Good Investment ideas

[Slippy]

Good point Inor, I'll add that if you're gonna keep some dimensional lumber on hand, store Pressure Treated Lumber and keep it inside. I've posted this before and I'll post it again...Keep Wood Inside where it belongs!

[omegabrock]

As long as the FED continues to print money and participate in QE the stock market will artificially rise but when it crashes watchout!

I still have stocks and mutual funds but I'm not adding to the market. My goal is debt free, and I'm close. Old habits are hard to change and I've always kept a line of credit going but having the land and house paid for is a feeling of true liberty.

Replenishable food, water and a strong storage of certain goods is important to me. Having some cash on hand is good too. Weapons, Ammo, PM's are excellent choices as is good quality machinery/tangible goods.

I disagree with MR, having some Building Materials around is like a small insurance policy. Homes, as modern as they are today, are all built around the model of "Planned Obsolescence" so they will fail. Nothing wrong with keeping some lumber, roofing, siding, nails, screws etc around for repairs or projects. Like it or not, the EPA has jacked up every manufacturing sector and building materials has been hit hard in the last 30 years. Building Materials prices are higher today than during the building boom and it is due to mill shutdowns and regulations, not demand. I see inflation affecting everything, building materials as well as food, fuel etc.

If we continue on this Fed debt/deficit/spending spree, one day the Feds may come for IRA's 401 (k) and pensions. Scary deal so I want to have zero debt and have as much tangible goods as I can the older I get.

not to hijack this thread, but ever notice that when things need to be cut from the budget, the first things nominated are also the same ones that are paid into...notice the 'free money' is never volunteered to be cut?

[omegabrock]

Inor, can you hook me up with some plans for a can storage system i'm thinking of? i can build it but i lack the experience of making the plans...if that makes sense

[Slippy]

I usually have anywhere between 700 and 1000 board feet of select furniture-grade hardwood on hand at any given time. I do not have it as a prep, although I guess it could be. I have it because I am woodworker and I just like having some on hand if I am struck with a bolt of inspiration and need to build something. I buy it when it is cheapest (usually January-March) or if I happen to see a nice board or two when I am walking through the wood store (those cases are usually Bird's Eye maple which is never cheap and never on sale).

If I were thinking of just buying 100 2x4 studs to keep around, I would be VERY careful with how and where you stack them for storage. Building material wood is notoriously wet, even after it has been kiln dried. That and the fact that most of it is rift sawed now means that it is almost guaranteed to warp and/or split if you are not REAL careful with how you stack it.

Wood is made of cellulose and lignin and thus takes in and expels moisture. Even if it is kiln dried and stored properly, wood will take in moisture. Maybe having some metal framing studs is a good idea? I do not...YET. Metal Studs alleviate the whole wood rot, warp, cup thing. You might have to protect the metal by priming it but why not? I've done "crazier" things!

[Arklatex]

I am talking 4x4, 2x4 and other lumber....stuff people can use to build, or do you have a lumber mill on your property where you can just fell trees and run them through creating what you need?

I do. I have a timberking b20. It's not a prep though, it's a side business.

[Inor]

Inor, can you hook me up with some plans for a can storage system i'm thinking of? i can build it but i lack the experience of making the plans...if that makes sense

What I would do (and presently do), is to lay some scrap pieces (inside as Slippy mentioned) perpendicular to the direction I intend to lay the boards. Space them about 18 inches apart. Lay the lumber, wide side down, on the scrap pieces and make sure they are touching each other. Stack them in layers, minimizing the amount of surface area exposed to fresh air.

The idea is to minimize the surface area of the lumber exposed directly to fresh air because we are trying to get the board to dry out (or absorb moisture) consistently along the whole length of the board as possible. In other words, if one part of the board dries out quickly, and another part dries out slowly, the board will ABSOLUTELY warp or split every time.

Be careful how you stack the lumber to make sure that the surface area exposed to direct air is consistent along the whole length of the board. If you have enough lumber to keep them flat while binding them all flat with ratcheting tie downs, do so. Also, paint the ends with a good quality latex paint. End grain releases water much more quickly than side grain, even on rift sawn lumber.

The problem with rift sawn boards is that the lumber mill saws the log to maximize the number of boards they can cut from it. In doing so, end grain is exposed along the whole length of the board, usually on the widest face. (Grain usually does not run exactly straight through the log.) That means some parts of the board dry out faster than others and cause warping and checking. Quarter sawn wood usually does not have that problem, but it is crazy expensive and probably is not even available for construction grade materials.

Also, covering the whole pile loosely with a blue plastic tarp seems to help a great deal. I think it keeps the moisture in and prevents the edge piece from drying too quickly.

Just as a general rule of thumb, a 6 1/2 inch wide board will change width by about an 1/8 inch (wider or narrower) through the course of the year just by humidity. The width changing inconsistently along the length of the board is what causes it to warp and check.

[Slippy]

What I would do (and presently do), is to lay some scrap pieces (inside as Slippy mentioned) perpendicular to the direction I intend to lay the boards. Space them about 18 inches apart. Lay the lumber, wide side down, on the scrap pieces and make sure they are touching each other. Stack them in layers, minimizing the amount of surface area exposed to fresh air.

The idea is to minimize the surface area of the lumber exposed directly to fresh air because we are trying to get the board to dry out (or absorb moisture) consistently along the whole length of the board as possible. In other words, if one part of the board dries out quickly, and another part dries out slowly, the board will ABSOLUTELY warp or split every time.

Be careful how you stack the lumber to make sure that the surface area exposed to direct air is consistent along the whole length of the board. If you have enough lumber to keep them flat while binding them all flat with ratcheting tie downs, do so. Also, paint the ends with a good quality latex paint. End grain releases water much more quickly than side grain, even on rift sawn lumber.

The problem with rift sawn boards is that the lumber mill saws the log to maximize the number of boards they can cut from it. In doing so, end grain is exposed along the whole length of the board, usually on the widest face. (Grain usually does not run exactly straight through the log.) That means some parts of the board dry out faster than others and cause warping and checking. Quarter sawn wood usually does not have that problem, but it is crazy expensive and probably is not even available for construction grade materials.

Also, covering the whole pile loosely with a blue plastic tarp seems to help a great deal. I think it keeps the moisture in and prevents the edge piece from drying too quickly.

Just as a general rule of thumb, a 6 1/2 inch wide board will change width by about an 1/8 inch (wider or narrower) through the course of the year just by humidity. The width changing inconsistently along the length of the board is what causes it to warp and check.

(Slippy slaps his forehead!)
Inor was the smart guy in my wood science classes... when I was day dreaming about the waitresses at the bar.

[Deebo]

Right now, I'm just trying to keep all the tanks full, propane, and vehicles. I need more water, but my storage room is a mess. Probably grab six four three packs at the dollar tree.
I don't expect anything crazy to happen this week or next, but I also don't expect a kitchen fire, but I do have an extenquisher close.
My next big decision is to go with the Ar platform, or just a nice rifle. I like the price of ammo for the Ar.

[Inor]

(Slippy slaps his forehead!)
Inor was the smart guy in my wood science classes... when I was day dreaming about the waitresses at the bar.

Hardly. I've just ruined a lot of lumber of the years.

Edit: Is Wood Science really a class? I just learned it from an old Norwegian guy.

[Slippy]

Hardly. I've just ruined a lot of lumber of the years.

Edit: Is Wood Science really a class? I just learned it from an old Norwegian guy.

Actually Wood Science and Forest Products is a bona fide study.