Truth or price increase ploy.

[Bobby Hatfield]

My supplier's working forman for cabinet wood and ply is trying to tell me that Alder is in short supply. How about it guys, anybody heard this, he said they have orders for alder at whatever price, is the supplier holding us up or profit manipulation scam going on ?

[Dennis Peacock]

Hey Bobby.....

is it just too hot to work in your shop or have you run out of stuff to do? :-) Seen you a LOT here on the net and no real time in the shop 'cause its too dang hot and humid......BTW, those cab doors look really good!!

[nic obie]

My supplier's working forman for cabinet wood and ply is trying to tell me that Alder is in short supply. How about it guys, anybody heard this, he said they have orders for alder at whatever price, is the supplier holding us up or profit manipulation scam going on ?


When that happens to me I switch to western maple.

[Bob Lasley]

Bobby,

I bought some alder a couple of months back and my supplier didn't mention any shortages and price seemed about right. I always thought alder was plentiful and all but considered a weed in the northwest.

Bob

[Bobby Hatfield]

Hey Bobby.....

is it just too hot to work in your shop or have you run out of stuff to do? :-) Seen you a LOT here on the net and no real time in the shop 'cause its too dang hot and humid......BTW, those cab doors look really good!!


Hey Dennis, here is the coolest shop in town, see the two air conditioners in the door. I'm working today, till I get hot, then I hunt the cool. Them glued up legs for a 3' X 7' country table. I can handle a couple hours at a time in the shop after it gets hot, I go in early in the morning for about 4 hours then its a little at a time.

[Steve Clardy]

Haven't heard anything on Alder here. Don't use much of it. Oak hasn't gone up since the first of the year. Cherry is HIGH!!!!!!! Keeps going up. Walnut is stable, too high for the grades you can get it in.
Poplar is very reasonable, maple is too high for what it is. That's the market report from deep in the woods in MO. Until next week, that's all the reporting for Arkansas I'm a doin. ha Steve

[Bobby Hatfield]

When that happens to me I switch to western maple.


Hey Nic, what is western maple, never heard of it, I use southern maple, wonder if it is anything like it. I wanted the alder to fake a set of cherry cabinets, customer trying to save a buck and get nice cabinets too that will pass for cherry to those not in the know. Folks go by color so much you really have to ask blunt questions, then some get mad because you showed them up, they really didn't know the difference.

[Glenn Clabo]

I wanted the alder to fake a set of cherry cabinets, customer trying to save a buck and get nice cabinets too that will pass for cherry to those not in the know. Folks go by color so much you really have to ask blunt questions, then some get mad because you showed them up, they really didn't know the difference.

Bobby,
Check this out http://www.matr.net/article-6457.html
That may explain the cost? Or maybe it's cuz Cherry is going throught he roof...at least up here...

I'd call my wood supplier but the sucker is taken these 2 weeks off. He's the second highest teak dealer in the east...and is building a teak deck around his pool that would cost us regular folk a million bucks.

Stay out of that heat...you could get sleepy and get sucked through that air conditioner system you have.

[Keith Outten]

Glenn,

Thanks for posting the link. Alder is considered a premium wood in the engraving business, I use a considerable amount each year for plaques that I engrave. I'm glad I don't use it for cabinetry or furniture, the price is too high against local species of hardwoods. Of course the transportation costs of shipping west coast lumber to the east is part of the equation.

I will start using more maple as the price of alder and cherry has just about made it impossible to purchase in my neck of the woods.

[Jim Earls]

Keith,

My lumber supplier in York county (Earth Resources) lists 4/4 FAS alder at $2.70 bf. Cherry goes for $4.65, soft maple for $2.50 and hard maple for $3.65.
The last time I was there he had a good bit of alder left. HTH.

Jim

[Peter Lyon]

that's kind of funny, because here in the PNW, Alder and Big Leaf Maple (AKA Soft Maple) are about the only hardwoods in natural abundance. In fact, until the last decade or so, when clear cutting forests, the Maple was burned and the land was either chemical treated or planted with Fir/Hemlock to avoid Alder.

If you clear land in Western Washington, the natural successionary pattern is for blackberry vine leading to Alder leading to Fir leading to Hemlock (this is approximately a 200 year cycle when left to mother nature) with the only exception being where if there's enough moisture, Western Red Cedar may invade.

It's nice (I think) to see that its developing such a national presence. It does grow very quickly and it isn't too picky about the soil it grows in.

Personally, I've only used it for drawers but have plans to use it for a blanket chest in the near future and will try to stain it to look like Cherry. I know of a local furniture manufacturer who only deals with Alder and all of their stuff is sent to Europe to sell (and according to him, it sells very well).