SYP for bench. Where to get it?

[john davey]

Simple question about SYP. I want to use it for my bench instead of the Borg SPF available here in MD. I am driving to Ft. Meyers FL at the end of Sept and Am hoping it is readily available at the Borgs right off of 95. Or if not if I could get a recommendation of a supplier somewhere in the carolinas or points south on 95 that cary SYP. thanks, John

[john brenton]

Stop on by Savannah and I'll buy you a chick-fil-a sandwich and we'll roll on over to the borgs. There's a Home Depot right off 95, and a Lowe's about a mile down the road (like everywhere else in the homogenized country of ours).

I don't think any one store is going to supply you enough, but between both those you should come up with enough properly grained boards to make a bench.


Simple question about SYP. I want to use it for my bench instead of the Borg SPF available here in MD. I am driving to Ft. Meyers FL at the end of Sept and Am hoping it is readily available at the Borgs right off of 95. Or if not if I could get a recommendation of a supplier somewhere in the carolinas or points south on 95 that cary SYP. thanks, John

[Mark Berenbrok]

John is correct about needing more than one store. It took me about 4 or 5 trips to Lowes to amass enough. I found the best material was in the 2x10s and 2x12s. There's usually enough that you can afford to be picky.

[Matthew Holloway]

Simple question about SYP. I want to use it for my bench instead of the Borg SPF available here in MD. I am driving to Ft. Meyers FL at the end of Sept and Am hoping it is readily available at the Borgs right off of 95. Or if not if I could get a recommendation of a supplier somewhere in the carolinas or points south on 95 that cary SYP. thanks, John

You spelled Ft. Meyers wrong.;) Home Depot and Lowe's both carries it down here.

[john davey]

You spelled Ft. Meyers wrong.;) Home Depot and Lowe's both carries it down here.

Ha, I do that all the time :). Good to know they have it at both locations. Thanks, John

[Jim Holman]

No SYP that I am aware of but you owe it to yourself to stop by Tom's Cypress in Waldo Fl. Wood porn to the max
http://www.tomscypress.com/

[Jacob Reverb]

I'd look for sawmills in ever-increasing radii from your home. I buy my YP (loblolly, not longleaf) from a sawmill for 50¢/bf. You'll never touch that in a BORG. You can probably find longleaf YP (SYP) for a similar price from a sawmill in VA or NC. Loblolly air dries so fast that buying green is no problem. And all yellow pines are so straight and stable that I never have problems air drying it myself.
ETA: Personally I'd prefer loblolly to longleaf for a benchtop. It's not quite as hard and splitty.

[Ron Brese]

Wall Lumber in Mayodan, NC sell furniture grade yellow pine and they have it in 8/4. This is a clear grade material that is probably a lot drier than the construction grade material at the big box stores. Material this thickness will also mean less joints in the top to achieve your final width. Just something to consider.

Ron

[John A. Callaway]

As John Brenton said.... there are Home Depot and Lowe's stores all along I -95 .... I have driven every stretch of 95 between Daytona and Fredericksburg..... And believe me, you pass dozens of them along the way. Write down where they all are on your way down, and on the trip home stop off at each store until you fill out your inventory list. In Georgia, by John and I , at exit 104 , the Home Depot is right by the off ramp. There is another one in Brunswick, Ga at I think exit 38 . There is a Lowes in Jacksonville at the Jax Airport exit, east side of the interstate... And a couple of home Depot stores along I-295 that goes around the West side of Jacksonville.

I know through virginia there are several , There is a Lowe's at exit 133 on the west side of the interstate, maybe a half mile to a mile up the road... and I know there is a home depot right next to the Interstate at that exit or the next one south of it... Plus, there are several others all through that area ... but i dont remember the exit numbers... You know how that whole area with in 75 miles of D.C. is full of bedroom communities , andfull of do it your selfers... so you will see several big orange signs along the road through there...


I know in north Carolina there are several... But you will have to venture a little ways off the interstate to get to them...

In South Carolina I know there is one just off the I-20 / I-95 interchange.... Take the I-20 east exit... then the very next exit... It is on a big shopping center right there... And it is maybe less than a mile or so from I-95. We always stop at chick fil a right there fro breakfast on our way to the in-laws in DC .

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Stop on by Savannah and I'll buy you a chick-fil-a sandwich and we'll roll on over to the borgs. There's a Home Depot right off 95, and a Lowe's about a mile down the road (like everywhere else in the homogenized country of ours).

I don't think any one store is going to supply you enough, but between both those you should come up with enough properly grained boards to make a bench.

John,
If he didn't find what he needed between the HD and Lowe's in Pooler, he could visit Shearhouse lumber company on HWY 80 in Pooler, GA and they'd accomodate him. All the SYP he could shake a stick at. That's the only problem with being down here though - all the SYP you want, but good luck on trying to find good hardwoods (walnut, cherry, etc).

