What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

[Roadblock]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

Straight grain Douglas fir

You would pick that over a type of Oak such as white oak?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

Yep

White oak may be a good choice, but may be harder to find w/ straight grain or quarter sawn. I know 3 places I can go today & get a piece of SG Doug Fir, althought it's probably going to be 3/4" stock that I'd need to rip & laminate to get the 1.5" thick piece.

You want a quarter sawn piece that's been made by cutting the tree like this:

Puts the wood grain at about 90deg to the wide flat face of the lumber. Much more stable, so it's less likely to twist, warp or split.

And NOT lumber that looks like the quadrants in this example:

Most oak trim you can buy at most home improvement centers & lumber yards is Red oak, generically labeled as just Oak. Red oak is NOT a good choice. If you can find a nice straight grain/quarter sawn white oak easier where you are then SG Doug Fir, it isn't a bad choice. But for me here & the last 3 states I lived in, fir was easy to find, white oak wasn't, at least not quarter sawn.

 

[shaw520]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

Yep

White oak may be a good choice, but may be harder to find w/ straight grain or quarter sawn. I know 3 places I can go today & get a piece of SG Doug Fir, althought it's probably going to be 3/4" stock that I'd need to rip & laminate to get the 1.5" thick piece.



You want a quarter sawn piece that's been made by cutting the tree like this:

Puts the wood grain at about 90deg to the wide flat face of the lumber. Much more stable, so it's less likely to twist, warp or split.

And NOT lumber that looks like the quadrants in this example:

Most oak trim you can buy at most home improvement centers & lumber yards is Red oak, generically labeled as just Oak. Red oak is NOT a good choice. If you can find a nice straight grain/quarter sawn white oak easier where you are then SG Doug Fir, it isn't a bad choice. But for me here & the last 3 states I lived in, fir was easy to find, white oak wasn't, at least not quarter sawn.

......That's great info on the wood JB !

 

[Roadblock]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

OK so I'm going to ask for an 8 foot 2x4 that is a straight grain cut Douglas Fir correct?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

I'm frugal, although the Admiral would say cheap. I'd buy a 1X4 long enough to get 2 pieces out of it that can be laminated.

I can reverse the board crowns, use gorilla glue, screws & clamps and get an exceptionally strong, really straight, less likely to warp, cup or twist, 2X4 long enough to reach from gunwale to gunwale. Once cured, I'd remove the screws & fill the holes w/ epoxy putty.

If you buy an 8ft'r what are you going to do w/ the left over piece? I'd bet a 10ft 1X4 would be cheaper by 30% or more. You might even look for a cut off 1X8 that's long enough, then rip it in half length wise. Might find a 5ft piece someone didn't want.

Out west, SG Doug Fir was widely used for trim, both inside & out so I could get it in multiple widths.

I'm not sure I could walk in to any of the places I know here, that I can get 1X4 SG Fir, and grab a decent 2X4. Maybe I can, never looked. But I KNOW I can get 1X4's.

Just ask for straight grain douglas fir. The look at the end of the board, the grain will tell you if it is or not. If you want, print that pix of SG/quarter sawn wood I posted earlier & take it with you.

If you have a wood deck at home look at the end of the boards used to make the walking surface. You'll see that some look like each of the sawn examples I posted. You will find some that have the vertical grain (straight grain [SG]), like what you want, and some don't. Then look at the difference in the way they have both weathered over time. Generally, the SG boards should be holding up better then the non-SG. If they are both exposed to the exact same weather & sun. Comparing a board that gets 365 days of sun 24/7 to 1 tucked up into a sunless corner, isn't a good comparison.

 

[Roadblock]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

The only reason I thought using a 2x4 would be less work and more secure for my purposes is the fact if I did laminate two boards together, I would be drilling right threw the seam.

Plus, I've never done any of this. I normally hire someone to come do anything that requires a saw! ;D

I know my way around import cars (engines, trans etc) but if anything wood needs to be replaced in the house for example, burn it down and claim the insurance! Er I mean um, cough cough..

 

[jigngrub]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

So we're going to set fire to the boat and claim the insurance money?:flame:

Wood working isn't that hard, but it does take a little practice... and you're going to need to buy or borrow a saw. You have decking and transom wood to cut.

I wouldn't worry about anything too special for that 2x4, just go to Lowes or Home Depot and find the Fir 2x4 pile 8' long and pick through them until you find a nice straight one with the fewest knots (no knots would be best if you can find one). 8' will be good because you'll be able to cut what you need out of the best part of the board (fewest knots or whatever). Don't worry about having leftover wood, wood scraps come in handy for a million different things. You can use scrap for beater blocks, tire chocks, and cut it up into shims and wedges for just a few examples.

 

[Roadblock]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

Wait..? I have to cut the wood? OMG no one mentioned that part! :faint2:

Seriously though! I do have a jigsaw and a circular saw. I've used them a couple times. I do know how to change the blades and plug them in!

Actually funny story! So the cord on the circular saw is taped back together. The first time I used it, I cut threw the cord and popped the breaker!

 

[fishrdan]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

It definitely looks like pressure treated wood.

I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but don't use ACQ pressure treated wood rebuilding the boat. The chemicals in the "big box store" treated wood will eat your aluminum boat.

(There is CCA treated wood you could use, but it's expensive and difficult to find. Most people don't use it because of this.)

 

[Roadblock]

Re: What type of wood for a 2x4 transom support brace?

I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but don't use ACQ pressure treated wood rebuilding the boat. The chemicals in the "big box store" treated wood will eat your aluminum boat.

(There is CCA treated wood you could use, but it's expensive and difficult to find. Most people don't use it because of this.)

Yes so I've learned! I did not use P/T, I bought the boat that way. Going to use the Roseburg Marine grade that Menards sells. People around here seem to be happy with it. Also going to use a 2x4 of douglas fir at the suggestion of several people here.

No P/T wood.

Same on the deck, going to swap that out for either 1/2 or 3/4 Roseburg Marine grade too. Haven't decided what thickness to go with there yet. I think it will depend on what type of seating I go with. Right now I have one back to back ski/jump seat and one pedestal seat but I'm not sure what I'm doing yet for seats. Frankly, I'll probably rock out on a camp chair most of the summer and buy seats over the winter when crap is on sale around here! My current seats are TRASHED!