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The guy at the lumber yard in Boise showed me why my raised bed boxes keep twisting | Backyard Builds - Rigidtalk

The guy at the lumber yard in Boise showed me why my raised bed boxes keep twisting

I was standing in line at a lumber yard in Boise about 6 weeks ago picking up cedar for my third raised bed box, and the old guy at the counter asked what I was building. I told him raised beds and he goes, you're buying the wrong cut, those 2x6 boards you grabbed are flat sawn and they're gonna cup the second they get wet. He walked me back to the pile and showed me how to spot vertical grain boards by looking at the end grain lines, and how they barely move compared to the flat sawn stuff. Cost me about $40 more for the whole box but I built it anyway and set it up next to my old ones. Two rainstorms later my new box is still dead square while the old boxes have gaps you can stick a pencil through. I went back and thanked him and he just shrugged and said most folks don't ask. So now I'm curious, has anyone else had a yard guy drop knowledge like that on them, and did you actually change how you buy boards?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_hunt4h ago

Vertical grain is nice but costs way more and honestly my flat sawn beds have held up fine for years.

christopherwilson4h ago

My grandpa built beds out of flat sawn oak back in the 60s and some of those frames are still holding up, so I get where you're coming from. But here's the thing, flat sawn cupping is real, and on a bed frame it shows up as squeaks and wobble after a few seasons of humidity swings. The wood moves because the rings run sideways, and rail joints take that movement right in the worst spot. Vertical grain costs more up front, sure, but I've watched cheap flat sawn rails split right at the bolt holes after five or six years. You might be fine, but fine depends a lot on your climate and how dry your house stays in winter.