Who has a local lumber yard?

[Glen Butler]

I got word from a friend in Chicago area that lumber yards are non existent. You have to go to lowes or home depot. I didn't get a chance to talk with him much because he is in the Navy, but I would think regardless of where you life a builder needs to be able to buy beams and joists and hangers and all the stuff that gets special ordered for building projects. So I am curious who has a local lumber yard and who doesn't? This is what I mean by lumber yard.

http://www.wheelwrightlumber.com/Pages/gallery.htm

It may include: An in-house custom door shop, building materials, contractor sales counter, outside salesmen, the ability to custom order millworks, the ability to drive into the lot with your truck and load up some wood, trucks for job site delivery.

[Paul Ryan]

There are lots of them around here. With in 30 miles of me I can think of 6. That does not include the BORGS these are full fledged lumber yards. I also have a hardwood saw mill 4 miles from my home. They sell lumber all over the world, and cabinet shops and hobiests.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Here in town we have 3 local lumberyards and probably 7 within a 30 mile radius.

Only 1 within a 30 mile radius has a reasonable stock of hardwoods, however.

[John Thompson]

Four main hard-wood suppliers in the Atlanta area that I can think of and too many lumber yards period to count. There are also several local sawmills within a 2 hour drive of my door I am aware of with one about 35 miles away.

[Matt Meiser]

We've got 2 left in our county. Lost 3 in the last few years. 1 was worthless even though I used to drive by it on my way home from work. Another was way out of the way and I don't know anything about them. The last I guessed contractors loved. Don't know as they were only open til 5 on weekdays and never on weekends. They did't last long when the housing boom collapsed.

[Neil Brooks]

One in my town. It's a pretty class operation. I feel grateful to have it close by.

[Ryan Baker]

There's nothing near me but the BORGs. (Actually, there must be SOMETHING around somewhere for the construction guys ... I'm not looking for quantities of construction supplies.) The closest place resembling a hardwood dealer is over an hour drive away. It's pretty pathetic.

[Jim Becker]

I have several local lumber yards to choose from, including one that has a second location dedicated to cabinet grade plywood, hardwoods and millwork. For the most part, I don't buy any material for woodworking projects at the 'borg outside of MDF and occasionally some hardware.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I haven't been able to find any good ones in the Denver area (any Denver area creekers want to enlighten me?). There are 2 good local hardwood dealers, but no good non-borg lumberyards that I can find.

I'm also surprised at the lack of local hardware stores and farm supply stores. I guess not much demand for farm supply, but where does one buy belts, pulleys, sprinkler parts, plumbing fittings, etc (if not at the borg)?

[Michael MacDonald]

In chicago? I go to owl hardwood... The location I go to is small, so it doesn't match wheelwright. Buy they have a good selection of woods. Check out their Internet page... I think it is owlhardwood.com

[Mark Bolton]

We have about four in a 40 mile radius ranging from the custom door shop, complete fab and millwork, to a plain jane.

Mark

[Bobby Thistle]

I have 2 that are a 30 minute drive out in the country. One of them isn't very good... nor are their prices. But the other one is a thing of beauty. There's any kind of wood you would want. He is a one man operation who mills hardwood for floors mainly but sells rough wood as well. I just drive up in my truck, load up and bring it home.

--Bobby

[Matt Meiser]

By the way, here's a really nice REAL lumberyard.

http://www.keimlumber.com/

Not to shabby woodworking store either.

[Heather Thompson]

Here in the Chicagoland area there is Edward Hines and also Lee lumber, numerous privately owned sawmills that will do construction grade to cabinet grade, for hardwood there is Owl Hardwood (3 locations) and the Hardwood Connection in Sycamore. There are more locations but can't pick them off the top of my head.

Heather

[James Carmichael]

We have 3 that I frequent in the D/FW area, plus a sawmill about an hour's drive from me.

[Ron Carlton]

We have 3 that I frequent in the D/FW area, plus a sawmill about an hour's drive from me.

Could you list them please?

