Self Bending Wood- What did I do wrong?

Hi All!

I was cutting some 2 x 4 lumber to strips 1-1/2" x 1". I cut so the original 1-1/2" stayed. To better explain, the 2 x 4 was flat on the table saw. I cut the radius edge off, the sliced into 1" wide strips.
The strips looked good- for an hour. Then they bent themselves into a bow shape along the wide side. (Drawing is below to explain where my words fail)

I tried 4 different 2 x 4 woods. All were dead straight in all directions before I cut them. Each did the same thing. Some were worse than others.
The first 2 x 4 was from a home center. That was my mistake. I assume because it's stored inside a conditioned space, the wood is prone to warping.
The second was from a lumber yard where the wood is stored outside under cover.
The third was a #1 stud, also from a lumber yard.
The fourth was one I had that has been here in the unconditioned garage for several years.

What do you all suppose I did wrong? Or, is that the nature of things when it comes to wood? Would planing both faces or the edges before cutting do any good?

Thanks for helping me figure out this conundrum.

Paul

Any wood can do that, but framing lumber will have a higher moisture content and will be particularly prone to warping.

That's why you can't find a straight 2x4 at home depot.

Making a cut on just one side of a board makes it more likely to warp. If you took a 2x4 and turned it into (3) x 1" wide strips, probably the strip from the center was the straightest out of the lot.

You can either buy better wood or "sneak up" on the final cut --- i.e take the 2x4 and remove half an inch from each side. Wait a couple of days and then cut enough off to make it straight again. Wait a few days and cut it straight again ---etc.

Also, the grain pattern matters. In the image below, the board on the bottom is more likely to warp. But since framing 2x4's are typically made from smaller softwood trees, you are very likely to be finding studs that look worse than the lower image.

Framing lumber is dried to a minimal level and is basically junk for anything other than framing houses and even then about one in ten shouldn’t be used. When we built my nephews house we had a giant pair of Channel-Locks and when we would get one that warped just sitting on the job site, we would nail one end in and the other guy would trist the other end straight so it could be nailed. It is just the nature of the wood we get today and how it is processed.



If you do it again you want to buy an actual real kiln dried stud. You can still get them. The brand I have used is Burrill and the first thing you will notice is how light they are. After drying they treat the ends with a wax to seal it from moisture during storage along with too rapid of drying will cause the ends to crack if not sealed.



Where I live Value Home center used to sell them. I just looked and Home Depot shows them listed also. Well worth the extra price when you are doing a project like you are doing.



https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-...Burrill-Fir-Stud-1000020053/206262176#overlay

It is not uncommon for 2x lumber to warp. I have had some warp so bad when being cut they pinched the blade of the saw to a stop.

Thank You Each for helping and explaining.

The part I don't understand is that I've ripped lenghts off of 2 x 4 lumber many times & never had problems such as these. A few months ago, I had to cut 1-1/2" x 1/4", 1/2", 3/4... all the way to 2" to face some studs to make a wavy room wall have a straight wall. I don't recall any severe twisting. Some bowing, I remember.

At this point, to do a job such as this, it would probably be wise to find the oldest wood possible. That would be from a tear-down or half-gutted abandoned (of which Detroit has over 100,000 for the choosing).

It was thoughtful of Bud16415 to link Burrill. Oddly, the Burrill twisted the worst of the bunch, but was the only one from indoor storage. (When I have to buy 2 x 4 at Home Depot, I choose the Burrell because the other 2 x 4's are always very wet and twisted.)

It must have something to do with lumber being stored indoors in a heated & air conditioned space. Perhaps the local lumber yard has Burrill & stores it outside. I'll check into that.

For testing another, I sent a 2 x 4 through the planer, removing 1/32" at a time until 3/32 was removed. I reversed and did it again. Next, I did the wide faces.
I'll be darned if that wood didn't twist like a licorice stick before I could saw it! It must have been under great tension and the planer relieved it.

JoeD & I must buy wood at the same place. That's amazing it will twist so quickly that it can stop the blade.

Were I a rich man, poplar would be what to try next. (2 x 4 -8' = $102.84 yesterday's price).


To a piece of Unistrut, I clamped the pieces edge-to-edge. They've been clamped for 2 days. It will be interesting to see if any will be straighter. I'll surely fasten them in place quickly after unclamping.


Bud16415 mentioned the Channelocks to straighten studs. When we'd have to twist something into alignment at work, the saying was "Show it the 460's". Four-sixty is the model number of the giant Channelocks.

I use a tool something similar to the Annihilator shown below. (Had a better one, Someone used an Annihilator to smash the truck window. The tools got stolen, but they left behind the Annihilator used to smash the window. Ironic, isn't it?)

Thank You All again for helping.
Paul

I should have known the model number of Channelocks as they are made just a couple miles from my house in Meadville Pa. It is a testament to a brand when the brand name becomes the name we use for every copycat brand out there. I have never been inside the factory but Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame did a show on it a couple years back.



I’m surprised you found the warping with the Burrill studs I have normally found them to be the most stable. It has been a while that I have bought any though.



I normally don’t rip any 2X stuff without immediately nailing/screwing it into place though. I often when ripping something like this stop halfway and tap a tapered shim in the kerf to hold it from pinching.



Around here there are a lot of Amish and others smaller sawmills and their rough sawed stuff many times more stable than the big lumber yards.

I wonder if the Burrell problem is how it's stored in that store or if it's because the store is air conditioned & very dry and it's very humid outside. Just guessing.

Channelock brand are surely the best, Bud. I'm glad they're still made in USA.
I've tried other brands, such as Craftsman and Klein, & they're not even close.

In the way, way, way back days, they were called "Water Pump Pliers". I think today's generic term is arc joint pliers. Try either one today and people won't know of what you're speaking. Say "Channelock" and everybody knows! (Facial tissue or Kleenex?)