Red 2 x 4 framing lumber

[tom.corbitt]

I'll start off by stating that I'm very much a novice to woodworking. I'm a decent metal machinist, just finally getting around to working with less predictable materials.

So I'm at a big box store in Raleigh on Saturday and on one of the end isles in the wood section they have a stack of "normal" 2 x 4 lumber and behind it is a second pile of dark red 2 x 4 lumber. Most of the lumber is solid red, though some boards have a clear red/white wood boundary showing.

The lumber had the typical SPF marking, so I looked online and found information that stated the heartwood of yellow pine can red.

Is this what it is? Any significant difference between this and the "white" version?

Mostly for monetary reasons I've been practicing and experimenting with framing lumber and I really like the red color, so I wanted to know more about it. I was thinking about making some simple bookshelves with it. I've done zero wood staining yet, but I'm very interested in advice on products that would help me keep (and help accentuate) the red coloring.

I understand the differences between framing lumber and other/better grades of lumber with respect to moisture levels, it's just cheap to play with.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

 

[tryingtokeepmyfingers]

I bought some similar to that a few months ago and the dude at the store said it was harder wood pine from south america that that is all the dude told me I bought it because it was straight and clear

 

[mkepke]

I know of several domestic softwoods that exhibit a reddish heartwood including Douglas fir (the "F" in SPF) and arguably lodgepole-, ponderosa- and SYP.

One would need to do a 'hands-on' inspection to know which species you are seeing. As someone else said, it might even be a foreign species.

For *interior* construction, there should be no practical difference between the heartwood and the sapwood, all else being equal although you will see more juvenile knots in the heartwood.

Given that you are buying heartwood, I would recommend you exclude the pith from your construction - the pith has no redeeming value.

Lastly, regarding finishing - my experience is that Doug fir and the pines will naturally age to a more orange color (e.g. "pumpkin pine"). If you want red vs orange, then stain is your friend.

-Mark

 

[tom.corbitt]

I went back the store and took a picture of the wood. The wood isn't really green, it's the indoor lights (the red is brighter as well) I uploaded the picture to my account here but can't figure out how to attach it to this post. I'll keep trying.

Looking closely at the tag on the lumber it lists "Klausner Trading Company... Imported from Germany"

Hard to believe it could travel all the way from Germany to Raleigh NC, be sold for $2 and some change and everyone still makes a profit.

Tom C.

 

[tom.corbitt]

Ok, I think I got it figured out:

View image in gallery​

 

[Charles Lent]

That looks like some of the crate wood that I've seen around machinery coming from Germany and the Czech Republic. If it's the same, it has some very soft areas as well as some very hard areas in it and there seems to be no easy way to tell where until you try to cut it or drive a nail through it. It's a form of pine, but not like we are used to. It can frequently shatter when nailed or cut, especially when a pneumatic nail gun is used. Be sure to wear safety glasses when using any power tools on it.

Charley

 

[junquecol]

Notice where Kluaster is located? Myrtle Beach SC. I go through bundle to get clear or almost clear to cut my Toys for Tots cars from. Sometimes I will handle a hundred studs just to get a couple I can use. The red is usually softer than the clear.

 

[ncguy77]

I go through bundle to get clear or almost clear to cut my Toys for Tots cars from. Sometimes I will handle a hundred studs just to get a couple I can use.

So you're the guy that always seems to visit Lowes/HD right before i go and get some studs!:gar-Bi

 

[junquecol]

So you're the guy that always seems to visit Lowes/HD right before i go and get some studs!:gar-Bi

Naw, HD doesn't carry this quality of 2 X 4's. But I do frequent three different Lowes regularly. As it stands now, I only need to make about 800 car bodies. Last year, I made 1400+/- bodies.