Wood sources online

[Richard Dooling]

Since I'm limited in storage space and chain saw skills :eek: I am mostly purchasing my wood.

Any recommendations for online sources? Local sources I've found are pretty expensive and don't necessarily cater to the turner.

Thanks

[William Bachtel]

What is it that you are looking for?

[David DeCristoforo]

One of my favorite online sources is Bell Forrest Products:
http://www.bellforestproducts.com
Good selection and reasonable prices.
There are many others if you do a search. eBay can yield some decent deals and for something different, try Gilmer
http://www.gilmerwood.com

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

most suppliers are expensive. 5 to 10 dollars a board foot are usual and then the cost of shipping. When I lived in Northern Virginia, there was a place outside Dc for hobbyists called Colonial Hardwoods. Dunlap Wood Crafts is in Chantilly, they have a web site.. I have not been to either in over 20 years. Bought a nice curly maple long rifle stock plank from Dunlap years ago. There are a fair number of backwoods saw mills down that way. Some times you can order planks at a reasonable cost, depending on what you want. Our local miller is only part time, but for a please and thank you, he lets anyone root through his cut off pile. I get much of my wood from him. There is also a high end furniture factory in the next town. They mill their own parts out of kiln dried lumber and you can sometimes get cut offs from them for free. I got some hard maple cut offs left over from making tapered table legs. 2&1/4 thick and up to 4 inches wide and some pieces 24 inches long triangulars. . Made several rolling pins as gifts out of those pieces. I recently cut down a small plum tree that died. amazing colors inside. only 7 inches diameter at the base. Something an electric chain saw can easily handle. I understand that storage of drying wood is a problem, but there are sources of kiln dried stuff if you ask around. A furniture place near Gettysburg sells melon crates 4ftx4ftx3ft of oak cut offs for $40. Some is two inches thick. Heck I once got most of my exotic wood free from a casket company. Cherry, teak, mahogany, etc. Our local turners clubs gets offers of wood from trees that have been cut down. Clean it up for the wood. If a dozen members show up to gather the wood, two or three have chain saws. My local club cost $30 a year. That is incredible deal, just for the wood you can get.

[Richard Dooling]

William,

I guess I could gave been more specific. Doh!

I'm definitely experimenting at this stage, but:

Domestic hardwoods mostly. Walnut, cherry, sycamore and maple primarily. Others if available. Green or KD but I mostly turn dry. Of course interesting grain is a plus. I'm not real interested in woods that have a huge color shift like osage orange. I like turning it but dislike the brown color shift.

I can get 8/4 maple at a decent price - thicker is harder to find. I'd like to get more 3, 4 inch and thicker without mortgaging the house. Also 3 x 3 and 4 x 4 lengths for boxes and vases.

I know nothing's cheap unless you can start processing wood yourself and that's my intention. For now I'll purchase.

Thanks

[Bob Bouis]

Shipping costs these days are exorbitant. Unless you're looking for small blanks that can be economically packaged in flat rate boxes, you're better off buying locally. Even then, there's a reason turners don't usually buy wood. It's just not economical for anyone involved.

[Mark Greenbaum]

I would recommend contacting and joining a local wood turning club. Folks generally come upon more wood than they can process (whole trees, etc.), and will notify club members of new stock that is available. Even not owning a chainsaw, friends in the club will give a piece or two because they know it will go to the fire pit eventually if they hoard. My advice: Also, get an electric chainsaw (battery perebly, or corded) and learn how to prepare green wood safely at home. Here in TN, every storm will produce tons of free wood if you can hoist it to the trunk of your car.

[Randy Red Bemont]

Try West Penn Hardwoods in Hickory NC. https://www.westpennhardwoods.com . They have all kinds of wood blanks for turners. A way cool place to walk through if you're in the area.

