Safe to rip 1/4” from 2x4s? Any tips?

[aragno]

I am going to deck my attic for some storage.

I need to rip 1/4” off my 2x4s in order to keep the floor level with pre-existing flooring that is there.

Any suggestions to safely do this? I have access to a contractor table saw and a circular saw. No band saw access.

I will be using 3/4” (actual 23/32”) plywood for the flooring.

Any recommendations for spacing the 2x4 supports under this floor?

 

[southalabama]

Feather board on table saw

 

[65ranchero]

Feather board on table saw

Xs 2
How long are the 2x4s?
If pretty long a helper may be needed to wrangle the long lengths when cutting

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

If you rip to match dry lumber, your floor will be that 1/4 low when it dries out.

 

[The Cobbler]

ripping 2x on a contractors saw will be painstaking . you need at least 3hp with a course blade IMO.
I question the 1/4" difference in storage space, it doesn't sound like a big deal to me

 

[Half-fast eddie]

I want to know why 2x4’s are deep enough for an attic floor.

 

[coldh2o]

I want to know why 2x4’s are deep enough for an attic floor.

I had the same thought, trying to understand what the plan is here.

 

[Jim greengo]

Picture?

 

[Big Bad Dad]

Ripping from the 1-1/2" side or the 3-1/2" side? These 2x4's are surely not the only support for any flooring? You laying them on ceiling joists? Are the joists able to carry the load? Explain what's going on...

 

[ALinCarolina]

You need a bigger saw if you want to rip the 3&1/2 inch face. The biggest problem I see even if you are ripping the 1 & 1/2 side is that the 2x4 are not straight and won't ride straight against the rip fence. It is a recipe for kick back. Your best bet is to find someone around with a jointer. It will only take a few passes to take a 1/4" off. It will be much safer and you will end up with a straighter board.

 

[jar944]

You need a bigger saw if you want to rip the 3&1/2 inch face. The biggest problem I see even if you are ripping the 1 & 1/2 side is that the 2x4 are not straight and won't ride straight against the rip fence. It is a recipe for kick back. Your best bet is to find someone around with a jointer. It will only take a few passes to take a 1/4" off. It will be much safer and you will end up with a straighter board.

Ignoring the 2x4 suppprt issues noted above..

You would want a planer, not a jointer. Any decent planer will run 1/4" in one pass while feeding multiples. If you joint first, you will need to plane to maintain a even thickness any way.

Sounds like the op just wants to rip the 3.5" down to 3.25". Just run it through the contractor saw, it will work well enough.

 

[mike93lx]

ripping 2x on a contractors saw will be painstaking . you need at least 3hp with a course blade IMO.
I question the 1/4" difference in storage space, it doesn't sound like a big deal to me

Lol.

I do it all the time on my measly Dewalt jobsite saw. No issues, especially with such a small cut.

 

[ALinCarolina]

I think we are all flying blind until we know just what he needs. To be more correct I would take an 1/8 off on the jointer then another 1/8 on the opposite face with a planer. It will matter to some degree on how long of pieces he needs. If he is toe nailing between joists 16 inch on center it should be easy to rip. If he needs an 8 ft. piece that is different matter. I was guessing he was laying 2x4s across and on top of the joists. Jar, I have seen photos of your work and you know what you are doing. Very nice.

 

[mike93lx]

I think we are all flying blind until we know just what he needs. To be more correct I would take an 1/8 off on the jointer then another 1/8 on the opposite face with a planer. It will matter to some degree on how long of pieces he needs. If he is toe nailing between joists 16 inch on center it should be easy to rip. If he needs an 8 ft. piece that is different matter. I was guessing he was laying 2x4s across and on top of the joists. Jar, I have seen photos of your work and you know what you are doing. Very nice.

For the application, you would get no practical benefit using a jointer then a planer. Planer alone is plenty

 

[aragno]

I want to know why 2x4’s are deep enough for an attic floor.

I had the same thought, trying to understand what the plan is here.

Picture?

Ripping from the 1-1/2" side or the 3-1/2" side? These 2x4's are surely not the only support for any flooring? You laying them on ceiling joists? Are the joists able to carry the load? Explain what's going on...