[Glen Butler]

In chicago? I go to owl hardwood... The location I go to is small, so it doesn't match wheelwright. Buy they have a good selection of woods. Check out their Internet page... I think it is owlhardwood.com

Owl Hardwood looks like a great place to get hardwood but does not classify as a lumber yard. They don't have building materials, far as I could see, just hardwood. If there is a lumber yard in Chicago or even 50 miles away that would be nice to know though.


By the way, here's a really nice REAL lumberyard.

http://www.keimlumber.com/

Not to shabby woodworking store either.

This place looks about as close as you can get to heaven on earth. Wheelwright that I posted above can order me any hardwood I want but they don't stock any 4/4 hardwood. They do have some S4S in the popular stuff for the finish subcontractors in the area.

Sounds like those in a metropolis are less likely to have a lumber yard maybe cause there aren't really any subdivisions and single family housing going in.

[Steve Rowe]

I live in a town of about 22K and we have two lumberyards in addition to a Lowes. No Home Depot. For hardwoods, I use Hogan Hardwoods located about 75 miles away. They deliver to my town twice per week.

[Matthew Curtis]

Anyone in OH have some that they like?

[Matt Meiser]

What part of Ohio?

[glenn bradley]

I have one about 4 miles away but I differ on my classification of lumber yard I guess. No trusses, dimensional lumber, lam-beams or any such. They do carry millwork, prefinished ply, shop ply, cabinet ply, veneered ply, MDF and melamine. Mostly though it is just rows of maples, poplar, alder, cherry, oaks, beech, bubinga, zebra wood, aromatic cedar, mahoganys, teak, jelutong, etc.

There is a small side room where they carry items for your convenience much the same way Rockler or Woodcraft carry lumber; no bargains but its there if you need it: Kreg stuff, drawer slides, screws, blades and bits, some jigs, milled legs, plinths, corbels and such. There are 3 more within a half hour or so but I have never gone to them, yet. I know some folks look under hardwood instead of lumber and find flooring shops.

[Mike Archambeau]

We have amazing access to lumber here in CT. Rings End Lumber is the best lumber yard I have ever seen. You could build an entire house with what they sell. You can get a flavor for what they offer here: http://www.ringsend.com/

If you need lumber for building furniture here is the best source I know of in CT: http://www.kellogghardwoods.com/.

I have used both sources extensively. They are family run, and they are very nice people.

Not sure how many Creekers are in the NY, CT, or MA area that are not already aware of these businesses.....but just in case.....

[David Helm]

There are at least 8 in my area that primarily service the construction industry. In my town there is a plywood mill that produces a variety of woods. There is also a very good hardwood operation that sells many type of woods, from local to exotic. He has been in business for nearly 40 years and is my go to guy.

[Steve Kohn]

I have posted this previously. Many are still in business but I can't swear that all of them are. Call or email first.

Here you go...

Kirkland Sawmill is on Route 72 which is Main Street in Kirkland, illinois, about 9 miles west of Genoa. It is a tiny town out near route 39. Hours are M-F 8 to 5 and 8 to noon on Saturdays.

Kirkland Saw Mill, 606 W. Maine Street, Kirkland, IL 60140
815-522-6150
Ron is the name of the owner...

Only local woods. Tons of Oak, both Red and White. Usually has Maple and poplar, but only occasionally other woods. Lots of 4/4 and 5/4 stock, but limited on bigger stuff.

----------------------------------------------------
Owl Hardwood
926 S. Graceland (Route 45)
Des Plaines, illinois 60016
(847-824-5025)

Big selection, but very, very, very pricey. Mostly finished two faces to a fat ¾”.

A good place to go for exotics around here. Any unusual sheet goods, too -- exotic faced ply, for instance. They can get it, if they don't have it, usually. Contact them here: http://www.owlhardwood.com/ (http://www.owlhardwood.com/)

----------------------------------------------------

Badger Hardwoods of Wisconsin, Ltd.
(Owner: Bob Hansen)
N1517 Hwy 14
Walworth, WI 53184

Monday-Saturday
Phone: (800) 252-2373
Phone: (414) 275-1162
FAX: (414) 275-9855
e-mail:badgerwood@badgerwood.com

It's about 10 minutes north of Harvard. A little house with a bunch of sheds full to the rafters with wood. Wide selection, good prices.

