Thoughts on buying lumber online?

[Frederick Skelly]

Good evening guys. Do any of you buy lumber online? Do you find its worth doing? If so, can you suggest any reputable sources?

I like to use material thats 1" to 2" thick (depending on the project) and I dont have the time and energy to drive 60 miles to get it.

Thanks for your help!
Fred

[Ralph Okonieski]

I've purchased some lumber online. There are several good suppliers depending on what you need.

Wall lumber has been one that I've used multiple times for their 20 bd ft bundles and also 1/2 inch hardwoods. (No affiliation with them, just satisfied customer)

[Roy Harding]

I buy all my hardwood online (I live in a fairly remote area - red & yellow cedar and spruce and pine are the only things available locally). My source would probably not do you any good, as (like me) it is located in Canada.

I would suggest that you buy a small quantity from any given retailer first - then increasing quantities as the quality of what you receive satisfies you. This is how I built up trust with my source - I now order hundreds of board feet from them without hesitation - they've never stiffed me. On the OTHER hand, other sources I tried did not send the promised grade of wood when I first ordered a small quantity - they've never heard from me again.

[Bob Daniel]

... My source would probably not do you any good, as (like me) it is located in Canada...

As a fellow Canadian, though, I WOULD be interested in hearing your source! There's a hardwood dealer in Burlington, ON (exotic-woods.com) that is about a 3-hour drive for me. I made the trek just today, in fact. They have also shipped me some pieces when the weather was not appropriate for a road trip, but they don't have online ordering, as such. You just have to call and talk to them.

I've been tempted to order from Bell Forest Products in the US, despite the probably much higher cost to get it across the border. They come recommended, and you can see online the pieces you're getting, in some cases.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have purchased lumber online, twice. It was a pleasant experience. I would do it again with that vendor. Look for lots of pictures. The wood was better than the photographs.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I live on an island (USVI) and therefore I depend on online vendors for select woods other than mahogany which I get locally. I get most of my stuff on eBay. I see the exact piece I am getting. I buy figured woods for my wood surfboards and I want to see the figure of the exact piece I am getting. Also many of the good vendors will send you pics of the actual piece.

Here are a few online vendors I have used and recommend:

https://www.cookwoods.com/lumber-site/
-sold me the nicest piece of Port Orford Cedar I ever saw. They have a great website

www.boulterplywood.com
-great source for marine plywood and boatbuilding lumber, and they are well versed in shipping lumber

www.specializedbalsa.com
-these guys are a family business and THE BEST source for balsa wood

www.wood-veneers.com
-Excellent selection and prices on wood veneers

http://www.exoticlumberinc.com/index.php
-great selection especially of African woods


The down side to buying online is you won't get any bargains, but I have haggled with them. The more you buy the better they are with cutting you a deal.

The USPS will ship wood up to 8 feet long. I frequently ship 8' bundles of balsa. If in the states you can ship just about any reasonable length by truck.

[Roy Harding]

As a fellow Canadian, though, I WOULD be interested in hearing your source! ...

Sure. I've been dealing with Westwind Hardwoods http://www.westwindhardwood.com/ for at least five years now. I don't think they'd be economical for you out in Ontario - I imagine shipping costs would be prohibitive. (I'm in Terrace, BC - Westwind is on Vancouver Island).

Westwind has a very good website - their prices are listed, but when you actually get a quote from them, the quoted price is sometimes lower than the listed price. I've been happy with the quality of what I receive from them - when I order firsts and seconds - that's what I get. When I order #1 common - that's what I get. I also find that their 4/4 lumber is a fairly generous 4/4. They often have shorts on special, which generally suits me just fine, as I make smaller items and don't need 10 ft boards.

Best of luck to you - I don't have any experience with Ontario based lumber yards.

[David Weaver]

I've purchased quartered beech online, and some exotics. Otherwise, around here, CL is a better place to go as cherry, maple, walnut and oaks are all local trees, and once every week or two someone pops up with 100-1000 feet of lumber they had had milled long ago and never used.

[Prashun Patel]

I purchase most of my lumber online. If you buy from ungraded lumber an individual without a reputation, I would go see their stock in person first.

There are plenty of reputable commercial dealers on line. Dimensional is easy to buy. But even specialty things like flitch and figured are possible if the dealer is willing to take the time to email you some pictures.

[Mark Carlson]

I've had really good experiences ordering 20 bf lumber packs from walllumber.com. UPS shipped to my door. I have trouble storing a lot of wood so 20 bf bundles is perfect for me. They sell rough and did a good job when I asked for wide boards for drawer fronts. I've also ordered a few things from bellforestproducts.com and that was also good.

~mark

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys. Sounds like with a little bit of care, buyingbonline works just fine. I appreciate the advice and the sources. Thank you!
Fred

[Alan Lightstone]

I just received a shipment of 12/4 9+" wide 10 foot long cherry from Hearne Hardwoods today.
http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/

Came way ahead of schedule, and seems pretty high quality. And, OMG is it heavy. Fortunately, the truck driver was a great guy and got it into my workshop. All-in-all, a good experience. They were very helpful over the phone regarding the least expensive shipping options.

I've ordered considerable amounts of veneers from sellers on eBay and http://www.veneersupplies.com/ Also, good quality.

[Bill Huber]

I have ordered a lot of wood from Woodworkers Source, I have had very good luck with them. I got one board that had a bad spot in it that was right at a place that really messed things up. I called them and had a new one on the way that day at no charge and I was told just to keep the one with the bad spot in it.

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/index.php

[jim gossage]

+3 on wall limber in NC. Good prices, lumber, and service on at least 10 diff varities.

[Dick Latshaw]

+3 on wall limber in NC. Good prices, lumber, and service on at least 10 diff varities.

Me too. Been using them off and on for the last six or eight years.

[Brett Robson]

I order lumber all the time. The two I use most frequently are Niagara Lumber: https://www.niagaralumber.com/index.php?cID=1

and Green Valley Wood Products: http://www.gvwp.net/category/56-lumber.aspx

Niagara has a better selection and thicker stock available; Green Valley has better prices. I've purchased about 100bf of 4/4 cherry from Green Valley over the past few months. Their quality is top-notch and they usually ship the same day I order.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I order all of my high-end stuff on-line. Primarily book-matched old-growth veneer quality QSWO flitches from Talarico, and stunning curly maple from Maple Leaf Hardwoods.

$16 - $20 per BF delivered. Never a single complaint, over the past 15+ years, and hundreds of BF.

OH - and a couple hundred BF of QS Sycamore from Talarico, also.

[Geoff Barry]

Brett, what does shipping to Colorado run from those places? I've used Paxton's locally - the prices aren't great compared to the eastern sawmills, but it always looked like shipping would eat up any savings. Do you mail-order because the prices are better, or because you're looking for wood species you can't find locally?