Red

[Marvin Hasenak]

I make game calls, so I only use blanks that are less than 2x2 square. My online source is almost exclusively Bell Forest Products. Shipping can eat you alive, and that is not including the costs incurred with the wood. My suggestion would be to make good friends with a local tree service, and start processing your own. A $50 electric chain saw will become your next best friend. Not sure on your location, but here at the city recycle location I can pick up tree limbs, trunks etc., for free. Just a lot of labor to get to the end result of blanks. They are all cut, sealed etc., and then air dried. My saw is a Harbor Freight $50 chainsaw.

[Richard Dooling]

Thanks everyone!

I've looked at the links and Bell Forest seems like a good resource and your endorsements mean a lot.

I've found a couple on eBay and if any pan out as being exceptional, I'll follow up.

In the end the only real answer is to process the wood myself - got to figure that out.

[Gary Baler]

Richard ... You have come to the right conclusion. You have fabulous wood all around you. All you have to do is start listening for chain saws and following trucks pulling wood chippers. Go to a club near you. Within a week you will have more good wood than you can turn

[robert baccus]

E-Bay is a good source for green wood especially--cheap but freight is kinda rough.

[Jay Mullins]

You might try Craigslist for the nearest town you and go to "for sale" and go to free stuff. ( https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/search/zip )

I live in NC and check the local CL daily,most often the free wood is oak or pine, but sometimes there is good wood listed like maple or walnut. Sometimes they want you to take all of it and some are ok with me just taking what I can turn.

Jay Mullins

[Keith Outten]

Richard,

Watch our Classifieds Forum here. I will have some black cherry in a couple weeks that I am willing to give away to local woodworkers. I'm just waiting for the weather to cool down a bit before my friends and I cut the tree down, there will be more then we can use. I'm in Gloucester County just across the York River from Yorktown.

[John K Jordan]

In the end the only real answer is to process the wood myself - got to figure that out.

If you decide to get into processing you can get a lot of help here. I process a lot of tree parts in to turning blanks and would gladly share what I've learned. I use gas and electric chain saws and a bandsaw that will cut 12" thick. Come visit E TN and we can have a wood processing day!

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It does take some storage space. I use wire shelves to dry in the shop and in some sheds.

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The BIGGEST thing is safety, especially with the chainsaw but also with the bandsaw. When I started chainsawing I read everything I could find about how to be maimed or killed with a chainsaw. (One favorite book is The Good Woodcutter's Guide.) The chainsaw mfgrs have great info in the manuals on their websites. The worst thing is to watch cousin Bubba who knows everything, just ask him.

I use Stihl saws. My favorite for in the field is a 250 with an 18" bar - light enough in weight to control and will easily cut through a log twice the log diameter. Not nearly as macho as a big saw with a 24" bar (I use that one rarely) but a LOT easier to handle, less tiring, and safer. My favorite for the shop is a Stihl electric - light weight, plenty of power, stops instantly for safety, and can be used both outside and inside.

For green wood storage one good way is to store the logs outside and cut off just what you need to turn something. That's what the famous John Jordan said he does - keep the log off the ground and out of the sun, cut off about 6" to remove any end cracks then cut a blank to turn.

JKJ

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

as far as chain saw safety. There was an on-line chain saw safety course a few years ago, certainly better than just going out and doing. My Mrs. went out and bought a little 14 inch Stihl chain saw for herself and I had her go through that course. I got her a bright pink hard hat for when she was in the woods cutting with me. Chain saws are very intimidating and having a healthy respect for their danger is a good thing. I know I do some things that would make loggers cringe. But I am darn careful about most things.

[Robert Willing]

I live about 60 miles from Bellforest. Whenever I go to Marquette, MI I stop and look thru their rummage pile and sometimes get scraps for as little as $2.00. love that place.:)

[Scott T Smith]

Call Chris Sommerville at Somerton Ridge Hardwoods in Suffolk VA - not that far from you. A great supplier and quite a variety of wood in stock. Very reasonable prices too.

http://somertonridgehardwoods.com/

[paul vechart]

Try turningblanks.net they are in South Carolina. They have a good selection and are reasonable. I will order from them again.

Paul

[Richard Dooling]

Wow, a lot of helpful info here – thanks everyone!

I have some decent sources for logs but I have to admit that the chain saw intimidates me a little. I’ve been using shop tools for decades but the chainsaw seems a different dog altogether.

