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Which is stronger a 4x4 or 2 2x4?

2 2x4s glued together should be stronger than 1 4x4 because of the glue, but not necessarily stronger in the case of the OP's planks screwed together.

physicsforums.com - Why are two pieces of wood stronger when bound together?

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jrmichler said: Two possible reasons:

1) Real world 2 X 4's have knots in them. With doubled 2 X 4's, the knots do not line up, so the assembly is stronger. 2) If it's used as a long column, the maximum load is limited by buckling in the thin direction. The thin direction is twice as thick in doubled 2 X 4's, so has eight times the resistance to buckling. Caveat: The above is simplified. The reality is much more complex, but does not change the overall conclusions. Adding the mention of knots adds to the discussion. This is essentially the same thing as discussing the grain. As you say, some wood types have larger knots, some smaller and some wood (much more expensive have cuts without the knots. Lumberyard employees and owner are well-aware of the strength characteristics of wood and they are priced accordingly. The initial question was for two pieces of wood. No two are exactly alike in strength. The piecing together has been mentioned with the word glulum which is later defined in a comment. Different forms of laminates, including the use of wood in lamination, as well as the use of plywood of different grades, all attempt to answer the needs that are raised by the question. I brought out the bonding aspect of glue in my initial answer and a couple of people then brought that out without reference. One person thoughtfully brought up kiln drying which is one way of speeding up the curing process. Sufficiently dried lumber does not exhibit the characteristic of, "bleeding." When new support posts were installed under my lanai, I observed for several months, bleeding of sap or pitch from various openings or pores. It Kind of bothered me since I both asked for the more expensive support 4X4's in which had already been, "bled." "Wet," lumber will have the tendency to, "bend," under load as it does its job. Variables include the types of bonding agents and the methods of application of those agents. Some of these questions are theoretical, in which the variables are sort of eliminated in use of computer aided analysis of strengths with a sort of constant built in. Those figures are predetermined by prior testing limits for the certain kinds of woods selected. The physics of the answer must include a lot of variables to be valid in its answer, and also in its practical application. Some bonding agents mixed with sawdust, to make various by-product wood products can actually be quite weak.

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How much weight can a 2x4 wall hold?

The 2x4 wall can handle around 1000 pounds vertically.

diy.stackexchange.com - load bearing - How much weight can a 2x4 wall support?

I would like to build a desk and attach it to my wall like so: I have a countertop surface that's about 6' long by 2' deep. It's pretty heavy. I would like to support it by mounting a 2x4 horizontally across the wall, and rest/mount the back edge of the countertop to that 2x4. I would also make some triangular supports, possibly out of 2x4's or plywood, and at the bottom of those supports have a second 2x4 mounted to the wall like the one at the top. Structurally, I'm sure the countertop and supports will be strong enough. What I am concerned about is the amount of weight pulling out on the wall. We're going to have our kids at this desk for school, so they'll probably be leaning on it, sitting on it, and otherwise abusing the desk as you do as a kid. How much weight can a standard wall support before it yanks the studs or starts bowing the wall out? 500lbs? 1000? I'm assuming that the further away from the wall this desk reaches the more twisting force it's going to put on the wall, but I'm not entirely sure.

I can't butt the desk up against the wall to the left, and there's no wall on the right. Will a regular 2x4 wall support this kind of weight, or do I need some type of foot for it?

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