Rough Cut Cherry Pricing

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

How much does your local hardwood supplier charge per bf for 4/4 rough cut cherry? I stopped by my local hardwood supplier today and he wanted to charge me $6.70 a bf! Last time I went which was back in August he charged me $4.10. Granted I didn't buy a large amount, but the difference in price shocked me. He told me flat out that he pays $3.20 a bf and that he needs to make a profit, which I understand. He did come down to $4.70 a bf after I told him how much I was charged the last time. Problem is he has a LOT of hardwood stock and a very good amount of hardwood plywood as well, which is the main reason I shop there. This incident did leave a bad taste in my mouth, but I don't know if it should be a deal breaker. Thoughts?

[Andrew Hughes]

I haven't bought Cherry out here for over a year now but have been hit with price swings,I just attribute it to the frustration and aggravation that the weekenders create when they don't restack the lifts of wood.I am not trying to insinuate that what you do.I bet most woodworkers are very thoughtful.
I know the guys at the counter appreciate it when things are put back.I do point out my efforts to organize the stack and am not afraid to point out checked ends and scant boards.Seems to keep us on the same page.Aj

[Keith Hankins]

I've been fortunate to find good lots of Cherry. I buy (try) about 500bf at a time and last load was 3/bf over in state college PA. I drove for 2+ hrs to get it, but it was worth it. The big boys around here like Hearne is in that neighborhood you mention. Groff & Groff are a little better. I've saw a lot of wood up in NY on woodweb. They are as proud of their cherry as PA is. There are some good sawmills in MD that are really good. A guy I work with is going in with me next year and we are traveling down there to pick up a thousand bf for us to split.

Good Luck.

[Bill McDermott]

Kettle Moraine is a sawmill / lumber seller near Milwaukee.
Wide and figured is of course more expensive, but published pricing for 4/4 cherry is:
- Select & Better: $3.42
- #1 Common: $2.50
- Red Select & Better: $4.55
Your $6.70 would get you 10/4. $6.93 gets 12/4 (Sel & Btr).

I am most curious to see what happens with Ash pricing. 4/4 Ash is $2.52 now. That's less than Birch and Poplar. Still, there is an astounding amount of lumber ripe for harvesting everywhere I look (including my back yard). Is the beetle killing it all near you too? It seems like we have an opportunity to buy a nice hardwood that will not be available again for a long time, at rock bottom pricing... soon. Sad situation from a landscaping perspective, but certainly a buying opportunity for a woodworker. Of course, it's not cherry, which was at one time the point of this thread.

[Brian D Smith]

Rough cherry for me is around 2-2.50 bf. If I want or need something extra wide it approaches 3. Sounds like you need to find a mill and not a "dealer".

I'm on the mobile app so I can't see location but if you are near central pa check out hammer creek hardwoods in lititz. Joe is a great guy and he sells it for around 3-3.50 I believe. He is a small one man operation and works from a barn at his house. You can pick through the whole pile if you want as well. Always kiln dried.

Always has a good selection of pa hardwoods too. Example he have slabs of quilted walnut slabs right now, regular walnut, sweet cherry, cherry, ash, oak, maple and a few others I believe.

Always has wide stuff too, and long as well.

Hearn and groff and middletown lumber are boutique yards in my opinion (have great stuff though) so they charge more for the wood. I only buy plywood from those places (always Middletown lumber) or a piece or two of the figured stuff if I need/want it.


Brian

[Ole Anderson]

Not close, but here is some detailed current pricing from Johnson's in Charlotte MI:



CHERRY


BF: 1+

100+

500+

1000+



1"

Select 6- 7'

4.39

3.37

3.10

2.86



1"

Sel&Btr 6'-8'

4.69

3.60

3.31

3.05



1"

Sel&Btr 9-10'

4.84

3.71

3.42

3.15



1"

Sel&Btr 11-12'

5.01

3.84

3.54

3.26



1"

Sel&Btr 13-14'

5.16

3.96

3.65

3.36



1"

Sel&Btr 15-16'

5.33

4.09

3.77

3.47



1"

Sel&Btr Red 1 Face

6.79

5.21

4.80

4.42



1"

No.1 Com

3.55

2.72

2.51

2.31



1"

No.2 Com

2.54

1.95

1.79

1.65



1-1/4"

Sel&Btr

4.92

3.78

3.48

3.21



1-1/4"

Sel&Btr Red 1 Face

7.10

5.45

5.02

4.62



1-1/2"

Sel&Btr

5.20

3.99

3.68

3.39



1-1/2"

Sel&Btr Red 1 Face

7.31

5.61

5.17

4.76



2"

Sel&Btr

5.65

4.34

4.00

3.68

[Andy Pratt]

I have experienced price swings of roughly 20% on a weekly basis, this isn't the supplier necessarily messing with you, just a factor (possibly) of who they have to get it from that week. If you are asking for a standard thing (4/4) then you can expect and ask for a known price. At a small lumber yard you have to be more flexible on price if you show up/call unexpectedly and need a guaranteed price right then. At a bigger one they will probably have published prices. If you are dealing with a small yard just talk to them before confirming an order and ask them to guarantee an exact price for you before you can commit to it. I have never had an issue or a high price if I talked to the owner ahead of time and asked for a fixed price for X weeks from now etc.

Helps to develop a relationship with good lumber dealers in your area. Once they know you are ok to work with they might be more willing to work with you on price. Don't go mess up their pile, pick out all the best lumber and haggle with them week 1 and then ask for a deal week 2, for example. If you need good quality lumber ask to be able to pick the pile (restack nicely on your own) and offer to pay a small premium for it, they will know you care about what you get and won't usually begrudge you for it. They probably won't let you pay the extra you offered but the offer will be appreciated and will go a long way toward establishing good will. Maybe if you buy a lot in a few years they start saving the kind you want just for you kind of thing. This only matters if talking to the owner or vested employees with decision-making authority of course. If you are at home depot this is all wasted. I deal with small, rural lumber retailers so take this for what it is worth.