Cheaper source of wood than big box stores?

[Matt Badmajon]

As you know, wood (especially hardwoods) at Home Depot or Lowes is very expensive. It's so expensive that its often cheaper to buy factory made items than build your own. Of course the factory made stuff is junk so you get what you pay fore.

I also do welding/metalwork and I never buy my metal from HD/Lowes, I buy it from a metal supply company. It's 1/3rd the price and they have a better selection. Does the same thing exist for furniture quality wood? I know there's building supply companies out there where you can buy a ton of 2x4s but that's not the kind of wood I'm looking for. I'm looking for preferably pre-planed oak, maple, cherry, even poplar would be okay too.

Thanks for the help.

-Matt

[Peter Quinn]

Yes, there are hardwood lumber yards that supply cabinet and furniture makers. I have at least 3-4 good ones within 50 miles, several within 10 miles of my shop. And my local builders supply carries a selection of hardwood plywood and S4S hardwoods that are cheaper than big box but more than the hardwood supplier. I suppose it depends on your location, some may have fewer choices and more distance. Big box markup is roughly 4X the cost from a wood supplier, but much of what is available in my local yard is either rough or hit/mis planed so you have to be prepared to mill it. Some will mill it for you, even flatten, but you pay for that, still cheaper than big box, and its generally done right. I did a job some years ago for a builder who's client had a big box commercial credit card, so all building materials came from there....Needed 1 1/2" X5" sill nosing. They don't stock 6/4 or 8/4 at the big box, so I had to laminate to thickness, it was paint grade, the mill finish on the big box S4S is so bumpy its useless as a glue joint. Tried to convince them to produce some cash, go to local yard, save big $$$, rejected. They wound up paying about double in labor to have me laminate that junk and 4X in lumber versus buying rough poplar. Go figure.

Also check saw mills, many will sell direct, some have KD lumber, if you are prepared to air dry savings can be substantial.

[Lee Schierer]

Add your location to your profile and I'm sure other folks near you can point out some good sources. You can also use Woodfinder to locate sources.

[Rich Engelhardt]

A location of where you are would help a lot.
Here in NE Ohio, woods like cherry, red oak and poplar are pretty common and can be found at numerous local lumber yards - either in rough form of S4S (surfaced four sides).

Craig's List, under "materials" also has a good number of listings for both kiln dried and air dried wood.
They are priced by the board foot and some will also joint and plane the wood for a small fee - usually charged per lineal foot.

BTW - if terms like S4S, 4/4, 6/4, 8/4, board foot, paint grade and/or anything else seem unclear - just ask for clarification.

[glenn bradley]

A lumber yard will have a superior product but, the 1/3 the price model probably doesn't hold true. You will however get more usable material from properly prepared and stored material. I tried to save money once by buying dimensional lumber at the BORG to make a work bench base. By the time I got the amount of usable material I needed, there was so much waste that I could have bought decent stock at the lumber yard and come out ahead.

[steven c newman]

IF there are any Amish mills around your area, check them out. In my little neck of the woods.....there are at least TEN such within ten miles of my house. Plus a LARGE Amish area in the next county to the north.

[Prashun Patel]

Your cost doesnt go way down until you start buying rough. Consider biting the bullet on a planer and a jointer or jointing plane. Doing the final milling yrself has many advantages including cost. It will be straighter on average, and your choices of species and thicknesses will go way up.

if u are willing to buy more than 100 bf at a shot, mail order also becomes a viable option.

ask for specials, shorts,, or cancelled orders.

[Curt Harms]

My experience with air dried lumber from a saw mill has been good. I don't plan on bringing it home and using it right away though. If it's winter and the wood has been in a heated building that helps. A means of determining moisture is mandatory and buying rough lumber is one reason I bought a 12" jointer planer. The last time I bought red/white oak I paid $1.60/bd.ft. and that's probably high for rough sawn but this was stacked and dried properly. They had ash for $1.25 but were out of that when I was there last.

[Myk Rian]

Rough-sawn is all I buy,so I also have an 8" jointer. I get it from local sawyers. Often, excavation companies have it, or know where to go.
About $2.50 bd/ft. for 5/4.

