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foobarian·

If the rate of fix-and-flip transactions slows maybe I will finally be able to get affordable lumber again!

Otherwise I guess I can learn to build with 1x2 furring strips... <sigh>

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The lumber commodities prices are close to historical trend.

https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/commodities/lbs

And also, don't look to get into furniture making where the (previously affordable) good looking, high-quality, easy-to-work-with material is 97% imported from... Russia. Baltic birch plywood, I barely knew ye.

Seriously, though. We had a deck designed for me to build (I absolutely can build it, but I have no idea how to actually lay it out). We've been sitting on it since COVID, because the price of materials has been just astoundingly high. What was $1200 in early 2020 is now $2800-$3200. I just cannot justify that cost. I'm praying this stuff comes down soon, I want my deck damnit.

You might want to reconsider. Having a year or two of deck time is pretty awesome. I went ahead and paid inflated prices and never looked back. Fresh air and a great view have pretty much replaced trips to the cinema for me.

if you glue them all together, it becomes a glulam! Though...a glulam made of knotty, warped, and chipped pine might not be structural.

I'll say that so far they have been perfectly fine for utility projects I would normally use 2x4 lumber for, like storage shelving. With some care in designing the structure I actually prefer them since they are lighter. Finally when the rough rounded edges are ripped off they even look somewhat nice.

I bought some 2x4 at the big box home center yesterday and I was both pleasantly surprised by the cost and the fact 50% of them were straight. Normally I have to pick through the pile to find the maybe 1 in 10 that are acceptable.

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