniture.

  Only use untreated wood as it's much safer and hopefully it has been kiln dried. It depends on how much you want to spend at the end.

  I believe the good furniture timber are called dressed timber.

  Best of luck

• 

  stainedteatowel on 17/08/2021 - 22:33

  +2

  The blue stuff, wood (forgive me for that) be treated pine.

  I know Bunnings apparently can cut timber for you ( never had it done as I'll cut it myself) have you considered buying a couple of cheap tools to do the cuts yourself. Circular saw or mitre saw? Especially if you're planning to make furniture.

  If wanting timber that just needs a sand you'd be looking at DARs (dressed all around), I find these are separate to the "2x4"s in there own area in my local Bunnings but not in the "2x4" size. Have you considered looking for local, smaller hardware / timber shops? They may be more helpful possibly.

  I'm still new to wood working but from my understanding it isn't really cheaper to build stuff yourself. It's great for fun, as a hobby and can often end up with stronger better quality furniture. Keep an eye out for council clean ups, people dumping furniture on the road. You'd be surprised at some of the stuff you can get (ended up with a large amount of oak from a cabinet someone was throwing out)

  Good luck and have fun with it

  • 

    dufflover on 17/08/2021 - 23:11

    +2

    I'm still new to wood working but from my understanding it isn't really cheaper to build stuff yourself. It's great for fun, as a hobby and can often end up with stronger better quality furniture.

    This is my understanding as well and I've seen similar messages on various YT channels even though it's across various countries, it seems to hold. If you DIY furniture it's for custom design, quality, and just a fun hobby, definitely not economics cos you can buy mass produced stuff cheaper than the cost of the materials to do it yourself! Like if you ever see pine shelves, racks or crates marked down at Bunnings or IKEA. So in this case you'd want to be getting "nicer" wood surely not scrimmaging up 2x4s?

    FWIW I have my share of offcuts and random bits. Many from the Bunnings offcuts box (if your local does it) and I've grabbed some decent lengths of leftover TP and merbau decking from rubbish skips outside houses going up around my area after asking the jobsite guy's who were there. But I've kept it very utility builds though; like a workbench, backyard garden trolley, shelf dividers (clean plywood for this), plant stands, etc.

    Actually I can think of one exception. I only bought my first basic mitre saw cos these table and floor lamps from Masters I liked were around $150 but otherwise pretty simple straight cut build. For that I bought the nicer DAR lengths and built something closish for way less and got a saw and starter skills out of it :P

• 

  DashCam AKA Rolts on 17/08/2021 - 22:36

  +4

  There is a shortage of timber at the moment, especially 4 x 2 in pine, which is used extensively in housing. Hence, PAR pine in 4 x 2 is going to be expensive and in short supply.
  If you can locate timber in Bunnings, they will cut to required lengths cheaply.

• 

  chriskq on 17/08/2021 - 22:41

  +1

  try and find second hand timber or dedicated lumber yards which will have better pricing usually compared to bunnings

• 

  kisshell9 on 17/08/2021 - 22:49

  I have got a seller in fb who is selling merabu timber for 100 bucks.
  I would get about 7 x 183 cm which are 900x45mm

  Is that a good deal?
  I will call few timber business tomorrow. So just to confirm, I would be looking for untreated dar woods right ?

  I do have tools but don't have a circular or mitre saw but I will get that soon. My main issues is I have a small car so need a service which would cut the long wood to atleast 1.9m
  I went to bunnings but the staff were not helpful and I got more confused..

  • 

    stainedteatowel on 17/08/2021 - 23:06

    Honestly not sure on the pricing for Merbau, I've never used it and only thought of it as useful for external stuff like decking etc. I imagine based on that it would be good for outdoor furniture though.

    Yes, you want untreated timber. DAR if you're looking for timber nicely dressed / smooth all sides. (once you complete your outdoor furniture, make sure you give it a coating / or finish to protect it)

    I've known people to carry just a handsaw or circular saw in their car so they can cut lengths to fit if needed. This is only $6.50 and I'm sure with a bit of effort you'd cut it yourself on the spot to get it to fit (if cutting hardwood like Merbau might take a bit more effort) It just might look a bit funny for others watching who don't understand :)

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-350mm-tenon-saw_p5710…

• 

  SydStrand on 17/08/2021 - 22:50

  I was looking for wood which just needs sanding .

  You're not going to be able to build furniture with a sander alone. You'll still need to buy power tools, so just buy longer lengths and cut yourself.

  Also, it's a terrible time to buy timber.

• 

  onetwothreefour on 17/08/2021 - 23:08

  +3

  I think you mean 90 X 45mm and not 900mm.

  Also most DIY YouTubers are American and get their timber from home depot which seems to be cheaper than Bunnings and has a better selection of timber to use for furniture.

  Bunnings will cut timber for you or just grab a hand saw from the shelf and cut it yourself.

  • 

    kisshell9 on 17/08/2021 - 23:18

    Ya , it was meant to be 90mm
    I am just trying this out below and if I convert it to cm then the numbers have two decimal point like 72inch is 183cm
    Also for cushions ikea has similar one which 62x62 cm so I am not sure I have to make the length as 186cm for 3 cushion.

    https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/2x4-outdoor-s…

    • 

      onetwothreefour on 18/08/2021 - 07:00

      +5

      For most of Ana White's projects you should be able to use 90 X 35mm timber, it will be cheaper and lighter but strong enough to sit on.

