How to Use Construction Lumber for Furniture
An item of furniture bought at the store will be much more expensive for you than the retailer. If you are looking to save money, you can easily build much of your own furniture. You can save even more money by using inexpensive construction lumber.
Things You'll Need:
- Measuring tape
- Jointers
- Belt sander
- Jointers
- Planer
- Construction lumber
- Wood glue
- Table saw
- Take stock of the size and amount of lumber you have on hand. You will want to design your furniture around what you have. Don’t waste a longer piece of lumber by cutting it and later having to glue two shorter pieces together. Remember that a two-by-four is actually one-and-a-half inches by three-and-a-half inches.
- Sand your wood. Construction wood is not usually smooth enough for furniture projects.
- Select straight pieces of wood. Do not choose any that are warped or crooked. Taking time to ensure all your pieces are straight now will save you much time later.
- Cut the slats for your headboard with your table saw from a two-by-four.
- Glue all connecting pieces together as you go.
- Join the elements of the furniture with mortise and tenon joints. You can also bolt the pieces with carriage bolts for a more rustic look.
- Paint your furniture when it is done or finish it with a coat of polyurethane as construction wood is typically not finished.