Wood costs vary regionally!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Please don't the Neanders but after seeing another wood club members Moxon vice, I decided I needed one.

Sunday, I called the WoodCraft store in Spokane and they said they had one complete kit with hard maple billets and one hardware only kit. I told them to put my name on the complete kit and I'd be there Monday afternoon. When I got there, they didn't have the hard maple billets. I bought the hardware from them.

For years I have wanted to shop at the nearest wood porn store as told to me by other local woodworkers. Today after voting in favor of a property tax for the local educational system, we drove 208 miles roundtrip to a hardwood specialty store in Walla Walla, Wa. I need some final dimensions for 2" thick hard maple.

I bought a 10' x 8" x 12/4 hard maple board for $260 @ $13/bd.ft. With tax it was $283.

What do you pay for hard maple 12/4?

[William Lessenberry]

Last quote I got (November, 2022) was $11.70 bf for 8/4 FAS/Sel. The only 12/4 they had at the time was Cherry @ $12 bf.
BillL

[Lisa Starr]

I my neck of the woods, Hard Maple is going for $1.76 a BF for 4/4 Common to $3.76 a BF for 5/4 Wide Prime

[Earl McLain]

Near to me Hard Maple Sel & Better is showing at $11.48/bf, but $8.81/bf for 100 bf (combined species qualify--helpful if one has need for multiple items). Couple of local mom & pop mills would likely be 30% or more below that--but i'd have to get lucky to find your board ready to buy. Plenty of 4/4 and 8/4 at the little shops, gotta plan ahead for 12/4.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Up till a year ago I sold hard and soft maple for $1 a board foot, but it wasn't kiln dried. 12/4 is an oddity so I would expect it would be more. I'd rather glue up wood that I was more confident was dry, than try to find 12/4 and hope that it had been dried enough and the right way.

[Jim Becker]

The 12/4 requirement is what really kicks up the cost. I would actually prefer what Zachary mentions...a glued up lamination to get to the required thickness for this particular project. It's less expensive and you may have better control over stability. 12/4 hard maple is a bit harder to dry through and through and hard to measure accurately, too.

[John TenEyck]

Someplace in the range of $12/bf sounds about right for 12/4 hard maple. You can't make a comparison to anything thinner.

John

[John K Jordan]

All this assumed dry wood, right? Prob kiln dry since air drying 12/4 sugar maple would take years. (I’ve air dried some 8/4 and blocks up to 4” thick. (those were just for the cost/effort of hauling the tree) If anticipating future needs and not in a hurry it might be pretty cheap at a local sawmill. I’d make sure hard maple was protected from PPBs!

I’m planning to have a big white oak taken down next week. If it looks good inside I’ll prob put some on the Woodmizer. That can be a pain to air dry too…


Someplace in the range of $12/bf sounds about right for 12/4 hard maple. You can't make a comparison to anything thinner.

[Justin Rapp]

Those prices sound about right, 12-14 per bf for 12/4, even more for 16/4. Sometimes you do get lucky - I scored some hard maple it is 8/4 but measures just over actually, and got it for about $6bf. But it wasn't a long board, but good for the parts I needed.

Sometimes if you don't need long parts, you can grab 3 foot cut offs for cheap.

[Walter Plummer]

I couldn't even find it in stock anywhere close to me and only one place had 10/4 for $5.95 a board foot.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The other members of our local woodworking club have been praising this place for years as the best selection and prices for our area. I finally went there. I needed something with a 2" thickness so this gives me some wiggle room in milling it to the sizes I need. Also, I hope to turn some of it into chess pieces in the future.

[Christopher Charles]

Hi Ken,

I feel you pain--love the Palouse (I'm in Moscow), but not easy access to good (cheap) lumber. I presume you went to Jensen's in WW?

Anyway, you'll love the Moxon I suspect.

Best,
Chris

[Kevin Jenness]

Ouch! I bought some heavily figured curly 12/4 hard maple last summer for $10/bd ft. Hard to find, though, at that thickness.

[Bill Dufour]

Redwood here is all second growth, mostly white sap wood, some pink, no dark red. They say df is more rot resistant.
Bill D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hi Ken,

I feel you pain--love the Palouse (I'm in Moscow), but not easy access to good (cheap) lumber. I presume you went to Jensen's in WW?

Anyway, you'll love the Moxon I suspect.

Best,
Chris

Yeah, Jensen's in WallaWalla. I found the place intriguing. I want to go back when I have time and yard shop!

[Derek Meyer]

Ken, did you try Allied Plywood in Spokane? They had a good selection of hardwood in lots of sizes the last time I was there.

I take it SHS in Moscow didn't have what you wanted.

Derek