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Showerthought: I read that a 2x4 hasn't actually been 2 inches by 4 inches since the 1960s.

Found that in a trade magazine at the lumberyard. Anyone else get tripped up by the nominal vs. actual size thing when they were starting out?
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2 Comments
price.logan
Yeah that nominal sizing is a total trap. Messed up a whole batch of cabinet face frames before I caught on. You just have to remember everything gets planed down from its rough size.
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jesse_craig22
Man that one got me good on my first shed build. Cut everything for a 2x4 frame and nothing fit. Had to go back and learn the hard way that a 2x4 is actually one and a half by three and a half. Same deal with plywood, a 4x8 sheet is never a full inch thick. It's just one of those weird industry things you have to know.
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