Best Sources for Stock NJ/PA

[Dan Smith]

After looking at the website that Jim B. Mentioned in another post about Hearne Hardwoods in Oxford PA, I have the question of what other suppliers are out there in my neck of the woods. I live in Western/northerncentral NJ. Near Phillipsburg. In the past I have gotten my stock from Blue Ridge lumber in Hackettstown. They are pretty good, very willing to help. So what else is out there, say within an hours drive?? Not looking for turning stock, as I don't turn (yet).


Thanks,

dan

[Dominic Greco]

<P><A Href="http://www.willardbrothers.net/">Willard Brothers Woodcutters</A> is in Trenton NJ. Which is not <i>quite</i> as far away from you as Hearne's Hardwoods (in Oxford Pa) is!

<P>If I'm not mistaken, they are one of the oldest operating mills around here.

<P>See ya around,
<P>Dominic

[Lee Schierer]

The best place to get your wood is Domonic Greco's but you'll have to wait until he isn't home for the best deals. I hear he has some major stashes of Maple and Cherry with an excellent selection of prime turning pieces.

:)

[Jim Becker]

The best place to get your wood is Domonic Greco's but you'll have to wait until he isn't home for the best deals. I hear he has some major stashes of Maple and Cherry with an excellent selection of prime turning pieces.

Yea, it's that box elder I "covet" right now... :D

Bryant's, Just north of Richboro on Rt 232 where Dominic bought the box elder he recently posted about, is very inexpensive (a buck a foot last time I bought oak and ash) but you often have to slog through a bunch of unorganized (and very dusty) piles to find acceptable material. Heycock Lumber on Rt 611 is another small local source around here, but in my experience, you may need to dry much of the material before it's ready for use. I don't bother anymore running up there.

Back to the original question, I buy most of my lumber these days from Simmie Agin just outside of Lambertville. (609-397-1822) You need to make an appointment as he is not there all the time, but he has the nicest air-dried, furniture grade local domestic lumber I've seen for rock-bottom prices. (Cash only, however) He has the usual suspects of oak, ash, walnut, cherry, etc. As a matter of fact, he's been cutting a lot of cherry this summer that I'm looking forward to buying in the next year or so when it is ready to go.

I've also bought from Willard Brothers, but haven't driven down there in awhile. They are nice folks and have a reasonably good sellection at "regular" prices you would expect to pay for KD retail. There is a place in Lower Makefield, but I'm not familiar with it or who it is.

You really do own yourself a trip down to Hearne, though. It's just past Longwood Gardens, so you could take that in, too, if you bring any family along for the ride. Hearne is a virtual woodworker's candy store. I like to buy my mahogany from them and to me it's worth the drive for the selection. They also have the most extraordinary figured stock I've seen as well as many, many unusual species.

[Dominic Greco]

The best place to get your wood is Domonic Greco's but you'll have to wait until he isn't home for the best deals. I hear he has some major stashes of Maple and Cherry with an excellent selection of prime turning pieces.

:)
<p>Spelling my name wrong <b><BIG>and</b></BIG> then telling people to raid my stash of hardwoods? What a pal! What a pal!
<P><B><BIG>:>)</B></BIG>

[Dominic Greco]

Yea, it's that box elder I "covet" right now... :D
Bryant's, Just north of Richboro on Rt 232 where Dominic bought the box elder he recently posted about, is very inexpensive (a buck a foot last time I bought oak and ash) but you often have to slog through a bunch of unorganized (and very dusty) piles to find acceptable material. ......
......I buy most of my lumber these days from Simmie Agin just outside of Lambertville. (609-397-1822) You need to make an appointment as he is not there all the time, but he has the nicest air-dried, furniture grade local domestic lumber I've seen for rock-bottom prices. (Cash only, however) He has the usual suspects of oak, ash, walnut, cherry, etc. As a matter of fact, he's been cutting a lot of cherry this summer that I'm looking forward to buying in the next year or so when it is ready to go.

<P>Jim,
<P>I'm sort of disappointed in Bryan's Farm recently. I used to be able to go there and get a great deal on cherry and walnut. But like all great out of the way places, it got "discovered". It's mostly my own fault for posting pics of the great stuff I found there.

A couple months ago, someone swooped down and bought all the cherry and walnut they could fit in a large panel truck. And they left the place in a shambles (yeah, worse than normal). I used to be able to look through the piles of lumber unassisted. But now it's mandatory to bring someone with you just to clean up first. That sort of takes the fun out of it.

<P>I'm interested in Simmie Agin's place. When it comes time to start my family room renovation, I'll be looking there for red/white oak. I need to build some built in book cases.

<P>See ya around,
<p>Dominic

[Jim Becker]

I'm interested in Simmie Agin's place. When it comes time to start my family room renovation, I'll be looking there for red/white oak. I need to build some built in book cases.

You'll like Simmie...he's organized. After over 40 years in the business, he's still pretty anal about things and also knows pretty much where every piece of wood is in his barn. Let me know when you're going over and perhaps I'll tag along.

Are you going to the BWT meeting next Monday night? I'm not leaving for Denver until Tuesday, so I should be able to make it. It's a "show and tell" night, so you can astound folks with your beautiful work! :D

[Dominic Greco]

Are you going to the BWT meeting next Monday night? I'm not leaving for Denver until Tuesday, so I should be able to make it. It's a "show and tell" night, so you can astound folks with your beautiful work! :D

<P>If everything goes OK, I'll be there. Don't know if I'll have anything to show off though. All the neat stuff I've made is sold already!

