Turning wood in Houston?

[alex grams]

I need to load up on some blanks for turning practicing, and I am not really set up yet to chainsaw/seal my own blanks. Who has the best prices for turning wood around? I find some of the local yard prices to be pretty silly. Paying $15-20 for a 3"x8" piece of maple seems high. Or are my expectations of price just wrong?

[charlie knighton]

find someone selling mesquite firewood

[Jim Bennett]

I've not found any of the retail outlets in Houston that have prices low enough for "practice" pieces. For purchased turning blanks, Rockler is about as good as I've seen. However, the City of Houston is in the process of taking down thousands of dead trees from the drought - if you keep your eyes open you might get a chance to snag some of it (I grabbed a hunk of sweet gum on Heights Boulevard a couple of weeks ago). There is also a lot of tree removal going on with private property - I saw an elm being taken down last week and asked the workers to throw a piece in the back of my truck. You really need to get a chain saw, even a small electric model, it will save you money in the long run.

[Brian Brown]

If the city of Houston is taking out lots of dead trees. you could try your county landfill. All are required to operate a green pit where trees branches and other wood is taken to be made into mulch. I have heard that there there is a federal law that requires that the landfills allow salvaging from the green pit. I don't know if that is true, but when I called the manager of the local landfill here, they wouldn't let me salvage (I don't blame them, the liability is a nightmare), until I mentioned the law. Suddenly the red carpet rolled out. Even in an area this sparsely populated. I find some great stuff. Since you don't own a chainsaw, you could get a good workout with a good sharp bow saw! :eek:;) Try that and your next tool will be a chainsaw. :D

[Mike Campbell KS]

I have no idea if this would ever happen in Houston, with the different climate that you have from mine, but I find free firewood and cut trees listed on Craigslist all of the time. People are begging for it to be picked up. Good luck.

[Joe Adams]

I'd recommend Rockler, Woodcraft Southwest, Woodcraft North, Houston Hardwoods, Clark's Hardwood, and cookwoods-dot-com.

[Jim Bennett]

Actually, Houston just signed a $4.5M contract for tree removal that requires the contractor to either turn all of the trees into lumber, pulp, or mulch. None of it will end up in the dump. However, they have been cutting down the trees and leaving them for a few days before picking them up -- so a few pieces probably won't be missed. It is mostly oak and pine -- but there is some interesting stuff in the mix.

Alex - you might try attending the Gulf Coast Woodturners Association meetings (Google them to find the website). I suspect you'll find some folks there that can help enable your addiction.

[Reed Gray]

Do check out the turners club. Some have group work parties for getting wood and if you contribute grunt work, you can get wood. You might learn to use a chain saw, and even find a used one cheap. You can wrap blanks in trash bags for a week or 3 to keep them from cracking. Construction sites and mills will have off cuts you can get cheaper than from a store.

robo hippy

[Joe Adams]

If you live on the North side of town, you might want to check out the Lone Star Woodturners Association.

[Bruce Pratt]

Not for practice pieces, but Lloyd Stahl texaswoodcrafts.net in Katy, has some very nice wood.