I think we are all flying blind until we know just what he needs. To be more correct I would take an 1/8 off on the jointer then another 1/8 on the opposite face with a planer. It will matter to some degree on how long of pieces he needs. If he is toe nailing between joists 16 inch on center it should be easy to rip. If he needs an 8 ft. piece that is different matter. I was guessing he was laying 2x4s across and on top of the joists. Jar, I have seen photos of your work and you know what you are doing. Very nice.

Here is a photo of the space.

If you see to the left, there is already a floor level with the rafter.

Hope this make sense.

Total load is around 500lbs total over the entire area.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

So you are putting 2x4's upright across the joists? Spanning approximately 5 feet? Just the small area you pictured? Why not just notch a 1/4" out at the two spots where each 2x4 will cross the existing joists? And sister some 2x4 supports on the ceiling joists at each end for support. (Now, by code, you can NOT notch the top of the ceiling joists.)

 

[mike93lx]

So you are putting 2x4's upright across the joists? Spanning approximately 5 feet? Just the small area you pictured? Why not just notch a 1/4" out at the two spots where each 2x4 will cross the existing joists? And sister some 2x4 supports on the ceiling joists at each end for support. (Now, by code, you can NOT notch the top of the ceiling joists.)

After seeing the pic, I'd probably grab my electric planer and take the required amount of in the spots that overlap. Should take roughly a minute.

 

[aragno]

So you are putting 2x4's upright across the joists? Spanning approximately 5 feet? Just the small area you pictured? Why not just notch a 1/4" out at the two spots where each 2x4 will cross the existing joists? And sister some 2x4 supports on the ceiling joists at each end for support. (Now, by code, you can NOT notch the top of the ceiling joists.)

Yes, my plan was to run perpendicular to current joists and put upright. The overall height difference is about 3.75”-4”

Yes, that span is about 5’ (55”). Total area is 88” x 55”

After seeing the pic, I'd probably grab my electric planer and take the required amount of in the spots that overlap. Should take roughly a minute.

I didn’t think about notching it out to get it lower. That’s an equally good idea I suppose- just hadn’t thought of it as a solution. I would use a joist hanger on each end instead of toenailing the end of the 2x4 to the larger joists on the left and right.

 

[The Cobbler]

2x3 with a 1x spacer at the existing joists

 

[aragno]

2x3 with a 1x spacer at the existing joists

If I correctly understand, you suggest using a 2x3 and placing a 1” spacer where 2x3 rests on the existing joists. Is that correct?

That’s also something I considered.

 

[The Cobbler]

yes, 2x3 is 2-1/2" . plus 1x @ 3/4" gives you your 3-1/4" . on a span like that 2x3 is ample .

 

[aragno]

yes, 2x3 is 2-1/2" . plus 1x @ 3/4" gives you your 3-1/4" . on a span like that 2x3 is ample .

Would you suggest to screw the 1” pieces first to the joist followed by toenailing the 2x3 into the 1” piece?

I was intending to toenail using deck screws but maybe using joist hangers on the ends and screwing the 1” piece is enough and no need to attach the 2x3 to the 1” piece on the existing joist. Seem ok to go this route?

 

[The Cobbler]

you don't really need to overthink in my opinion . I would probably use long screws run thru the 2x3, thru the 3/4 spacer & into the existing joist . a couple of screws on the ends of the 2x3 into the joist .
a counter drilled hole inthe 2x3 would allow you to use shorter screws
even running parallel , on top of the joists would use less material . you just basically are making spacers .

 

[Half-fast eddie]

Full depth 2x4 and rip 1/8” shims for top of the existing joists.

 

[aragno]

Full depth 2x4 and rip 1/8” shims for top of the existing joists.

I wanted to maintain the full size 2x4 but it will end up being a little too tall, hence my need to reduce the 3.5” to 3.25” (or thereabouts).

 

[mike93lx]

Would you suggest to screw the 1” pieces first to the joist followed by toenailing the 2x3 into the 1” piece?

I was intending to toenail using deck screws but maybe using joist hangers on the ends and screwing the 1” piece is enough and no need to attach the 2x3 to the 1” piece on the existing joist. Seem ok to go this route?

