DIY Arbor Swing: How to Make 2×2 Lumber from a 2×6

We’re sharing step by step as we build a DIY arbor swing in a beautiful backyard! This is Step 6: how to make 2×2 lumber boards from a 2×6, to use as lattice purlins on the arbor rafters.

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How to Make 2×2 Lumber from a 2×6

For this swing arbor, I needed 2×2 lumber for the top purlins – the lattice across the top of the rafters. BUT I couldn’t find any good 2×2 lumber in cedar like the rest of the swing components. So what’s a Remodelaholic to do but dust off the table saw workbench and mill my own 2×2 lumber! This is a great way to turn a regular board into the dimensional lumber size you need, at the actual dimensions you need, and at lumber’s regular price instead of a specialty price.

All About My Table Saw Workbench

2×2 boards are commonly used in framing lumber for sheds or for stair spindles, so I could find pine 2×2 lumber but nothing cedar or redwood exterior-grade like I wanted, with the added natural durability needed for outdoor applications like the swing arbor I’m building. Like Corey talked about here with using 2x4s – it’s much more common to find nice straight 2x4s and 2x6s in the lumber section inventory levels than 2x2s that are really stellar. All you need is a table saw to make your own 2xs lumber, and a table saw is definitely worth the investment if you’re going to be building a lot of projects!

If you want perfectly square edges vs the rounded factory edges, you’ll need to take a thin slice off each side of the board, like Corey showed here for making a 2×3 from a 2×4 board. Depending on how thinly and accurately you can cut, your 2×2 lumber might have slightly different measurements than a 2×2 board purchased straight from the lumber store. If that’s important to your project, take care – if it’s not, just be safe on the table saw!

Before you get ready to cut your own 2×2 lumber, remember the difference between a board’s nominal size (in name only) and actual size measurements. The nominal measurements of lumber sizes are for rough-cut lumber only, and what we typically purchase in the store is milled and finished.

• 2×2 actual size is 1 1/2″ H x 1 1/2″ W
• 2×4 actual size is 1 1/2″ H x 3 1/2″ W
• 2×6 actual size is 1 1/2″ H x 5 1/2″ W

As you can see, 2 – 2×2 boards would be 3″ wide (and could be cut from a 2×4), and 3 – 2x2s are 4 1/2″ wide – that extra width from the original board is part scrap and part what gets milled away when it’s cut to size.

To rip these 2×6 boards into 2×2 boards, I set my table saw fence and ripped off the milled edges on each board, then I set my table saw fence to 1 1/2″ and ran the boards through to create the 2×2 lumber I needed. Remember to account for the 1/8″ saw blade width when setting the fence and calculating your cuts. (And yes, I’m still really happy with my new table saw fence.)

Note: Newly-cut 2x2s are prone to crooking, twisting, and bowing (depending on the moisture content and how well kiln-dried the original boards were) so I recommend installing them as soon as possible after cutting, to prevent them from going crooked before you can use them for your project.

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I am the husband of the amazing Cassity of Remodelaholic. I love to problem solve and to design and build things inside and outside the house to make life better. I am a professional Landscape Architect by trade and love the outdoors.

Lorene has been behind the scenes here at Remodelaholic for more than a decade! She believes that planning projects and actually completing them are two different hobbies, but that doesn’t stop her from planning at least a dozen projects at any given time. She spends her free time creating memories with her husband and 5 kids, traveling as far as she can afford, and partaking of books in any form available.

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