I do need to have a better work platform that I can feel confident in. I also need to be able to get the wood up off the ground. My knees and back are as old as I am.

As with anything I’m sure I’ll get better and more confident with experience but I want to keep turning while I figure out how I want my cutting station and storage. That and looking at woods not readily available here prompted me to start this thread.
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Perry, West Penn looks interesting. I see they do specify bowl blanks on their site.

Jay, I do check Craig’s list but have found little that’s interesting. Still, I do check!

Thanks Keith, I’ll be on the lookout. BTW we met some time back while I worked at the Norfolk Woodcraft. You gave me a hat!

John K. Jordan, I’d love to see your part of the country! I found a copy of The Good Woodcutter's Guide and have ordered it. I previewed a little of it on Amazon. It looks good.

Also, are you saying that the famous John Jordan leaves the logs whole and unsealed?

Perry that’s a good reminder. I found a few videos before but I need to look again.

Scott, thanks for the tip and the name. Suffolk is very close to here. I’ll contact them.

Paul, this is interesting. I found them with a Google search the other day and I liked their site. Thanks for providing a recommendation.

[John K Jordan]

Also, are you saying that the famous John Jordan leaves the logs whole and unsealed?



Yes. John said he never gets wood in short log sections but in a longer log, even if he has to buy the log and pay for delivery. He never coats the ends. Sets the log up off the ground and keep it cool and out of the sun. When ready to turn something, he cuts off 6" with the chainsaw and throws it away, inspects the newly exposed end of the log, and if OK he cuts off what he needs for just that one turning. This method might be more difficult for those who don't have room to keep whole logs or like a big variety of species. BTW, he does store chunks of wet wood for a short time (a day or two) by wrapping in plastic like saran wrap, for example, to carry to a demo or class. He gave me one of his hollow form blanks once that was wrapped like that.

Also, I hear this over and over: don't collect too much green wood!

The best advice I've heard comes from several people. One expert, Steven Russell, recommends something he learned the hard way: never acquire more green wood than you can turn in a week or two! In some parts of the country green wood is so abundant there is always more. It is easy to take more than you can use and end up with piles of splitting or rotting firewood. I've read messages from people here and on other forums who had this problem!

As mentioned, I don't turn much green wood so my method is a little different: I try not to take more wood than I can process into blanks to dry within a few weeks. It's hard, especially since there are so many trees here on my own property. Most of the wood from wind falls and trees that need to be removed goes to waste.

BTW, Stephen Russell has a wealth of turning information on his web site: http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/
If nothing else, look at the Main Library and the Tips Library.

JKJ

[ELY WALTON]

Thanks everyone! [...] In the end the only real answer is to process the wood myself - got to figure that out.

FWIW, I have a 16 in. cordless chainsaw with a 40v Lithium battery (don't laugh - cuts great - even rips!), which I keep in the back of the car just in case I see something along the side of the road. It is powerful, quiet and quick. Also, if you go to your local Craigs List, it may have a section called "free." Just search for "wood" within a radius of your zip code, and you may find some opportunities to pick up a few pieces of something ...

Ely

[Richard Dooling]

Also, I hear this over and over: don't collect too much green wood!

The best advice I've heard comes from several people. One expert, Steven Russell, recommends something he learned the hard way: never acquire more green wood than you can turn in a week or two!

JKJ

Too true. I had two trees removed and kept the wood. Then I realized I hadn't really come up with a way to deal with all that wood and I've allowed it to become mostly junk. Lesson learned. Just because it's available doesn't mean I can use it.

I've mostly figured out my storage, although it is limited. I have saws and most safety gear. Trying to figure lifting logs onto a stand i like.

Wish I'd known about the idea of leaving the log whole before a sectioned a 6 foot sassafras. Thanks for the link.

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Ely, new battery tech is pretty amazing. I'd say I now use cordless drill over 90% of the time. What model saw do you have?

[ELY WALTON]

[...] Ely, new battery tech is pretty amazing. I'd say I now use cordless drill over 90% of the time. What model saw do you have?