      The trick will be not using her exact measurements for the dimensions of the sofa, measure your space and cushions and work out your own lengths.

      • 

        pippohippo on 20/08/2021 - 14:08

        I follow her videos and sadly it's horrible time to build due to shortage. I've been using 70x35mm since there are heaps of them but the quality isn't as nice since it's for framing. American Home Depot makes bunnings looks expensive and crap quality lol

        But agree with 1234 that 90x35 is what you'll need.

• 

  mskeggs on 17/08/2021 - 23:28

  +3

  I can’t help with translating American youtube into Australian timber, except running centimetres to two decimal places is not going to work.
  Lumber is not factory extruded from a millimeter spec mould, it is grown, sawn, milled and dried.
  A 2x4 will typically be 4 or 5mm less than the exact conversion, due to planing.
  Any piece or lumber could easily vary by a centimetre.
  If you need dimensional consistency, such as for cabinetry or furniture making, you produce that at the time of construction, using a thicknesser, saw, planer, jointer, router etc. because you can’t cut timber to millimeter precision then leave it in storage, as the lumber will change with humidity and temperature and vary over time.

  Getting precision results in furniture making is quite tricky, and you probably will need quite a bit more experience before you can achieve it.

  • 

    Euphemistic on 20/08/2021 - 15:28

    A 2x4 will typically be 4 or 5mm less than the exact conversion, due to planing.

    That’s if ‘dressed’. DAR = dressed all round which means each face is planed smooth.

    Undressed will be rough and closer to 90x45. Dressing takes a few mm off as you describe.

• 

  ShannonN on 18/08/2021 - 07:11

  +1

  with the shortage of wood and lack of necessary tools plus skills Just buy an outdoor sofa of gumtree will be less hassle, stress and cheaper all round

• 

  bradl822 on 18/08/2021 - 07:16

  +1

  I used these guys a lot when I lived in Brisbane A wood shed
  Very knowledgeable and helpful, process are pretty good for what you get. They will cut to size too.

  But as a few others have said you can always take a saw with you and cut the lengths down yourself, I often do this as I only have a Bunnings where I live now and I find it hard to get people available to cut timber lengths.

  Good on you for having a crack at something new.

• 

  whitelie on 18/08/2021 - 07:26

  +2

  If you're buying it from Bunnings, just take your wood saw and tape in the car and cut it up in the carpark. It's not like they're thick bits if wood and need a power saw to cut them up. If you're no good at getting a clean cut, cut them longer than required and use a miter saw when you get home. Bunnings will cut it for you but it's like $1 per cut usually so only cut what's essential for getting it in the car or the cost will blow out.

  Biggest thing with getting wood from Bunnings is making sure they're straight. If you want better quality, get it from a wood supplier.

  Looking quickly at the design, it doesn't need to be a 2x4, that's just a very common size in the US. If there was something similar, easier/cheaper to buy but slightly different dimensions, it will work fine.

  All that said, as others are saying, it may be cost prohibitive given the demand on wood but it is satisfying enjoying the fruits of your labour.

  • 

    kisshell9 on 18/08/2021 - 09:11

    +1

    I have checked the prices for similar outdoor couches and they are really really expensive. So I am motivated for this project. Also, I am in a need of a weekend hobby real bad. Thanks for all the suggestion guys. Its really helpful.

    • 

      pippohippo on 20/08/2021 - 14:11

      do you have a work bench? I've built on recently with 70 x35 since there are no 90x35 available might be a good project to start on. It's still really strong (had 60kg of weights on it for 2 days before putting my heavy ass mitre saw on it)

      • 

        kisshell9 on 20/08/2021 - 14:45

        I basically have a circular saw, Jigsaw and drills.. looking to get a mtre saw or table saw second hand soon.. I am a noob.. Looking to get a electic planner soon since I have got few free old timbers for some trials and possible make a planter box..Will look into a diy work bench too soon.

        • 

          pippohippo on 20/08/2021 - 15:52

          +1

          @kisshell9: i'm a noob too, started late last year when i moved out and want to try build furniture.

          I got brand new since i don't trust second hand sellers after getting a lemon once… definitely need a mitre saw but you don't need a table saw (it's probably one of the last thing to buy for a beginner DIY.

          Good luck with the planter box! A nice easy project :) I recently made a long plant table for my parents using old fence palings and scrap wood - another easy project to do that cost about $2 of nails/screws

• 

  barge-in hunter on 18/08/2021 - 10:57

  +2

  Hey, great hobby to have imo. I've made a few different pieces, but am definitely an amateur. Couple of tips from my limited experience:

  • especially with the first few, your piece is very unlikely to look as good as something you can buy. It's fun to learn though, so just set your (and any partner's) expectations accordingly.
  • keep your eyes open for timber and old furniture that's being thrown out. Scored a heap of oak from a worn out looking table, and old kitchen cupboard doors.
  • construction pine is not dried enough to make good indoor furniture. It may warp/bend and potentially pop joins. For outdoor furniture it might be ok, but only because standards are usually lower and designs more simple.
  • you will normally need quite a few tools to make things easily. Eg, yes you can cut a board into long strips with a circular saw, but it's a lot easier to get a good cut with a table saw. These quality tools add up, so if you're still learning look to hire them.