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Thread: Lumber prices!!!

  1. #16
    Senior Member Odd's Avatar
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    Stora Enso is a Finnish-Swedish company and the world's second largest forest industry group.


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    43XX (2235-2123-2450-2405-CC 3155)5235-4412-4406-4401-L250-18Ti-L40-S109 Aquarius lV-C38 (030) 305P MkII

  2. #17
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Odd View Post
    Stora Enso is a Finnish-Swedish company and the world's second largest forest industry group.


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    Didn't read your link but I remember researching them three-years ago and found them to be considered the world's oldest corporation.
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

  3. #18
    Senior Member RMC's Avatar
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    In North America construction lumber is mostly bought on price, not quality. A 2X4 is a 2X4, nothing more than this in people's view. Most of them don't know and don't care about type of wood used or quality. So lumber mills and big box stores sell us a lot of average stuff, price matters.

    Some lumber (e.g. 2X4) is stamped "SFP" which means it can be made of Spruce, Fir or Pine. Pine is the lighter and softer of the three (low density) one i try to avoid in a stack, just by handling it you know (pretty low weight). The heaviest of the three is fir (higher density giving higher mass), also the hardest, more rigid one i try to get in a bunch at the store. Handling weight is a good indicator. As you figured Spruce is somewhere in between these two.

    Their dimensions also schrink. Clever mills, removing 1/32, 1/16 or 1/8" on thickness here and there. Similar to speaker impedance, the advertised figure is only a nominal number... For years we were sold regular 11/16" plywood as 3/4" thick. Some months before Covid i came across real 3/4", i was so surprised (imagine) that i bought some to put in my stock! Still have some of that 11/16"

    Fir plywood sheet used to be 19 mm thick, went down to 18.7 mm, now 18.3 mm as indicated on the sheets here. Might well be 18 mm or less next time i purchase some...

    2X4" has been 1 1/2 X 3 1/2" for years, but not long ago saw at depot 1 3/8 X 3 3/8" another little cheat. Even saw some 2X3" that were not 8' long, missing about 3". These are not accidents they know what they're doing, lumber mills are highly computerized and the computer decides how the tree will be cut to maximize number of pieces.

    RE BMW Post# 15

    With the Euro worth about 1.18 US (or the other way around $1 USD worth about 0.82 Euro) plus shippig across the Atlantic its pretty difficult to make money on that lumber. Either Stora gets the trees free from Sweden land or Sweden doesn't use the Euro but rather its own weaker currency ( i think they may), or a combination of the two, or its dumping? (selling cheaper elsewhere than in your own country).

    Since BMW refers to Sweden, i have three lengths left of Swedish 2X4 (had 10 or so; shown on pic), got them from working for a European company. They are 1 5/8" thick and 4" wide! Compare this to the above ones. They have some knots, finish is ok but not as nice as BMW describes for his. I got them free can't complain.

    The finish (knots, etc.) also depends on the type of trees being used. Canadian construction lumber uses mostly SFP, what the country has most i guess.

    RE And yet lumber manufacturers here say the rise in prices is simply an adjustment in the market that puts them closer to where it always should have been.

    Yup, $$$$$$$$$

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  4. #19
    RIP 2021 SEAWOLF97's Avatar
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    Oregon has a tree or two ...

    Vast majority are Douglas Fir, and that's what we usually get.

    When building my 60ft. patio a couple of years back , did all buying at Home Deep-Poo , as i get a disabled Vet discount there.

    I'd sift thru the 2x4's for best, wasn't that hard ... about 10% were not up to my needs, for one reason or other. I'd lay them on the floor and check for straightness. That & knots were the biggest defects.

    Still have the receipts ... 2x4x8 's were $2.97
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  5. #20
    Senior Member RMC's Avatar
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    Sure Oregon as lot of trees, so does Maine. Use to watch Oregon lumber jacks program on TV, but don't see them anymore.

    Douglas Fir is nice, also found in B.C. One of the hardest among "soft woods". Pine too soft, good for moldings and that sort of detail stuff.

    When need a number of studs or boards bring wife with me, boss is pretty good at discarding the poor ones in a pile.

    $2.97 yup the good old days now.....

  6. #21
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RMC View Post
    $2.97 yup the good old days now.....
    2 x 4 x 8 at Home Despot currently: Spruce framing $5.98 here.
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

  7. #22
    RIP 2021 SEAWOLF97's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RMC View Post
    Douglas Fir is nice, also found in B.C. One of the hardest among "soft woods". Pine too soft, good for moldings and that sort of detail stuff..
    "hard/soft wood" has nothing to do with HARDNESS.

    It's whether deciduous or not.

    BALSA is classified as a "hard wood"

    Wood is often classified into two categories including hardwood and softwood. But, the difference between these two types of wood isn’t in their name. That is, hardwood isn’t necessarily denser than softwood.

    For instance, yew wood is classified as a softwood but is considerably tougher than certain hardwoods. Likewise, balsa wood is classified as a hardwood and yet it’s one of the least dense and softest types of wood.


    https://www.horizonwood.com/hardwood...erence-part-1/

    Why is pine a softwood?

    Softwoods have no visible pores, which means that they don't display the prominent grain seen in hardwoods. ... You can identify most hardwoods due to their broad leaves, while softwoods usually have needles and cones. Examples of softwood trees include: Pine.
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  8. #23
    Senior Member Champster's Avatar
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    I just got word on the home I'm building that lumber prices should see some significant reductions toward the end of August. It all depends on how long it takes to sell the existing inventory.
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  9. #24
    Senior Member RMC's Avatar
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    BMW

    $5.98 US not that bad these days, still twice what Wolf paid, but about half what i saw at local Depot recently...

    WOLF

    CANFOR (often stamped on wood; easy to figure what it means) is a big lumber producer in B.C., announced yesterday it was reducing production due to forest fires in BC (still 267 active). BC Govt also announced, following new weather forecast, the forest fires situation will get even worst before getting better! Other Provinces dispatching to BC lot more specialized forest firefighters. This is really serious. (CTV News)

    As i said before would not be surprised supply goes down and prices back up again due to BC's size in the North American lumber products industry... Guess similar situation in Oregon with fires there too. Since demand is high and supply has its limits, if one or two big ones fall "offline" you get a crisis.

    Sitka Forest Products is a known name here in the industry and is where i took my SFP info (see pics, plus arrow on Fir). The only questionable item in the pic is "for a modest price", lol. Some new house buyers were told by their contractor $30-50K MORE due to lumber price increases. Pocket change i guess.

    I have a fair amount of various lumber in stock, handle many and can assure you that hardness and weight are different between Fir and Pine, and density is the probable reason for this (mass = density X volume; can't escape that one). My comparisons involved the same volumes. Main advantages of pine, works easily (being "soft") and finishes well.

    A small lumber mill in the region recently converted his specialty/exotic lumber operation, to a construction lumber maker outfit, he said to help in the lumber shortage. Well, not "helping" at $3. or so for a 2X4", no no. Rather $10. and customer has to pick it up himself at the mill! Clear he wanted to be part of the action $$$$$$.

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