#2 common hickory

[Moses Yoder]

Johnson's Workbench is not too far from me. I want rustic hickory for my cabinet doors and drawer fronts. They list #2 common hickory at $2.07. If I buy double the amount I need and select for good looking knots, does that sound like a reasonable plan? I tried calling them and they are not answering the phone today. It is about 2 hours drive, so I can't just go look at it. My regular wood supplier supplies the stock factories and would not have what I am looking for.

[Jeff Duncan]

Depends on several factors….like how much is #1 going for? If it's only say 50% more, than you'd be spending a lot more buying double what you need than just buying good stock to begin with. Even if it is cheaper will you be able to get long enough clean pieces to do all the parts you need? Your best bet may be to come up with your stock list so you know your longest lengths and then take a look at what they have for available stock. I don't like buying something from a new supplier I can't go look at first.

good luck,
JeffD

[Jim Andrew]

Are you going for the look with defects in the door frames and panels? When I build doors, I usually use good pieces for the frames, then try to center nice defects in the panels. Most of my lumber is really not #1 grade. More like #3.

[Moses Yoder]

What you are calling a defect is to me a thing of great beauty.

[Bradley Gray]

I too enjoy the character of hickory, but it can be difficult. I once made a dining table for a client - they came to my shop and picked out the boards and they too preferred the crotches and knots. Long story short in about 3 months the top blew apart from the internal stresses and I had to make a replacement. I used walnut for the replacement.

[Moses Yoder]

I too enjoy the character of hickory, but it can be difficult. I once made a dining table for a client - they came to my shop and picked out the boards and they too preferred the crotches and knots. Long story short in about 3 months the top blew apart from the internal stresses and I had to make a replacement. I used walnut for the replacement.

In order to actually analyze why it "blew apart" I would have to know all of the construction details which is too boring to deal with. Instead, I will consider my kitchen an experiment. Maybe I can get a grant.

[Peter Quinn]

#2 common for $2/bf? I'd be thinking $1.25 on over 250 BF. Strikes me as a little high. Of course you have to factor in opportunity cost....if you have to have hickory/pecan shipped to you, pay freight, buy a minimum quantity to hit price points, pay a second time if you use more than you though....it might be cheaper to pay a local source more in the long run. And as others have suggested #2 common is a grade that often goes beyond rustic straight into nasty. Lots of waste, open knots, cracks, splits, wane, etc. What people think of as "Rustic" is more likely coming from #1 common, some places sort a "select" grade below FAS but above #1 common that can yield some good boards for longer frame members, crown moldings (I love seeing crowns in rustic work, its like little house on the prairie meets Mc Mansion...:rolleyes:) Be prepared to expand your thinking, perhaps source a mix of select, #1 and #2 common. Hickory moves a lot, it might work better to have the more character grade stuff in panels, and cleaner material for door frames and face frames. Character is great, but you will never get compliments on warped doors that bow off the case and bind in openings. Short answer, call around, check the net, get quotes, then take the drive, bring the truck and some cash, have a look. Having your rough cut list ready is some fine advice too, both to develop a BF estimate and to identify parts in the design that will require certain sizes of boards.

PS: If you are building anything from #2 common a wood stove is a good first move if you don't already have one....there will be a lot of waste.

[Earl McLain]

Moses--i think Johnson's closes at noon on Saturdays. I've bought some from them and would say that they are generally pretty conservative in grading lumber. There is a place called Wible's U-Pick Hardwoods in South Milford, IN (near La Grange) that advertises on Craigslist. I've not been there, but may be worth a look--i'd be interested to hear how they are to deal with as well.
earl

[Ole Anderson]

How rustic are you looking for? Here is a link to my kitchen done in hickory last year. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?211863-Kitchen-is-finally-done I went with select and better (showing at $2.72/bf at Johnson's at the 100bf break) and had very little waste. I got a nice mix of light and dark wood with some spalting and a few pin knots thrown in. I paid a bit more than that at Armstrong's in Highland MI, but the difference wasn't worth the trip and I find Armstrong's a little more user friendly plus they are only 10 minutes from my house. Hickory has a propensity to chip out, so you should mill some extra pieces for your stiles and rails as you will blowout a few as you rout the profiles.

[Moses Yoder]

How rustic are you looking for? Here is a link to my kitchen done in hickory last year. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?211863-Kitchen-is-finally-done I went with select and better (showing at $2.72/bf at Johnson's at the 100bf break) and had very little waste. I got a nice mix of light and dark wood with some spalting and a few pin knots thrown in. I paid a bit more than that at Armstrong's in Highland MI, but the difference wasn't worth the trip and I find Armstrong's a little more user friendly plus they are only 10 minutes from my house. Hickory has a propensity to chip out, so you should mill some extra pieces for your stiles and rails as you will blowout a few as you rout the profiles.

Your kitchen is very nice, a lot more sophisticated than mine is going to be. I am hoping to have at least a hundred knots about 2" diameter, maybe a little smaller, but no actual holes through the doors. I am going to figure my price as if I was using the #1 common and then look at the wood when I actually go to buy it and make my decision based on what I see. The cabinet frames will be made out of select.

[Larry Edgerton]

I buy quite a bit from Johnsons myself and when I have to do a character job in #2 I buy double +10 %. I "usually" have a bit left over that is useful, but that means that sometimes it is just right.

Larry

[Mark Bolton]

Your kitchen is very nice, a lot more sophisticated than mine is going to be. I am hoping to have at least a hundred knots about 2" diameter, maybe a little smaller, but no actual holes through the doors. I am going to figure my price as if I was using the #1 common and then look at the wood when I actually go to buy it and make my decision based on what I see. The cabinet frames will be made out of select.

You may have a difficult time finding solid knots thst large. I would agree on the plan to buy much more than yo need. I have about 1MBF of hickory in the shop and often the larger knots simply dont stay tight in hickory.

[Peter Quinn]

You may have a difficult time finding solid knots thst large. I would agree on the plan to buy much more than yo need. I have about 1MBF of hickory in the shop and often the larger knots simply dont stay tight in hickory.

The nicest thing is when they fall out 6 months later. Epoxy anyone?

[Dave Verstraete]

Moses
Have you tried Hickory and Oak Sawmill in Decatur. Nice Guy to work with. Lets you sort through it.
http://www.hickoryandoak.com/