Where to buy Hard Maple?

[Steve Kinnaird]

I have been told that I can probably buy Hard Maple out of the Carolina's and pay shipping, for less than I can buy it locally here in Central Florida.

Any ideas?

Looking for 30 to 40 board feet of 8/4 x 10" x 12'

[David Ragan]

Just be very specific about everything that you can for the wood.

[Jerry Thompson]

Steve, you might call Hood Distribution in Jacksonville to see if they have hard maple. Their will-call hours are from 8-12. With that many board feet it would pay to shop around.
904-783-0170

[Matt Day]

Have you called your local lumber yards and hardwood suppliers? Maple is shipped all over the country from Appalacia and you surely can find it locally. 30-40 bdft is not a big quantity.

If you haven't done it already, use google maps and search for things like "lumber", lumberyard", "hardwood", etc. that's how I found my local suppliers. Woodweb gave me nothing.

[Bob Vavricka]

The 10" wide by 12' long will come at a premium if you can find it that way. Most hardwood is sold Random Widths and Lengths. Otherwise it should be available at a full service lumberyard. The lumberyard I use has 4/4 hard maple on hand and would get me 8/4 if I asked them to. Of course I'm not in Florida and it may be different there. An 8/4 x 10" x12' would be 20 bd. ft. if I'm calculating right.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Thanks, I will give them a call on Monday.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Yes, I have checked the local lumberyards.
I can get it at $5.90 a board foot. So, I guess the question is, is that a high number.
My brother in NY says it is very high.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Yes, that is 20 bf.
I know that it will come in at random widths. I just used the 10" as an example.
In the end I am hoping to have 30 - 3.25" x 1.5" x 66" boards to laminate into a workbench top

[Steve Kinnaird]

I did some better math and realize that I may need in excess of 50 board feet
Locally that is $295
That seems like a lot to me

[Jamie Buxton]

Yes, I have checked the local lumberyards.
I can get it at $5.90 a board foot. So, I guess the question is, is that a high number.
My brother in NY says it is very high.

That's about what I'm paying, in California.
Lumber prices vary depending on shipping costs. Your brother is closer than you are to where maple grows.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yes, that is 20 bf.
I know that it will come in at random widths. I just used the 10" as an example.
In the end I am hoping to have 30 - 3.25" x 1.5" x 66" boards to laminate into a workbench top

So your workbench top is 3.25" thick, by 66" long, by 45" across?

[Andrew Hughes]

I think you may want to pick your boards for your bench,Look for stock that has the grain running out on the edges,If there's a nice cathedral patten in the middle you may get lucky and the runout on both sides.That way you can hand plane the top flat ESP where you have your dog holes.If your not planning on using it for hand planes or your not a user doesn't really matter.I have a hard maple top and love it.

[Clay Fails]

I just purchased some 8/4 and 5/4 hard maple from a small shop near Rochester NY. Paid $6 for the 5/4 and $6.30 for the 8/4.

My bench (split top Roubo) is also 4 inches thick made from maple like you are planning. Once you have it done you will love it. FWIW, i flattened the top using Marc Spag's router setup. Worked beautifully.

[Jim Matthews]

Hard maple is tricky to work with, if it's your first time out.

Workbenches have been made from whatever was available,
since the first planks spanned two steady rocks.

A professional writer has made his bones almost entirely on using
housing grade Southern Yellow pine from Georgia.

FWIW - I want my benchtop to be from a species that's softe than most of the stuff I'm making.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Sorry type-O
Should be 20 pieces for 30 inch width

[Steve Kinnaird]

OK, I will check out other areas within driving distance and hand pick the pieces.
Just wanted to make sure that I wasn't paying too much.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Price OK by me for ATL.

Your brother's $$ could be many things - proximity to trees [they don't grow in FLA]; grade/quality - you don't know till you look; maybe buying direct from a sawmill, or guy with a backyard woodmizer?

On your quantities - I did not work thru the numbers - that's on you - but be sure you are not assuming 100% yield - ain't never happened in my version of reality. I know my supplier very well, so I can count on yield at 80% in the 8/4. Realize - they won't all come in at 10.0" x 120.0" - You will be forced by the stacks into 7" - 10", in my experience - 10"+ is less common in the 8/4 from my recollection, hence part of the yield - I need 2 pcs 6" to get to 10", for example, or some really good stuff has 1" wane down part of a side, etc. Not to mention 8/4 becomes 7/4 pretty quickly in the shop............

Last - picking thru lumber - - the LY's I have patronized don't mind. As long as you don't drive them nuts looking for perfection in a freakin' chunk of tree. Also - leave the stack neater than you found it - nothing aggravates the guys more than having to clean up after you.

Good luck - will be interested how the hunt turns out...............

[Steve Kinnaird]

Where my brother lives, Olean, NY, is big Maple Syrup country. So Maple is probably more available. He though getting it from the Carolina's would be the best price.
Yes, I understand yield being less than what I would buy.
And finding the best cut with the highest yield will require me selecting it in person.

So a 8/4 x 10" x 144" = 20 board feet - Hoping to yield 4 - 1.5" x 3.5" x 60" = 8.75 board feet
To get the 20 pieces I need will take around 100 board feet
Remember these numbers are purely theoretical. Nothing ever comes out perfectly to the plan :D

[Kent A Bathurst]

You're cool. You always end up with something left.

And - Sugar Maple is hard maple. Your bro cannot go for a walk without tripping over 500 bf. AFAIK, Carolina has squat for HM, Cherry - those are NY/PA flora............

[Steve Kinnaird]

I guess I need him to trip over a bunch and come to visit :)

[Clay Fails]

Where my brother lives, Olean, NY, is big Maple Syrup country. So Maple is probably more available. He though getting it from the Carolina's would be the best price.
Yes, I understand yield being less than what I would buy.
And finding the best cut with the highest yield will require me selecting it in person.

So a 8/4 x 10" x 144" = 20 board feet - Hoping to yield 4 - 1.5" x 3.5" x 60" = 8.75 board feet
To get the 20 pieces I need will take around 100 board feet
Remember these numbers are purely theoretical. Nothing ever comes out perfectly to the plan :D

I'm sure you've checked out West Penn Hardwoods in Olean, right? They tend to specialize in more exotics (i.e. non-US woods), but I'm sure they have maple. If you haven't toured West Penn it's worth the trip. Pretty cool place if you are in to lumber.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Been to West Penn :)
Not what they specialize in.
Also they have moved to the Conover, NC.
They had their last day in Olean yesterday and open in NC tomorrow.

[Clay Fails]

Been to West Penn :)
Not what they specialize in.
Also they have moved to the Conover, NC.
They had their last day in Olean yesterday and open in NC tomorrow.

Thanks for that info, I had not heard they were moving. I'm in NW PA, and have plentiful access to great hardwoods. I received Steve Wall's catalog in the mail last week, and his maple prices looked reasonable, before shipping anyway! Good luck.