Found a 100-year-old 2x4 in my attic that was still solid as a rock

I was pulling down some old drywall in my 1920s bungalow and found a rough-sawn 2x4 that's been holding up the roof for a century. No rot, no warping - just solid old-growth lumber. Makes me wonder how the stuff I buy at the big box store today will hold up in 50 years.

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lee6275mo ago

That 100 year old 2x4 is probably tougher than the stuff they sell as "premium" at Home Depot today. I bet that old growth lumber was cut from a tree that was already 200 years old when they milled it. Meanwhile, the 2x4s I just picked up from the big box store feel like they're made of compressed balsa wood and hope. You could probably use that old beam as a baseball bat and it'd outlast three aluminum ones.

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angelas785mo ago

It's the same story with everything nowadays, appliances, tools, even furniture. They just don't build stuff to last anymore, they build it to get replaced.

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