[johnny means]

Curt, where are you buying lumber at? My local giant lumber supplier in PA couldn't touch those prices. Those prices are definitely not high. Last time I got a deal like that was at a sheriffs sale, and I had to buy a couple of thousand bf.

[Peter Kelly]

$1.60 bd/ft for white or red oak is excellent. Even Hicksville Planing is more expensive.

Please let us know!

[Jim Andrew]

There is a lot more info on mills on forestryforum.com. Personally, I bought myself a used bandmill as I have trees on my farm, so don't have to buy wood. Just plywood. Of course all I use is native woods. But after you get a mill, you need a way to handle logs, so you need a tractor with fel and forks, or a skidsteer with forks, and you need a complete shop setup, maybe a shop building, and someplace to store the lumber. It goes on and on.

[Scott Rychnovsky]

There are no forest in Southern California, so I do not expect to find local mills. There is a very nice hardwood supplier, but it seems expensive: I priced out 8/4 cherry at $ 5.85 bf, and the quarter sawn stuff was twice that. For small projects it is fine, but if I want to use a lot of boards I should look for other options. Does it make sense to buy a lot of rough cherry on the east coat and ship it out here? Advice would be appreciated.

[Lee Schierer]

I priced out 8/4 cherry at $ 5.85 bf, and the quarter sawn stuff was twice that.

If you can get 8/4 cherry for that price you should buy it. You won't find it cheaper by buying it east and shipping it.

[Dan Rude]

I have picked up some good wood at a shop that makes molding and he had a nice selection for a good price. My biggest score was a estate auction where I paid $280 for a Pickup load. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/archive/index.php/t-139586.html? I am still working on it and have a lot left. I also am picking up a lot of scrap oak from furniture being trashed by federal and state agencies during remodeling projects. I also have gotten some nice size scraps of plywood from shipping crates and cabinets. My wife says what did you bring home this time.:rolleyes: Dan

[Scott Rychnovsky]

Thank you for the advice. I did not see pieces I wanted in the current stock, but I will go back and look. I am not sure how much I should be paying for good wood.

[Jim Matthews]

I'm late to the party, so forgive me for any repetition.

It has been mentioned that haunting Craigslist is a good way to find dry lumber
that has been stored by the owner. Many of us buy too much, and that leads to good bargains
when we finally let go of excess.

Hearne Hardwoods of Pennsylvania has a comprehensive price list, here (http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/hardwoods/pricelist/pricelist.html).

I would offer no more than 50% of retail price for excess inventory
off Craigslist - less if the quantity is large.

Lumber is sold by volume, measured in Board Feet.
To get fair pricing comparisons, you need to know
how much material is offered.

Account for spacers in properly stored stacks, known as "stickers".
Board feet calculator (http://extension.missouri.edu/scripts/explore/g05506.asp)

As someone who has just a little more experience, I can tell you that
the tendency is too buy so much as you can, when it's a "bargain".

This can lead to storage problems.

I recommend you find a full service lumber yard within driving distance
that will sell you only what you need for each project, and have them
"skip plane" it close to your final dimensions.

This approach will free up considerable funds in your budget, by rendering
a power jointer and planer surplus to requirements.

Think of it this way, if you don't spend $2,000 on a jointer an planer,
you can amortize the cost per board and afford nicer lumber.

I think your example of Cherry at $5.25 represents a good value,
provided the boards are straight, free of defects and properly dried.



Leave a little extra thickness for planing down to the precise contour you require.

Plug your zipcode into the Woodfinder (http://www.woodfinder.com/) link to locate specialty suppliers, nearest you.
If it was me (and it isn't) I would be concentrating on the species that grow
close to your region.

Mesquite is amazing stuff, for example.

[Curt Harms]

Curt, where are you buying lumber at? My local giant lumber supplier in PA couldn't touch those prices. Those prices are definitely not high. Last time I got a deal like that was at a sheriffs sale, and I had to buy a couple of thousand bf.

http://heacocklumber.com/index.html

This is not Hearne or Groff & Groff, the lumber is mostly air dried and AFAIK ungraded. Also, I haven't been there in a while, haven't had the need.