Hi Richard! I chose the GreenWorks 40v with 16 inch bar. The reviews were good and the quality seems OK for that class of saw so far. (The saw without the battery is priced in the disposable range.) I read somewhere that Stihl bought a minority share of the Chinese parent company and just that association helped me with the decision.

If you go this route, you are kind of locked into GreenWorks 40v battery family of other stuff (e.g., trimmers, lawn mowers, etc.)

Have fun and be safe! Ely

[Len Mullin]

Shipping costs these days are exorbitant. Unless you're looking for small blanks that can be economically packaged in flat rate boxes, you're better off buying locally. Even then, there's a reason turners don't usually buy wood. It's just not economical for anyone involved.

Bob, I got a pretty good chuckle out of this response, I just figured you were an American but I may be wrong. Anyway, I would love to be able to mail items at the price that Americans can. Mailing anything here in Canada is scandalous, the prices Canada Post charges to mail anything are unreal. They double charge, you get charged the postage, then you get charged for the weight and cubic inch size. Canada Post is hurting, they've cut way back on services and employees and sky-rocketed the prices.
Len

[John K Jordan]

...there's a reason turners don't usually buy wood. It's just not economical for anyone involved.

Bob,

Seems to me that depends on the type of woodturning done and the turner's location. Bowls from green wood in areas where trees grow, yes, many turners don't buy wood, although I do know some "high-end" turners who say they buy logs, probably to get exactly what they want and the cost doesn't matter much. And judging from our club's annual wood auction MANY turners even in the heart of hardwood territory are willing to pay significant money for wood for bowls and otherwise. Some don't or can't use a chain saw for physical reasons; some don't have a way to lift and transport.

People who live in places where there are few trees or nearly no hardwoods often buy wood. For example, a friend from a western desert area visited here on the way home from John C Campbell - said she simply couldn't get wood where she lived. When she left my place her station wagon suspension was bottomed out from wood, some big slabs from my sawmill. She insisted on paying anyway, saying she simply couldn't get wood without a huge expense.

Turners who don't live beyond the green bowl may have little use for them, but people like me who enjoy turning exotics like ebony, lignum vitae, rosewoods, etc. often buy wood - some are fairly big chunks imported from Peru (up to 12x12x8"). Quality burls almost always bring a good price from turners. I had four planks of northern basswood shipped here from Wisconson to turn, the biggest 4"x12"x48" thick.

My favorite dealer for exotics, btw, is Pete Keckle (Big Monk Lumber in KY) who brings a huge variety of wood to many of the regional symposiums. He does brisk sales, makes money, customers go away happy. BTW, Pete doesn't have a "store" to visit (I wish he did) but does list items on his web site and sells by mail. He does occasionally have domestic woods so it might be worth a call. I called him last year and asked him to stuff as many African Blackwood clarinet bell blanks into a large flat rate box - had them in my hands two days later. (BTW, I've known Pete for years and he's a wonderful guy to deal with.)

This is one thing I made from Dogwood and one of the clarinet bell blanks. I'll gladly pay for such wood!
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Bob, I got a pretty good chuckle out of this response, I just figured you were an American but I may be wrong. Anyway, I would love to be able to mail items at the price that Americans can. Mailing anything here in Canada is scandalous, the prices Canada Post charges to mail anything are unreal. They double charge, you get charged the postage, then you get charged for the weight and cubic inch size. Canada Post is hurting, they've cut way back on services and employees and sky-rocketed the prices.
Len

Canadian post sounds like a bummer. I've run into a bit of that too and was surprised at the cost of shipping, almost as bad as shipping to Italy. We have exchanged a few things with Canadian friends by way of a "courier" - a Canadian acquaintance who periodically drives between here and there.

JKJ

[Randy Red Bemont]

West Penn has a huge sale starting on the 25th I believe.

Red


Try West Penn Hardwoods in Hickory NC. https://www.westpennhardwoods.com . They have all kinds of wood blanks for turners. A way cool place to walk through if you're in the area.

Red