They also have a web site.
www.badgerwood.com (http://www.badgerwood.com/)

----------------------------------------------------

The Hardwood Connection
1810 State Route 64
Sycamore, IL 60178
(815) 895-8733

Big selection. Exotics and domestic stuff. Very expensive but high quality. Lots of turning blanks and lots of plywood species. Often have specials on unusual woods in odd sizes.
Also, a nice selection of tools to drool over.

----------------------------------------------------

Kettle Moraine Hardwoods.
www.kmhardwoods.com (http://www.kmhardwoods.com/)

Good selection, nice people. The best prices in the area. Their species selection is not as broad as others but they carry many different stock sizes (up to 12/4). They also do some stock prep for low costs. Planing, ripping, cross cuts, sanding, etc.

Two locations near Milwaukee.
SOUTH STORE (closest to Chicago)
- Off I-94 in Racine County. Exit at 7 Mile Road (Which is 25 miles north of the illinois state line). Take the west frontage road north one mile to store.

Caledonia, WI 53108
I-94 & 7 mile Road
262 835 9212

----------------------------------------------------

GC Mill in Woodstock.
Another good place for domestic woods is GC Mill in Woodstock. A little shack off of Route 14. Gerardo and Cindy will treat you right and it's worth the trip for any amount of lumber.
815-334-8174.
A little place (easy to miss so watch out!), just a house and a Quonset hut filled with lumber. The only place I have been to with 16’ long stock! The guy running it really loves wood and likes to show off his stock. Prices are fair.

www.gcmill.com (http://www.gcmill.com)
And lastly is
Horigan Urban Forest Products, Inc.
847-568-1340
www.urbanlumber.com (http://www.urbanlumber.com)
I have not been to their place but their web site shows some interesting wood.

[Peter Quinn]

I have two lumber yards in town that also carry a wide selection of millwork, and three more within a 30 minute drive that each has a sort of speciality. One is heavy in cedar products, another handles windows, etc. And we have the Borg. And Lowes a bit down the road.

I know there are places where the local lumber yard has all but disappeared. Its sad. I can remember going to trade shops and lumber yards with my father as a kid, and if you didn't speak the language, the service was a bit rough. Plumbing, electrical, carpentry, we bought each of these in a separate specialty store. If you did speak the language, the service was great and you got exactly what you needed quick. Walking into a trade shop and asking for "one of those thingys" isn't well received. My local electrical vendor left last year due to the economy and a localized traffic/construction issue, and that hurts when I need to wire machines and count on the borg for parts.

For hardwood and plywood there are several good yards locally. Most of the "contractors/builders" yards around here stock some hardwood and cabinet grade plywood, but its marginal quality and vastly overpriced

[Callan Campbell]

Guess I better speak to this one, as I live in Chicago. When we lost first one Hines Lumber that was 10 minutes from me and then another one just north of me, we lost alot. Now, according to their website, Hines has just one store inside the city limits, up in the Edgewater neighborhood. All the rest of their stores are in locations outside the city
There ARE some independent yards like Heather mentioned still left in the city, but they are probably hard hit by both the national chains like Home Depot etc. and the fallen housing business. I'm lucky to have Wood World just 5 minutes away, but they're a Hardwood supplier, with some extras like Festool and some millwork. I miss both of my local Hines yards though, they knew their stuff and I relied on them for Cedar for outside projects. Maybe I'll have to drive all the way up to the remaining store and check it out. Others have mentioned Owl Hardwood, and I've bought from them too. I haven't seen their prices really being out of line, and I've bought way more wood than just 4/4. Owl and Wood World carry handrail stock in several wood species too, which was really handy to update our almost 100 year old 2 flat.
For hardware, I use McFeelys alot, as I know I'm just going to be frustrated if I reply on Home Depot to have what I'm looking for.
Chicago lost Frog Tool down on Jackson awhile ago[they were kind of a icon to some people], and for a short time in the 90's there was a pretty decent place on Ashland that also did lots of tool sharpening, like planer and jointer knives in addition to selling tools/equipment. Lots of business carnage , and lost outlets for woodworkers.