[Steve Wurster]

http://heacocklumber.com/index.html

This is not Hearne or Groff & Groff, the lumber is mostly air dried and AFAIK ungraded. Also, I haven't been there in a while, haven't had the need.

I had heard that getting air dried at Heacock was hit or miss. That is, they've got plenty of rough non-dried lumber, but when they have air dried for sale it goes quick.

[Ole Anderson]

My local supplier will plane to thickness for about ten cents a bd ft, not worth buying a HD planer and then have to deal with all of the shavings it will produce. I do have a Delta 580, but I wouldn't subject it to planing all my material. I typically get mine planed to 1/16" over final, then finish it up on my lunchbox. Prior to having the 580, they planed it to finish thickness for me and I just did a final sanding with a ROS. And the last batch of Hickory I got, over 100 bf, they chose to sand it to thickness rather than risk the chip out Hickory can produce.

You are really advised to purchase only kiln dried lumber, that way all of the bugs are killed. I got a few air dried RO boards from a friend, and you could see all the fresh power post beetle holes and resulting powder.

[Art Mann]

I have an alternative view to recent posts on owning a jointer and planer. For my purposes, both of these pieces of equipment are essential, regardless of the cost of rough cut or S4S lumber. I don't have any interest in using hand tools to surface, dimension and joint lumber. At least where I live, you can not buy lumber that is of consistent and accurate thickness. Neither can you buy wood that is straight enough to edge glue. What's more, even very nice lumber will occasionally cup or warp a little bit in storage. These problems are easily solved with a jointer and a planer. Furthermore, I don't just make stuff out of 3/4" material. I make boxes, for example, that are 1/2" or 3/8" thick. I make solid panels for doors and cabinets that are 1/4". It is easy to resaw and plane lumber to these dimensions but near impossible to do otherwise. I think there are enough reasons to buy a planer and jointer that it is worth doing even if you only buy planed lumber. Planing your own lumber will not only provide a lower cost of raw material, you will also be assured of using lumber that is nearly exactly 3/4" rather than 23/32" or 25/32" and it will be straight enough to glue up with no additional hand planing.

[Ole Anderson]

I have an alternative view to recent posts on owning a jointer and planer. For my purposes, both of these pieces of equipment are essential, regardless of the cost of rough cut or S4S lumber. I don't have any interest in using hand tools to surface, dimension and joint lumber. At least where I live, you can not buy lumber that is of consistent and accurate thickness. Neither can you buy wood that is straight enough to edge glue. What's more, even very nice lumber will occasionally cup or warp a little bit in storage. These problems are easily solved with a jointer and a planer. Furthermore, I don't just make stuff out of 3/4" material. I make boxes, for example, that are 1/2" or 3/8" thick. I make solid panels for doors and cabinets that are 1/4". It is easy to resaw and plane lumber to these dimensions but near impossible to do otherwise. I think there are enough reasons to buy a planer and jointer that it is worth doing even if you only buy planed lumber. Planing your own lumber will not only provide a lower cost of raw material, you will also be assured of using lumber that is nearly exactly 3/4" rather than 23/32" or 25/32" and it will be straight enough to glue up with no additional hand planing.

I agree that if you are a woodworker, a jointer and a planer are almost essential, unless you are a hand tool aficionado. However a light duty planer is not going to last too long if you are planing all of your lumber from rough stock. For that you need a cast iron floor mount planer with a 3 hp or better motor, not a universal motor like in the DeWalt and Delta lunchbox style planers. And you had better prepare to deal with a lot of shavings. Drums full of them. The millworks I buy from thickness planes very inexpensively and while you wait. However to put a finished edge on the wood requires them using their straight line rip saw and then a edger and is considerably more expensive. And you don't wait for it. But every mill is different. So I edge my own stock. I cut boards to rough length, then run them through the jointer. Usually less wood to take off that way.

I see that we apparently are having this discussion for our own benefit as the OP hasn't chimed in yet after 22 posts. And we still don't know where he lives.

[Wade Lippman]

My biggest score was a estate auction where I paid $280 for a Pickup load.

I can beat that easy.
6 years ago I bought 150bf of oak on eBay for $0.99. He even helped me load it.

[Jerry Herrington]

Thanks for the Woodfinder link. Looks very helpful!!