Imported Lumber Source

[Jonathan Biccum]

Good morning everyone,

My apologies if there’s a better place for this post, or if I’ve missed an obvious place to find the information I’m looking for. I’m having a bit of a difficult time sourcing lumber and I wonder if the forum might help me out. My wife and I recently retired and moved back to my home state of Wisconsin. Prior to that we were stationed in Northern California and I was utterly spoiled having MacBeath just about an hour away from me and I literally could get whatever kind of lumber I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Again I find myself somewhat spoiled with the amount of Amish communities around us, thereby satisfying pretty much all my domestic needs, but I have yet to find anyplace where I can reliably get imported hardwoods. I’m going to need a LOT of mahogany coming up as I’m turning one of our downstairs rooms into a old-fashioned wood-paneled study that I hope would make the Greenes and Halls smile. That’s in addition to our bedroom set, a desk, and possibly dining set as well.

We’re only about 90 minutes away from the Twin Cities in Eau Claire, WI but thus far have only come up with the typical woodworker ‘box store’ like Rockler or Woodcraft. I’d really appreciate any insight from folks back here in the Midwest. I spent the majority of my time in the Air Force on the road so 6-8 hours driving isn’t really a big deal and I’d be willing to plan an overnight trip with a trailer if need be to load up a batch if the selection was worth the drive.

Much thanks in advance!

[Zachary Hoyt]

I get African mahogany (among other things) from Bell Forest Products in MI, they have very nice wood and are always very helpful when I email for an order. I just got 100 BF of 5/4 delivered yesterday by truck, it's really good quality. There may be better options that someone local to your area will know about.

[Jim Matthews]

Before you lay in a supply of exotic hardwoods, get a "taster pack" by mail. I think Hearne still ships these on request.

Some of the South American and African stuff can cause pronounced allergic response in North Americans of European descent.

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

[Dan Schocke]

I'm not familiar with the western side of WI, but in the east I've done business with both Kettle Moraine Hardwoods and Badger Hardwoods. Both carry a decent selection of imported lumber and are great to deal with.

[roger wiegand]

If you're buying in any kind of quantity it turns out (it took me a long time to discover this) that LTL truck freight is surprisingly fast and cheap. I'd talk with the larger wholesalers anywhere it the midwest and you may find that even with freight included if you're buying a couple hundred bf it may well be cheaper and better, more consistent quality than a small local source.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Even from MI to NY LTL cost is not that bad, well worth it for me to get access to really nice curly maple and African mahogany and no more expensive than buying locally. I can't choose my own boards, but all of the boards they send me are at least as nice as what I've been able to get locally before.

[Kevin Jenness]

Irion Lumber in PA will ship by truck. They are known for their domestic hardwoods but also stock good quality Honduras mahogany. They are very reliable and will pick to your specs from their inventory.

[Larry Frank]

Check with Owl Hardwood in Chicago

[Phil Mueller]

I’ll second Bell Forest Products in Ishpeming, MI. I’d guess about a 4 hour or so drive for you. Not sure I’d go in the winter, but great scenery along the Lake Superior coast line and would make for a nice summer road trip.

And thank you for your service!

[Ronald Blue]

Here are some options and it looks like one or two are in your general area.

thehomewoodworker.com/hardwood-lumber-in-wisconsin-10-top-lumber-stores-for-woodworkers/

[Stan Calow]

Jonathan, the Menards* in my area say they can order Mahogany. I'm guessing you have them in Wisconsin. Might be worth looking into.

* a midwest big box retailer like a Home Depot on steroids.

[Andrew Seemann]

Go to the MN Woodworker Guild site and go to the discount page (I think I can post the link below), and look a the hardwood suppliers, also check out the link for the "Youngblood" alternatives. They have a good listing of most of the suppliers in the Cities. I know some of them carry imported wood. Some of the wholsesale places will only sell to you if you a member of the Guild, but the savings you get for your $30 yearly dues usually gets made up in a single purchase.

https://www.mnwwg.org/discounts.html

https://www.mnwwg.org/docs/youngblood_options.pdf




Jonathan, the Menards* in my area say they can order Mahogany. I'm guessing you have them in Wisconsin. Might be worth looking into.

* a midwest big box retailer like a Home Depot on steroids.

Stan, Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the corporate headquarters and original location of Menards:) Once, when I asked the guy at Home Depot about a fitting I couldn't find there he said "Try Menards, they have everything"

[Jonathan Biccum]

Thank you all for your recommendations! My project for this evening will be combing through all these suppliers. Roger I hadn’t even considered that freight would be relatively cheap considering it’s convenience. That definitely opens up several more options as others have noted.

By all means keep them coming if you like. I’ll definitely take more options and I’m sure someone else may stumble upon this thread one day. The more the better and thanks again!

[Jim Matthews]

If you don't yet know anyone in the thick of things, I find woodturners a helpful and enthusiastic resource.

http://www.crwoodturner.com/members.shtml

Not for nothing but your local arborist might help chase down local leads, too.

[John K Jordan]

I don't know of a larger importer than World Timber https://www.worldtimbercorp.com/ I know a gentleman who buys a lot of wood from them, thousands of $$ at a time.
They are across the country from you but if buying enough it might be worth a road trip with a trailer or truck.

JKJ