[Bob Haskett]

We have a couple, but the ones I know of will not sell to the public.

[Shawn Murphy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by James Carmichael http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1330165#post1330165)
We have 3 that I frequent in the D/FW area, plus a sawmill about an hour's drive from me.

Could you list them please?


I'd like to see that list as well, other than Gray's sawmill in Oklahoma, I'm not aware of any other decent local(ish) sources for wood.

[Glenn Vaughn]

I haven't been able to find any good ones in the Denver area (any Denver area creekers want to enlighten me?). There are 2 good local hardwood dealers, but no good non-borg lumberyards that I can find.


I have heard that Paxton is very good - have you tried them?

[Karl Card]

We still have a couple here in evansville, in but the best wood at the best price inthese parts is around brazil, indiana and down in kentucky. I bought 100 bd ft of aromatic cedar with some beautiful knots in it to make daughters cedar chest and gave 110 for it and it was kiln dried.

[Kevin Groenke]

I've got 3, 4 or more "lumber yards" for construction lumber/materials,

2 good hardwood stores,

a couple wholesalers of sheet goods,

plus a couple of Rocklers and a Woodcraft.

Most of them are within 10 minutes, all of them less than 30.

[Steve Walls]

I haven't been able to find any good ones in the Denver area (any Denver area creekers want to enlighten me?). There are 2 good local hardwood dealers, but no good non-borg lumberyards that I can find.

I'm also surprised at the lack of local hardware stores and farm supply stores. I guess not much demand for farm supply, but where does one buy belts, pulleys, sprinkler parts, plumbing fittings, etc (if not at the borg)?

Paxton and Austin are decent. One of these days I'm going to take a road trip to Ft Collins to check out, http://www.sears-trostel.com/

[scott vroom]

SF Bay Area still has numerous full service lumberyards, some with more extensive milling services than others. I rarely buy lumber from the Borgs, with the exception of green construction stud material for our remodeling business. The leading hardwood and cabinet grade plywood/MDF supplier is MacBeath Hardwood, with several locations around the Bay.

[Neal Clayton]

since we're supplying alot of hardwood to you guys in other parts of the world, we have plenty ;).

probably dozen large full service lumberyards in driving distance, and lots of small independent types that deal in higher end old growth stuff that they cut on the weekends, etc. beyond that.

we're pretty lucky for lumber here. we have a pretty good supply of old growth yellow pine still around, since east toward memphis is a river delta we get high quality cypress from there. and further west on the other side of the state is plenty of red oak and walnut, and we can get all heart red cedar for general purpose outdoor use cheaper than alot of folks can get borg 2x4s in other places.

[Karl Card]

Talk about ironic, I grew up in paris, tn. lived way out in the county and my grandmother lived right down on kentucky lake and had tree after tree available to me... for the first time in my life i had the wood working bug bite really hard and i do not have a single tree in my yard nor one within a good distance to cut.. Ö¿Ö

[Myk Rian]

I have a sawmill about 5 miles away. Armstrong carries about any type of wood you could want.

[Rod Sheridan]

There are many within a 20 to 60 minute drive from where I live, of course it's a heavily populated area so you would expect a lot of lumber dealers and sawmills.

Regards, Rod.

[Ben Martin]

I haven't seen this Chicago area dealer mentioned yet. This is where I get my lumber from, I like working with rough sawn...

http://www.horiganufp.com/

[Dave Gaul]

There is an 84 Lumber up the road from where I work, but they have mostly construction lumber.

There is one place I know of the rough lumber, http://www.fleetwoodlumber.com/ and is fairly close yet. Have an Oak project coming up for a co-worker and will be going there for the first to get lumber.. supposed to be a good place though, and 4/4 rough Oak is 2.55 bf.