2-3 high quality screws (my preference would be GRK R4's at 3-1/4") is plenty, IMO. Joist hangers won't hurt but is a bunch of added cost and work

 

[aragno]

2-3 high quality screws (my preference would be GRK R4's at 3-1/4") is plenty, IMO. Joist hangers won't hurt but is a bunch of added cost and work

3-1/8” acceptable? My local HD has them but not 3-1/4”

 

[mike93lx]

3-1/8” acceptable? My local HD has them but not 3-1/4”

Yeah, that's probably the length and I misremebered.

 

[KnurledNut]

I would just sister next to the existing joists...

 

[ez-duzit]

...Why not just notch a 1/4" out at the two spots where each 2x4 will cross the existing joists?...

This makes the most sense of all. 2x3's not so much.

 

[PugetDude]

Lol.

I do it all the time on my measly Dewalt jobsite saw. No issues, especially with such a small cut.

I rip 2x material all the time on my Bosch tablesaw(s) Been doing it for years.
Recently ripped down a bunch of old 2X12's into 2x6's and 2x4's to work around the splits. knots, etc.
No issue with power, kickback or binding.

Surprised no one has opined that a waterjet or laser is the ONLY way to do this.

 

[mike93lx]

I rip 2x material all the time on my Bosch tablesaw(s) Been doing it for years.
Recently ripped down a bunch of old 2X12's into 2x6's and 2x4's to work around the splits. knots, etc.
No issue with power, kickback or binding.

Surprised no one has opined that a waterjet or laser is the ONLY way to do this.

Git r done

 

[jar944]

Surprised no one has opined that a waterjet or laser is the ONLY way to do this.

Pfft.. only reasonable way is a Newman high speed planer matcher.

 

[aragno]

This makes the most sense of all. 2x3's not so much.

Why is 2x3s so bad? Remember it’s primarily a static load for storing seasonal decorations

 

[gba2331]

After ripping some 2x4s into 1" for stickers to dry wood, the biggest takeaway was that the 2x4s were not flat, so when pushing through the saw they could rock a bit, which made me very concerned about kickback (I don’t want to go through THAT again).

For your application, I’d either run it through the joiner a few times or see if the notch-the-ends approach would work, then fall back to trimming with the table saw.

 

[strutaeng]

Why is 2x3s so bad? Remember it’s primarily a static load for storing seasonal decorations

It's probably better to keep the 2x4 continuous and notch the 1/4" at the supporting joists. Easier and you get to use the full 3 1/2" depth. Yeah, I agree: it's attic space so the reality is the service loading will be low.

Can you PM Monday sometime I can run you a little calculation? What I would vary is the spacing of the 2x4s. Maybe 16" instead of 24" on center, if needed.

 

[mrpizza]

Its in the attic, will the 1/4" make a difference in the usability of the storage area?

 

[Innovate1]

Are you decking more than the area you marked? If not I think I would just tack a 2 x 3 or 2 x 4 to the sides of the higher joists on each side and make the flooring lower. If you do the cross pieces you need to run the decking at 90 degrees to get the most stiffness from the OSB/Ply or whatever you are doing for decking. If you do the cross direction I would just do 2 x 3 and add some spacers. Maybe fasten the ends and then use some tapered shims to account for any variation. If 2 x 4 I would just mark where the joists fall and lower that area over the table saw blade using the fence. No need to rip the whole thing and less issue with kickback and such. A couple nails or screws into the ends is plenty. Hangers are overkill. Since the side joists are double that's some long nails or screws. You could drill holes for a couple toe nails.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

Correct me if I'm seeing your situation incorrectly. The double joist appear to be 2x12's and the joist between them 2x8's...which would be a 4" difference. Unless you are trying to **** the double joist with your sheathing rather than running it over them, I don't see an issue.

 

[Innovate1]

With that thickness decking 24" spacing is plenty. 32 would be ok too. 1/2" at 24" would be fine too and quite stiff for an attic floor. I don't see any issue with ripping those on the table saw but a roller stand for outfeed or a helper will make it a little easier. If doing by yourself I think I would just use the circular saw with the guide.