<P>See ya,

[Philip Berman]

US Mahogany in Aberdeen (Edison), while not cheap, does have a huge supply of mahogany in all sizes, plus other woods too. Further north, in Morristown, is Casterline Lumber. They've got an ok selection, but you pay full retail plus - i.e. they're very expensive. I've heard that Bay Ridge Lumber in Bayonne is a great source for sheet goods, with all kinds of stuff in stock including apple ply, 1"mdf, mdo, melamine, etc. I've not been there, so I don't know anything about their hardwoods. There's a guy in Sussex, Orr's Lumber, who seems to sell quicker than he can mill - when I last spoke to him, he had quite a few hundred board feet of cherry due to come out of the kiln in 2 weeks, and it was already sold. He didn't have ANY stock, and relayed that this is how he normally runs his business - get on the waiting list. I don't know about prices, but I'm guessing it must be pretty attractive if he moves lumber that quickly. Hope this helps.

[Dan Smith]

Just want to say thanks to everyone for the sources. I have been itching to go fill the back of the dodge with lumber, and may have to make it out to a couple of these places. I am really interested in working with Cherry as I am yet to use it for anything. Just need to figure out the best lumber rack for my situation then fill it up!

-dan

[Wes Bischel]

Hi,
I'm new to this list, and this topic has great interest to me considering I'm in Lancaster, PA. The Hearne tip looks great. I was also wondering if anyone has worked with Groff & Groff in Quarryville? They advertise in Workshop News and others. I just haven't had the time to get over there to check them out.

I'm looking for "flat" stock as well as turning blanks.

Thanks, Wes

PS I've been lurking for a bit and have learned a great deal already.

[Noah Alkinburgh]

Hi,
I'm new to this list, and this topic has great interest to me considering I'm in Lancaster, PA. The Hearne tip looks great. I was also wondering if anyone has worked with Groff & Groff in Quarryville? They advertise in Workshop News and others. I just haven't had the time to get over there to check them out.

I'm looking for "flat" stock as well as turning blanks.

Thanks, Wes

PS I've been lurking for a bit and have learned a great deal already.

Well I'll be...I hail from those parts too Wes. Groff and Groff is very nice. Good prices, they let you pick through the stacks, pretty helpful, and a decent selection. I actually just found out about a small sawyer in Columbia too. I haven't had a chance to go visit them yet but they have great prices on the basics, walnut cherry maple. Send me an email or a PM and let me know where you are located exactly.

Noah

[Bill Grumbine]

Hi Dan

I used to live in Easton, right across the river from you. I am about 35 miles west of there now, and just 15 more miles past me is Bailey's Wood products in Kempton. They would be within your one hour radius for sure, and you can always stop and visit.

Do you know about the Lehigh Valley Woodworking Guild? We meet in Allentown once a month. You can check out the guild newsletter online here (http://www.lvwwg.com) .

Bill

[Alan Turner]

Dan,
Groff & Groff is always my first choice. Hearne has great stuff, but is spendy. Saw a plank of 12/4 quilted mape there, about 12" wide, 12' long. $3400. (No, that is not a typo.)
Groff is in Quaryville, which is outside of your one hour radius, but really worth the trip. They have no web presence, but a call (800-342-0111) will get you a price list. They take wood from the tree to kiln. Sometimes if I want something special, I call ahead to see how their stock is. If it is not good, then they will tell me when they will have what they need, and down I go. They open at 7 am Sat. morning. Its about 1.5 hrs from my home in the Western Phila. suburbs. But, if I know what I need, and it is not controversial, then I just call them, and they ship it to my office, in Phila., and I get it the next day. UPS man hates it when I do that. Once I called for some 12/4 mahogany, rift cut, for some cabriole legs. There the next day, perfectly chosen, rift at a near true 45 deg., very little waste. But, if you go down there first, you will feel more comfortable just calling. I still go down when I want figured, or something special. Very congenial folks, and you can look all day without being bothered. Wood is well organized. I think the prices are quite fair. A year ago I got a flitch of 5/4 cherry, 8 planks, 12' long, 24-28" wide, for $900, from which emerged a cherry sideboard (with two planks left). It had the wane and knots, of course, but that is the nature of a flitch.

[Dan Smith]

Great info here everyone.

Bill, no did not know about the Guild. Expect to see me for the November meeting (getting married to the best girl in october, and the plans and honeymoon and such put a hold on most other activities..:)


thanks again everyone!!

-dan

[Jim Becker]

Groff & Groff is always my first choice. Hearne has great stuff, but is spendy.

I've also heard from others that Groff & Groff is a nice place to do business. Interestingly enough, I believe they used to be "in business" with Hearne a number of years ago, but went their separate ways.

That $3400 piece of quilted maple you saw at Hearne was probably instrument grade material destined for purchase by a luthier...'spensive stuff for you or I, but really incredible when in its final form. Once resawn, it would provide a lot of lumber in the thicknesses used and generate a lot of profit given the relatively small amount used per instrument. Many such custom guitars and similar stringed instruments sell for many thousands of dollars...each.

[Alan Turner]

Jim
You are correct. When I first began shopping there, it was Groff & Hearne. Story I heard was that the senior Mr. Groff wanted his son in the business, and so they went their separate ways. It is a fine place. They also have some quilted maple at G&G, but not at that kind of price.
Alan