[Chris Harry]

We have amazing access to lumber here in CT. Rings End Lumber is the best lumber yard I have ever seen. You could build an entire house with what they sell. You can get a flavor for what they offer here: http://www.ringsend.com/

If you need lumber for building furniture here is the best source I know of in CT: http://www.kellogghardwoods.com/.

I have used both sources extensively. They are family run, and they are very nice people.

Not sure how many Creekers are in the NY, CT, or MA area that are not already aware of these businesses.....but just in case.....

I have to give you a big thanks for this one.....was trying to track down good lumber for furniture, cabinets, etc. For some reason never came across Kellogg.

Thanks again.

-Chris

[Dan Friedrichs]

Paxton and Austin are decent. One of these days I'm going to take a road trip to Ft Collins to check out, http://www.sears-trostel.com/

I agree - those are the 2 hardwood dealers I was thinking about. I'm wondering if there are any good construction-type lumber yards, though (other than the borgs).

[John Shaffner]

Oh man, I am fortunate to have probably 6-8 real lumber yards within an hrs drive. I also have at least 3 good hardwood dealers and several mills locally. And that doesn't include the Woodmizer my friend has or the deals I come up with on CL. I am truly blessed.

John

[Jeremy Killingbeck]

Here are the 3 lumber yards I have used in central Indiana. I am still looking for a good lumber yard that is close to Indy & had a good supply. Any creekers around Indianapolis, IN know of one?

1. Hollingsworth Lumber -- 6810 County Road w 400 South Russiaville, IN hollingsworthlumber.com (http://maps.google.com/local_url?q=http://hollingsworthlumber.com/&dq=hollings+worth+lumber&f=q&source=s_q&output=js&hl=en&geocode=&vps=6&jsv=196c&sll=39.639538,-85.209961&sspn=5.143305,8.459473&abauth=6d2e99ae:QoscBoeTslKIUpWi6G6M9tExaZU&absince=3738&oi=miw&sa=X&ct=miw_link&cd=1&cad=homepage,cid:4578660706253634491&ei=XUBDS-mUE6XKM5H32FI&s=ANYYN7lPkekl-DRIRP-o1P4BwXRkQlTBTQ)

2. Darlage Lumberhttp://maps.gstatic.com/intl/en_us/mapfiles/transparent.png -- 4040 U.S. 50 Seymour, IN

3. Foley Hardwoods Inc -- 4600 N Road 500 West Bargersville, IN

[Heather Thompson]

I haven't seen this Chicago area dealer mentioned yet. This is where I get my lumber from, I like working with rough sawn...

http://www.horiganufp.com/

Ben,

Sorry I missed Horigan, these folks are great!!!!!!!!

Heather

[Glen Butler]

Ben,

Sorry I missed Horigan, these folks are great!!!!!!!!

Heather

Still this is another hardwood dealer not a lumber yard.

[Glen Butler]

I have found Lee Lumber and Rubentstein Lumber. Anyone know if these are full fledged lumber yards? Seems odd only being able to get engineered products up to 26'. I regularly use joists and beams much longer than this.

So it sounds like most people do have their friendly neighborhood lumber yard and my friend in Chicago just didn't look hard enough.

[Callan Campbell]

I have found Lee Lumber and Rubentstein Lumber. Anyone know if these are full fledged lumber yards? Seems odd only being able to get engineered products up to 26'. I regularly use joists and beams much longer than this.

So it sounds like most people do have their friendly neighborhood lumber yard and my friend in Chicago just didn't look hard enough.

Well, yes and no, as we were saying, there used to be much more of them, they're getting closed/shut down, fast it seems.
As for the product length, it might have something to do with the standard lot size being much smaller than you're probably used to. 30' x 100', in many cases. So, the buildings are narrower than people expect them to be, since you don't usually get to take the full width of the lot for the building. And most lots get a garage of some type to keep from having to deal with street parking if at all possible. So, you chop the building down to a shorter footprint as well. We go VERTICAL around here as much as possible.:p

[Jerome Stanek]

We have 3 near me plus Keim Lumber and Hartville Hardware with in 40 miles of me.

