What Is 4×4 Lumber?
Every DIYer should be familiar with 4×4 lumber since it’s an essential building block of construction, most commonly used as posts in framing houses, sheds, decks, and many other structures.
Like most lumber, 4×4 lumber gets its name from its nominal dimensions. Depending on the demands of your particular project, 4×4 lumber can be purchased both treated and untreated. Just keep in mind that a treated 4×4 is going to be significantly heavier.
Why You Should Inspect 4×4 Lumber
What Is a Peeler Core?
If you need 4x4s (or any other large posts, really), inspect them first.
Why? Many of them, especially 8-ft. posts, come from logs used as peeler cores for plywood veneer, which is peeled from the logs like paper towels from a roll. That process leaves only the very center of the log.
The problem is that the center “pith” is the least stable part of the log and is very prone to twisting, splitting, and bowing. This is particularly true of treated 4x4s because the treatment exaggerates the warping and doesn’t accept pressure treatment as well. Peeler-core posts are more likely to warp and twist than posts cut farther away from a tree’s center.
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