Class Action Stupidity

[Steve N]

We can thank attorneys for the rising cost of lumber.

Now if they could only fix the picture of a hamburger compared to what you actually get.

Probably correct on #1,

LMAO on #2, but I doubt it. Best we can do is yell and flap our arms if we are at the counter and say, where is my sammich like you show on TV!!!!!!! I wanna target Subway, Arby's, and Burger King. If you note Mikkie D's hardly ever shows any food, they know it looks bad, so they just show smiling faces.

[Arlin Eastman]

What I really hope is the Judge throws it out and makes the lawyer pay all of the lawyer and court fees.

[EricU]

A buddy of mine is building a small porch. Menard's treated "4 x 4"-  he was putting a vinyl sleeve ove the posts. The sleeve would not fit over it- the post was too big. 

all the big box store treated lumber is sold wet.  Problem your buddy is going to have when it dries is that it will be the shape of a pretzel.  i got a 2x4x10' to use as the bottom plate of a wall, and I checked to make sure it was straight when I bought it.  It dried with a bow in both major axes. Would have been ok if it had just bowed along the flat side. So I just cut a couple of 8' boards down because they dried straight.  

I suspect that undersize 2x are going to slip through more often going forward.  I already wonder how people build houses with the junk boards that are being sold now.

[newbiewoodworker]

Can I put forward an alternative argument--please keep in mind I think that most of these class action lawsuits are stupid, but I am getting concerned about where the marketing people are going these days?

First off, I get it that a 2x4 isn't exactly 2x4 and hasn't been for a long time, but why isn't it? Yes, it started out maybe as 2x4, but it didn't end up that way because of the milling process. Just think if we sold gasoline on the basis of what it started out as--probably 2 gallons of crude oil--so should it be advertised that way? Or a quarter pound hamburger that started out as a 2000 pound cow? (And yes, I get it that your quarter pounder was only that weight BEFORE it was cooked!!) Coffee by the pound when it was green beans before roasting?  

So back to 2x4's. I don't remember them advertising the fact that 1 5/8" turned into 1 1/2", do you? So what happened--the wood shrank more than it has been doing for 50 years, or was it simply that the lumber companies made more 2x4's out of a tree so they cut them thinner? And what do we do when all of a sudden we are down to 1 3/8".  And why should I buy 3/4" plywood that isn't that dimension? How about a gallon of gas at the pumps that isn't a full gallon? My point is that there used to be something called "truth in advertising" and now we have situations where that 4" high Big Mac comes to you about 3/4" high at least the last time I ordered one. Maybe we should start complaining and get the companies to start labelng things as to what they really are instead of what they "used to be".

My 2 cents. (actually it is zero cents, but hey........)

[Lazarus13]

I once bought 1x6's from a box store.  I believe they were milled to a metric size.  A little thicker and way narrower.  Had stamps from the Czech Republic on them.  They kind of f'ed up my day.  I would have loved to sue them for that stunt.

[EricU]

 So back to 2x4's. I don't remember them advertising the fact that 1 5/8" turned into 1 1/2", do you? So what happened--the wood shrank more than it has been doing for 50 years, or was it simply that the lumber companies made more 2x4's out of a tree so they cut them thinner? And what do we do when all of a sudden we are down to 1 3/8".  And why should I buy 3/4" plywood that isn't that dimension? How about a gallon of gas at the pumps that isn't a full gallon? 

I remember that 2x4's used to be bigger, but it has been a very, very long time.  If they cheat on the 1/2" dimension of dimensioned lumber, then we have a problem.  The other thing about those bigger 2 by's is that they were all over the place on dimensions, so it was more of a pain to build a house.  But that was the era of lath and plaster, so it didn't matter as much.  For the rip-out and replace on my basement, I was thinking about using steel, but got over it due to unfamiliarity with the material.  It does look inviting though, no worrying about crooked steel studs, that's for sure.  People are probably working on manufactured dimensioned lumber, I expect the current state of affairs is only temporary.

[CARYinWA]

......Subway,......

A kid from Austrailia complained in 2013 that their footlong was not 12".  Subway had to jump through some media hoops and explain that footlong is a trademark for their sandwich and not a indicator of actual size.  Maybe HD and Menards should do the same.

[Cecil]

I remember that 2x4's used to be bigger, but it has been a very, very long time. ...

My shed is made out of 2x4's, full dimension.  They are rough-cut, from the Amish.  If HD sold these, people would sue over the splinters!

[JGrout]

Can I put forward an alternative argument--please keep in mind I think that most of these class action lawsuits are stupid, but I am getting concerned about where the marketing people are going these days?

First off, I get it that a 2x4 isn't exactly 2x4 and hasn't been for a long time, but why isn't it? Yes, it started out maybe as 2x4, but it didn't end up that way because of the milling process. Just think if we sold gasoline on the basis of what it started out as--probably 2 gallons of crude oil--so should it be advertised that way? Or a quarter pound hamburger that started out as a 2000 pound cow? (And yes, I get it that your quarter pounder was only that weight BEFORE it was cooked!!) Coffee by the pound when it was green beans before roasting?  

So back to 2x4's. I don't remember them advertising the fact that 1 5/8" turned into 1 1/2", do you? So what happened--the wood shrank more than it has been doing for 50 years, or was it simply that the lumber companies made more 2x4's out of a tree so they cut them thinner? And what do we do when all of a sudden we are down to 1 3/8".  And why should I buy 3/4" plywood that isn't that dimension? How about a gallon of gas at the pumps that isn't a full gallon? My point is that there used to be something called "truth in advertising" and now we have situations where that 4" high Big Mac comes to you about 3/4" high at least the last time I ordered one. Maybe we should start complaining and get the companies to start labelng things as to what they really are instead of what they "used to be".




My 2 cents. (actually it is zero cents, but hey........)

If people would actually read there is a myriad of information used to grade and size lumber to the retailer.

No one has done anything different other than possibly moving to the minimum sizing based on guidelines set forth in documents as the above. 

I do think there may be some offshore suppliers that skirt these rules but again you get what you pay for after all, they are just "guidelines"  so if you use undersized stock in a situation where it is structurally important, it is on you not the wholesaler/retailer. 

buyer beware. 

Joe

[Steve N]

Can I put forward an alternative argument--please keep in mind I think that most of these class action lawsuits are stupid, but I am getting concerned about where the marketing people are going these days?

First off, I get it that a 2x4 isn't exactly 2x4 and hasn't been for a long time, but why isn't it? Yes, it started out maybe as 2x4, but it didn't end up that way because of the milling process.

Consider that since the 50's every home built used some form of "dimensional" lumber. Now you are the guy trying to "fix" any number of problems that can occur with a wall. Wouldn't you prefer the luxury of just putting in a like piece, rather than have to rebuild the entire wall because they switched back, and now a 2x4 really is. Your alternative would be to try to dimension mostly WET wood, and that isn't much fun either. That would be the alternative argument of anyone doing any form of modern day construction. I only know this because I was doing construction, and home improvement when the majority of the houses did have 2x4 studs, not dimensional 2x4 studs, and adding a stud and a lath was a royal PIA.