[Bob Elliott]

We have a local yard that was sold 4 years ago. Up until that time they woudl hand write your reciept with a pencil. The guys really complained when it was sold and they brought the computers in.

They have 5 stores, a rail yard, a door shop and a trucking operation. THey are a true lumber yard and a dieing breed.

I go to a place in Watsonville which is 25 minutes south of Santa Cruz that deals in hardwoods. I really like that place. Good guys, decent prices for around here and they give you the handiest notepads when you buy some wood.

[Glen Butler]

The only lumber yard around here that is suffering due to the economy is Stock Lumber, but that is mostly cause they are a pain to deal with. We call them "out of stock" lumber. Thankfully most people recognize quality and are willing to pay a little more for materials from the lumber yard vs the borg or Lowes. And on many things the lumber yard has better pricing with higher quality.

[Tom Scott]

We have 3 that I frequent in the D/FW area, plus a sawmill about an hour's drive from me.

James,
I would be interested also. I used to love Austin Hardwoods...great selection, decent price, and they didn't mind me picking through to find what I wanted. They had changed the name and couldn't remember, so I went by recently when I was in the hood and they were shut down.
I know there was The Hardwood Lumber Company close, but they didn't have nearly the selection.What else is out there?

[Bryan Morgan]

Here in So. Cal. the only one I know of is Ganahl Lumber. Its ok. Kind of like an old school hardware store with a way better wood selection than Home Depot. Not too much exotic wood though. They have a cool massive bandsaw out front. The local big box stores only have tons of poplar, some oak, and lots of pine.

[Rick Baumgarten]

I got word from a friend in Chicago area that lumber yards are non existent. You have to go to lowes or home depot. I didn't get a chance to talk with him much because he is in the Navy, but I would think regardless of where you life a builder needs to be able to buy beams and joists and hangers and all the stuff that gets special ordered for building projects. So I am curious who has a local lumber yard and who doesn't? This is what I mean by lumber yard.

http://www.wheelwrightlumber.com/Pages/gallery.htm

It may include: An in-house custom door shop, building materials, contractor sales counter, outside salesmen, the ability to custom order millworks, the ability to drive into the lot with your truck and load up some wood, trucks for job site delivery.

Lee Lumber includes all of the above. Plus 10 species of hardwoods from 4/4 to 10/4. Further specialties include custom molding patterns and replacement window sash. Lee supplied all the intricate woodwork for the ceiling at Holy Name Cathedral to replace after fire.

It's a battle to stay viable in this economy. We and all independents need customer loyalty more than ever so that we will remain as alternatives to the big boxes. Check us out at www.leelumber.com (http://www.leelumber.com). Thanks!

[Rick Baumgarten]

Lee Lumber at 633 W Pershing in Chicago stocks Poplar, Red and White Oak, Birch, Maple, Walnut, White Ash, Cherry, and Honduras Mahogany, Doug Fir and Ponderosa Pine from 4/4 to 10/4. Surfacing and patterns done on site. Surfaced 4/4 oak and poplar boards at the 3250 N Kedzie location plus an upstairs museum of thousands of antique tools. www.leelumber.com (http://www.leelumber.com)

[Rick Baumgarten]

I have found Lee Lumber and Rubentstein Lumber. Anyone know if these are full fledged lumber yards? Seems odd only being able to get engineered products up to 26'. I regularly use joists and beams much longer than this.

So it sounds like most people do have their friendly neighborhood lumber yard and my friend in Chicago just didn't look hard enough.

Lee has engineered in 48' and 60' lengths. They cut to order from those. They have solid-sawn to 26'. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding?

[John Coloccia]

I mainly use Parkerville Lumber in Manchester, CT, but we have lots of little lumber yards scattered about. The Parkerville guys have a great selection, and they're very pleasant to work with. They're always my first choice. Their labor costs are pretty reasonable too. It's not uncommon that I'll have them chop up a bunch of boards, or do something else for me, because they can do it about 100 times faster than I can at a reasonable cost.