Was this a good price?

[Greg Parrish]

Been a while since I’ve bought any wood beyond pine. Today I picked up 150 pieces of 4/4 Jatoba that is all 13” x 4” x 3/4”. My calculator says it’s 40.625 bf. Searching everywhere online I’m seeing prices around $12/bf. I paid $7/bf.

realizing the pieces have limited usage as opposed to full boards, does this sound like a good price if I come across more, or fair for this style pieces? Thinking usage in cutting boards and other small projects. Thanks.

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[Richard Coers]

It's a good price if you can use a lot of 13" long boards. As wood gets around a foot long here, they get really close to the scrap bin.

[John Kananis]

Agree with Richard. If you have to normally buy lengths and saw them down for whatever you're doing to that length, then you hit a good deal for you and the person unloading it, otherwise nope.

[Frederick Skelly]

Sounds like you did ok Greg. Cutting boards, medium size boxes, maybe some mallets for the shop or meat tenderizers for the kitchen.

Enjoy!

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks guys. I won't rush to buy more unless I come up with a really good use for them, but wasn't sure if comparing to the full board length prices per BF was a fair comparison.

Looks like some boxes, cutting boards and maybe a mallet or two are in my future. Just need to grab some pieces of complimentary woods like hard maple, black walnut and maybe some others. :)

[Jim Becker]

It's good usable material for small projects, both built by hand and for CNC work. I acquired a "whole bunch" of excess Tiger Wood decking in similar sizes and used it for a variety of projects. Obviously, the lower the cost, the better...I cannot quantify whether or not it was a "good deal" based on your cost, however.

[Greg Parrish]

It's good usable material for small projects, both built by hand and for CNC work. I acquired a "whole bunch" of excess Tiger Wood decking in similar sizes and used it for a variety of projects. Obviously, the lower the cost, the better...I cannot quantify whether or not it was a "good deal" based on your cost, however.

Makes sense. The guy selling it had a pallet full of it and was asking $5 per piece. I ended up getting 150 pieces for $2 per piece which seemed like an ok deal. My main interest was due to the fact that I sold off my entire wood stash when I sold my equipment a few years back. Now that I'm tinkering with the hobby again, I just needed to accumulate a stash of hobby wood. If I could find a similar deal in hard maple, black walnut and a few other items, it would probably hold me for a while on small projects. LOL

[Michael Schuch]

When ever I buy off sized stuff like that for a great price it always seems to find a use for itself eventually.

I see an organizer cabinet like an Grestner tool box in that pile.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I suppose it depends on if you like Jatoba and have a use for that length. 4/4 x 13” is borderline scrap/kindling for me and typically better disposed of than taking up valuable shop space, but everyone is different in their needs, values, and space available. I don’t really use exotics so I’m not sure how good that price is for such short pieces.

[Rich Aldrich]

I think its a good deal for segmented turning.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I like jatoba for musical instrument parts. 13" is too short for a banjo or guitar fretboard but a mandolin fretboard or fiddle fingerboard are possible, and things like tailpieces for archtop instruments, fiddle chinrests and such.

[Ronald Blue]

In answer to the question.....maybe. My Dad always used the saying "nothing is a bargain if you can't use it". If you have uses in mind for it then you did great. Post photos of the project(s). In the end only one person needs to be happy with the acquisition and that's you.