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Not to try and hijack the threat, but John Callaway gave you a ton of great information on where to locate SYP distributors, so I can't really add much there. I built my bench almost entirely with SYP. I like the fact it is a very tough species of pine, and works out well using it for a bench. My only concern was the SYP at HD and Lowe's was not the most "dry" stuff around. As a result, SYP can twist like a drill bit if you wait too long to mill. Here's a few photos of my bench I built using SYP.
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[Rob Fisher]

I'd look for sawmills in ever-increasing radii from your home. I buy my YP (loblolly, not longleaf) from a sawmill for 50¢/bf...Could you share where you are able to get SYP at that price?

[john brenton]

I bought my 2" x 10" x 8' for five bucks a pop at the borg. The lumber for my bench was about fifty bucks.

[john brenton]

Hey neighbor. I didn't go to any of the lumberyards because I always find that they get annoyed when you want to get picky, and good luck finding anyone who knows the difference between quartersawn and flatsawn.There's supposedly a place that has killer hardwood lumber for cheap, but you need to have a contractors license or something.
John,If he didn't find what he needed between the HD and Lowe's in Pooler, he could visit Shearhouse lumber company on HWY 80 in Pooler, GA and they'd accomodate him. All the SYP he could shake a stick at. That's the only problem with being down here though - all the SYP you want, but good luck on trying to find good hardwoods (walnut, cherry, etc).

[dave hunt]

I live right off 95 near Cocoa beach and there is a lowes and home depot full of SYP.I just bought a bunch for my new bench. 2x10x8 were $5 ea. I spent about 70 bucks for all the SYP I will need to build a 33 inch tall by 7ft long by 26 inch roubo style bench

[Tony Joyce]

Wall Lumber in Mayodan, NC sell furniture grade yellow pine and they have it in 8/4. This is a clear grade material that is probably a lot drier than the construction grade material at the big box stores. Material this thickness will also mean less joints in the top to achieve your final width. Just something to consider.

Ron

"Furniture grade pine" is White Pine and knotty, but he carries C&Btr(clear) Southern Yellow Pine also. He has both species in 8/4 and both are Kiln-dried. Knotty white pine is also available in 4/4, 5/4 & 12/4, SYP also in 4/4 & 5/4 in addition to the 8/4. White pine will be random width & length. SYP will be dimension widths and all one length. All lumber is rough, but can be surfaced to your specs.

[john davey]

Thanks guys. Lots of good info. I have thought about stopping at Wall lumber but it is a little to far off 95 for me. The ride from Southwest Florida to MD is a bitch and I don't really want to add a few hours. I am concerned about getting wet Borg lumber and having it go bananas on me in the back of the truck over the 2 day trip. Is there a good lumber yard off of 95 that I can get some dryer lumber???

[John A. Callaway]

As Randy mentioned, Shearouse Lumber is about two miles off of I-95 ... Pooler Ga at exit 102. It is on the West side of 95 ... Right on Hwy 80. You literally can not miss it if you try to ride by it. All of their Lumber is outside, And they have BIG dimensions... Alot of 4" x 6" and bigger in SYP ... give them a call ... http://www.shearouselumber.com/
(http://www.shearouselumber.com/)and see what they can do for you.... I have considered using some of their big dimensioned boards for my legs on my bench instead of doing glue ups...

[Walter Plummer]

Check out these guys. http://www.northlandforest.com It is worth a call to check availability and price. If they have it in stock at the Manassas location it would be a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive depending on the beltway. I have seen it there but I think most of it is down in Troy Va. I don't have the price list here at home.

[Roy Lindberry]

Interestingly, Southern Pine has its own website, and a product locator. You could start here: http://www.southernpine.com/

[john davey]

Thanks John and Walter. I'll check out those places....John

[David Keller NC]

Thanks guys. Lots of good info. I have thought about stopping at Wall lumber but it is a little to far off 95 for me. The ride from Southwest Florida to MD is a bitch and I don't really want to add a few hours. I am concerned about getting wet Borg lumber and having it go bananas on me in the back of the truck over the 2 day trip. Is there a good lumber yard off of 95 that I can get some dryer lumber???

If you are careful about what you select at the BORG, and buy a tarp and some hold-down straps while you're there, your lumber will be fine until you get it home. Specifically, you want to select boards that have a very even grain pattern down the length - the edges should show very straight quarter to rift-sawn grain, and the center should be a continuous strip of flat-sawn grain. What you don't want is a board with a "bulls eye" pattern in the center - that indicates the board was sawn from a tree with a pronounced curve to the trunk.

Stack the boards in your truck in the minimum space configuration, one on top of another, so that you have a square when viewing the stack from the end. Wrap at least two of the hold-down straps around the pile and cinch them down, then cover the whole stack with the tarp and tie it tightly. What you're going for here is minimal drying until you get the boards home and can properly sticker and stack them for drying.

Also - buy more than you need - at least 20%. You want to be able to reject a board or two after they're dried and ready to work.

One other comment - Steve Wall at Wall lumber will sell you some mighty fine 8/4 KD soft maple at near the price of BORG SYP, so it might be worth the side trip.