Sanding 2 x 4's ouch!

[scorrpio]

I went through alot of 50 grit paper just to strip the outsides to bare wood. Then again with 100 grit paper to smooth it out then again with 150 grit. It took forever.

Strip outsides to bare wood? Were they painted or something?

BTW, dunno about where you are, but our local HDs have kiln-dried 2x4s for $2.40 each. You generally need to dig a bit to select ones that are straight, not split, and without too many knots, but they are VERY smooth. I used them on quite a few shop projects, and they require very little sanding to get finish-smooth.

[Garasaki]

....Bought some 2x4's at Lowes for $2 each <snip>...

Even then the planks did not look like fine furniture.

Well, I've identified your problem.

Your using 2x4's and expecting fine furniture as your final product.

No matter how much minwax you put on it, your 2x4s aren't going to look like oak. Or have the strength of oak. Or in any other way, resemble oak.

Don't get me wrong, you can make neat stuff with 2 bys. I actually like the look of a well processed 2 by...that is, one that has (at a minimum) had all 4 sides ripped on my TS. Some of them have pretty neat grain.

But, neat stuff, and fine furniture, are not the same thing. Pine moves a lot. It's a softwood. Lots of sap. Add in the fact that it's a 2x4, that means lots of knots and no smooth finish...

If you want to expect fine furniture, you need fine wood to start with. So keep your eyes open for local deals on hardwood (ie classifieds, craigslist, etc). Learn what a BF is. I'd say your better off with quality wood (perhaps already surfaced on all 4 sides, S4S) then spending a boatload of money trying to turn 2 dollar 2x4s into oak. Because that is wasting money!

[StylinLP]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. This was definately a learning lesson! I know what to do and what to expect next time around
Yeah, I bought that kiln dry HomeDepot stuff on sale for $2. It was pretty smooth for a 2x4'. But I needed to finish it before staining and sealing it. Still has all sorts of grooves, cuts, dents and marks. Next time I will just take my tablesaw to it. I've been looking over Craig's list here in Phoenix. OMG there are alot of killer deals to be had on it. No reason to buy new anymore. I saw alot of wood for sale too. NIce.
Also the local exotic wood shop here has Red Oak on sale for $3 a BF

[LCHIEN]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. This was definately a learning lesson! I know what to do and what to expect next time around
Yeah, I bought that kiln dry HomeDepot stuff on sale for $2. It was pretty smooth for a 2x4'. But I needed to finish it before staining and sealing it. Still has all sorts of grooves, cuts, dents and marks. Next time I will just take my tablesaw to it. I've been looking over Craig's list here in Phoenix. OMG there are alot of killer deals to be had on it. No reason to buy new anymore. I saw alot of wood for sale too. NIce.
Also the local exotic wood shop here has Red Oak on sale for $3 a BF

a 8' 2 x 4 is 5.33 BF. ( a BF is 144 cu inches of wood at the pre-planed/cut dimensions)
So, if you could find one, in red Oak, it would cost $16...

[Garasaki]

Yeah I tend to consider a killer deal on typical domestic hardwoods (oak, maple, cherry, walnut, etc) about a buck to a buck 50 a BF. 3$/bf oak is just below typical "retail" prices in my area.

Don't be afraid of the woods "scrap" or "cutoff". You can do a lot with scraps, as long as the scale of your project is fairly small. Scraps are (obviously) especially good for learning projects.

You won't find hardwood scrap at the borgs, although you can get some good deals on MDF (which is flat and stable right from the factory, but is a bit tough to work with, and dosent look good unless painted) and maybe on plywood, although beware that the borg plywood SUCKS.

Try to find a local cabinet shop that also sells hardwood (preferably a small shop). Wander in there sometime, and just chat with them. Tell em your new to woodworking and wanted to get a handle on the price of wood and just see whats out there. Look around for their scrap pile, and offer to take some off their hands. Be like "well I could sure use some scrap to practice on...how bout I give you 20 bucks and take that whole pile off your hands..."

The good thing about scrap from an actual shop, is it's probably processed (ie S4S) and straight. And good wood. You save them the headache of disposing of it, so they typically won't mind much. They'll probably have some plywood scrap too, which is great for jigs, sleds, and other shop fixtures.

[ironhat]

One word of caution to any newbie, not just you, StylinLP. Read all of the safety considerations as well as proper use detaild that come with the machine and any that you can find online. For example, many try to run short stubs through their new jointer only to find that it takes a nosedive due to it's (the short piece's) instability as it passes over the opening of the revolving knives. The rule of thumb there, that I was taught, is that the minimal length is the width of the knives plus two inches. On a 6" jointer you shouldn't attempt to run anything shorter than 8". There's more than this to consider for this machine - I'm just giving an example.
Play safe,
Chiz

[JimD]

Early I just got a belt sander. Later I got a jointer/planner (INCA). I used a Sears at first but the Ryobi 3x21 I am using now is a better buy. Works much better for only a little more. I think I got mine, rebuilt, for about $60 from Cummins. It has effective dust collection, can be used on its back for small things, belts are easier to change, and it has variable speed.

Jim