Not the first to ask.

Funny that over decades of building I never heard a professional carpenter ask the question.

The un-milled lumber I've encountered renoing 19th Century homes was square-edged, true dimensioned and rough and splintery as He double hockey sticks.

Perhaps you need a measuring tape with a bigger tab on it? Mine all reach the flat, so work without difficulty.

As to why, I don't know. It makes handling the lumber more pleasant and less splintery compared to square-cut stock, so I'm not complaining.

Saw mill lumber is generally rough cut. A saw mill 2" by 4" board is an actual 2" thick by 4" wide. That type of lumber, as previously noted, are splinter factories.

The framing lumber now sold in lumber yards and home improvement stores is run through a machine called a planer. that machine removes 1/4" of material from all four sides and rounds the corners to ease handling.

That means the boards are actually 1&1/2" thick and 3&1/2" wide. Since most construction is done by figuring the distance from the center of a board to the center of the next, the actual dimensions are fine as is.

There are lots of ways to easily install framing studs. None of the methods I use include a combination square or straight edge. I do, however, often use a long level to plumb a stud at 90° to the top/bottom plate. That is usually used in remodeling, since new construction is done mostly with a measuring tape and pencil. And measuring to make sure the new construction is square is done by measuring one end top to the opposite end bottom and then the other two measurements. Both equal, the build is square.

That may work fine for new construction, using standard off-the-shelf materials. My problem is custom retrofitting available framing material into older structures that pre-date to-day's standard planing specifications, often having odd spaced studs and joists as well as non-uniform, odd dimension framing, and usually no such thing as a 90° corner, plumb wall or level floor. Pieces sometimes have to line up within 1/16" or even 1/32" to fit properly. Shimming and trimming is an expected part of the job, but those rounded corners are a real source of frustration and make precise measurements a PITA. Yesterday I had to cut a stud 1" longer than needed for an awkward location, and then hold it in position, measure with a straight-edge and mark, to get the length exactly right because that stupid rounded corner on a new top plate prevented me from getting a precise reading with a tape measure. I think I could handle 2X pieces with squared-off corners without any difficulty, and not too many years ago I seem to recall they came from the mill with sharp, squared corners.

What's wrong with wearing gloves when stacking lumber?

What's wrong with wearing gloves when stacking lumber?

First, because there isn't a worry of the people handling the lumber getting splinters it is the other workers such as plumbers and electricians that create the splinter issue.

Secondly, while the splinter issue is often cited and I am sure that companies sell it as the "truth," I suspect the real reason is because the rounded edges are preferred for automated handling of the lumber. Note that the rounded edges appeared when factories became more automated. There is a fair amount of evidence that the reason it was rounded is because square edges jammed up the machinery that moved lumber around.

ETA: I am not saying I am correct, but I am saying that it makes more sense that companies started rounding lumber for their own benefit.

Rough lumber is available for woodworkers who need precisely cut and perfect lumber for woodworking projects such as furniture. In other words, you diy. Hardwood and smaller dimensions than 2x are sold most everywhere with straight edges.

"2x are sold most everywhere with straight edges."

And have been for 50 plus years...............

Have you noticed...2X4s are no longer 2X4?

the corners are rounded to avoid huge splinters that can go right through a glove. Rough cut Douglas fir you can barely handle with bare hands because of the splinters especially when it gets really dry.

IMO....the bottom line is you can't do your work wearing gloves. You could work 8hrs/day and only get around 4-5hrs actual work done.

You never wear gloves?

I've done tons of this sort of remodeling. I never have had a real trouble with what you are describing. Certainly would never cut anything a full inch long and have to trim it. it you really want to not estimate the rolled edge, use a cut edge of 2x4, place against the top plate and measure to its square edge. add 1.5.

You gotta look down the plane of the lumber to measure and layout. Nobody goes by the corners with framing.

You have to learn how to read a tape and automatically make adjustments, compensate for missing corners, bark edges, every circumstance.

How?

Nothing teaches like the experience of ending up with an expensive scrap pile.

Casey

Ryan........I wear gloves when needed. Do you wear gloves all day working?? Framers would have to. How would you use your pc wearing gloves??

I bought 144 pair of atlas gloves about 15 years ago and never since. Last count I had 129 pair left, and some random lefties. I wear gloves only when I have to, yeah. Some of those tropical hardwoods are brutal man, worse than framing material. I don't like wearing gloves either

"Have you noticed...2X4s are no longer 2X4?"

Old news; it's been that way for decades, including the framing in the 1930s addition to my house. You have to buy sawmill lumber to get full size, and that comes with a lot of variations. The main part of my house was built circa 1870 out of sawmill yellow poplar, and no two studs are exactly the same size, and spacing varies randomly between them from about 22" to over 25".

Something I have noticed is that plywood is no longer the nominal size. The thickness is about 1/32" less than nominal. Only certain grades of 1" plywood, for example, is the full 1".

Something that frustrates me is to get started on a project and take a while to finish it, or maybe put off the final touches for for a couple of years. Run out of a piece of material and and go to get some more when I finally get round to finishing the job. Or try to repair or modify something that was built 10-20 or more years ago. Buy some new material that is supposed to be the same size, and find it's slightly smaller than what I bought before, requiring shimming and trimming to make it match and fit. Funny, the new stuff is never slightly too large; it's always too small. Reminds me of the ever-shrinking width of toilet paper.

Never has been a problem for me measuring... and a multitude of reasons for rounded edges. Tape measures tabs land on flat part and a framing square has a big of enough edge to hit flat part as well. It makes handling the lumber easier. If you have super crisp edge especially on hardwood after jointing and planing that edge can cut you like a knife. I had that happen once working on furniture where after finishing squaring the lumber it slipped down through my hand. Sliced my hand like butter.

Reminds me of the ever-shrinking width of toilet paper.

And I thought I was anal!