I'd like to build a Simple Bed; it will be my first knock-off wood project. I am having a hard time finding 4x4's, though. (I live in the SF Bay area, California). My local Home Depot and Lowes seem to only carry 4x4's for fencing projects, so they are pressure treated wood or redwood or cedar - none of those seems suitable for a bed. HD did have some douglas fir 4x4's, but they were labelled as 'green' so I am thinking these are not dried, and therefore not suitable for building furniture. Does anyone have any suggestions of where else I could buy 4x4's, and what kind of wood am I likely to be able to find them in?
Currently thinking that I will paint the bed, if that makes a difference.
Thanks for any advice!
Andrea
Forums
claydowling
Mon, 01/31/2011 - 13:32
Buy Douglas Fir, but not green. Green can have a couple of different meanings, and none of them are conducive to use in a bed with plans from this site. You can build very nice furniture from green wood using the right techniques, but they're a bit advanced. Look up Kari Hultman if you want to see somebody who does do good green work, and who also has an amusing blog.
A regular lumber yard can probably get you properly dried douglas fir 4x4s. Most of them are even nice and will cut the lumber down so it will fit in your vehicle. Which is good, since most of us can't easily haul an 8' timber.
tncraftsman
Thu, 03/31/2011 - 19:46
I had the same problem and
I had the same problem and ended up gluing 2x4's together. I have a planer which made the job easier. Not sure how it would have turned out without the planer. To second clay's suggestion. Try the lumber yards.