Home Depot oak

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

I confess...this morning I bought a 1x8x8' piece of red oak at the Depot. Cost me $31.12 after tax, which I figure is something around $6 per bf. I didn't even call and check the price at the yard. A fella at work needed 6 small shelves and 8 small trim pieces to customize a store-bought entertainment center...and I figure getting it at the depot saved me 45 miles (over 2 gallons of gas) and an hour of driving...and it's already the right thickness and it's already sanded...so probably 30 minutes of milling time. Me thinks that worked out okay. :o

So a rare thanks to the 'convenience factor' of Home Depot. :D

[Don Baer]

Yea, I know what you mean a few weeks ago LOML decided she wanted a paper towel holder made and the only saw I had was my band saw, planer and jointer as well as table saw were already in Arizona. I did the same thing.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have to admit to using their 1/4" x 8"x24" oak for small laser jobs. Quite frequently, actually.

[Steve Schoene]

Can be convenient, but I have had to pick through entire pile to get a couple of boards that weren't warped, damaged, or with drying defects. The drying defects can be subtle, a little honeycomb here or there, for example. And, even when apparently OK, I have had some effects of case hardening where curfs really wanted to close up. So if I can avoid it I do. I'll even buy the outrageously priced stuff at Woodcraft first. Best solution: when buying for a more substantial project at a real lumberyard or saw mill add a few boards to what you really need. Soon you will have a good stash for the quicky projects.

[Maurice Metzger]

I'll second the above, you really have to look closely.

I'm visiting my sister's family and am using S4S pine and red oak from Home Depot and Lowes to build a small children's table for her. My nephew already had a hand saw and drill, I picked up a pocket hole jig and away we went. I'll probably get them a block plane for the table ends.

Maurice

[tod evans]

it`ll be a cold day when i buy hardwood from a borg!..02 tod

[Steve Clardy]

it`ll be a cold day when i buy hardwood from a borg!..02 tod


Yep!!! Agree

[Jim Becker]

While I agree that I'd prefer to not buy any "furniture" lumber from HD, I have to admire the birds-eye pine that Tod Burch managed to score from them and/or similar over time. His shop cabinets are gorgeous! I guess that when you have some copious free time, it isn't a horrible thing to look through the racks for something noteworthy that slipped in...but I'd rather go to someplace like Hearne and have the woodworker's equivalent of "a really good time"... ;)

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Me too! I just can't do it.

[Russ Massery]

Same here Just can't bring myself to buy at those prices. Last weekend I was ask to make a couple of thresholds. I could bring myself to buy at that price. That's why I'll always buy extra on a lumber run. Just to have it on hand.

[John Kain]

It's either the Borg or 2 hour drive for me. You can guess how often I make that drive with a hectic work schedule..........:(

[tod evans]

It's either the Borg or 2 hour drive for me. You can guess how often I make that drive with a hectic work schedule..........:(

john, try and hook up with a local cabinet shop or smc member or both you`ll save quite a chunk of change and maybe meet some nice folk? .02 tod

[Don Baer]

At least after this week end I'll be reunited with all of my WW equiptment and moving to the stix, it not much further to Chandler Hardwoods then it is the the Orange borg and it's actually closer then the blue borg so It's a no brainer for me now.:D

I was checking his pricing for 6/4 and 4/4 white OAK for a project that LOML has for me and I don't think that $3.20 db.ft. is too bad of a price. As compared to $6.00 bdft for red oak at the borg.

[Lee DeRaud]

I have to admit to using their 1/4" x 8"x24" oak for small laser jobs. Quite frequently, actually.Second that. They also have 1/4" poplar, which I seem to use in larger quantities than you'd expect.

[Bryan Somers]

While I agree its far from being the higher quality stuff I dont have alot of choices, because I lack a couple of important tools like a jointer and planer. The next nearest place I know of is a 130 mile round trip.

[Tony Falotico]

T-minus 42 days and counting till Orange opens in Lake City......... Can't wait, tired of Blue (currently the only show in town) ripping us off !! Kinda makes me wonder how long it will take Blue to leave......... this particular one is a pathetic excuse for a store. Sure do hope Orange imports some GOOD management.

[Gary Herrmann]

I'll admit. I've bought the red oak before. But now that I have a couple lumber connections... Nah. Red oak (granted its S4S) at 6.00 per board ft or rough qsawn white oak for $1.75. Not everybody has good sources tho. And S4S does save a lot of time. Still, pretty easy decision.

Reminds me that I should stock up on some plain sawn white oak for shop projects. Maybe splurge and get rift sawn...

SWMBO doesn't like oak for furniture, but she may be changing her opinon after the umbrella table...

[Corey Hallagan]

I buy and occasional board from Home Depot and Menards. I do like Menards much better though but is only in the midwest I believe. I buy their thin stock oak, aspen and maple boards for box work.

Corey

[Thomas Herview]

I bought some HD oak to make a coffee table. I glued up the top to 3' X 3', made and attached the legs. It was a pretty impressive table for about a month. 1/2 inch wide cracks (2) with the grain, glue joints held, though. I guess it wasn't done drying.

[Michael Adelong]

While I agree that I'd prefer to not buy any "furniture" lumber from HD, I have to admire the birds-eye pine that Tod Burch managed to score from them and/or similar over time. His shop cabinets are gorgeous! I guess that when you have some copious free time, it isn't a horrible thing to look through the racks for something noteworthy that slipped in...but I'd rather go to someplace like Hearne and have the woodworker's equivalent of "a really good time"... ;)

Jim's right. The BORG near my office also sells maple. Usually, it's just generic maple, nothing special at all. One day I happened to walk up that aisle, and I glanced at the 1x6x8' bin on the way by. Subconsciously, I had a feeling that something wasn't right. I stepped bac to the rack and saw about 4" of the edge of one board that looked funny. When I pulled it out, I found some very nice tiger striping. I grabbed the board and took it to the checkout counter. I set it on the counter so the girl could scan the tag on it. She noticed that it was warped (about 1/4" over the last 18"), and knocked some unknown % off of the price. I got the whole board for something silly, like $9. I'm sure it will make some very fine accent pieces on some of my other projects.

He's also right about Hearne Hardwoods. I made the trek up there last weekend. Wow! What a great place, and great folks. Rick Hearne came out and chatted with me while I was messing up his nice stacks of cherry. They will be my preferred supplier from now on. I thought they were going to be too far away for me, but as it turns out it only takes about 10 minutes longer for me to get there than it does to the "local" suppliers. 5 turns from my driveway to their loading dock. I am one happy camper. :)

Michael

[Marion Rood]

Here in the Midwest I have wonderful sources of kiln dried hardwood lumber, one of them on the side of town and I buy 98% of my wood from them. The other 2%, like one more poplar piece to re-coup for a bad cut, well Home Depot seems like a money saver.
I also have a collection of bird's eye pine, that I'm going to build a small cabinet from--all of it was cheap wood that was discounted because of these small blemishes.

[glenn bradley]

it`ll be a cold day when i buy hardwood from a borg!..02 tod

Now let's not beat the guy up for getting by in a pinch. But, I'm with you. Re-doing a piece or a project is just too painful to save $20.

[tod evans]

not meaning to jump on you glenn:o , sorry! tod

[glenn bradley]

No apology required. Just goofin' with my fellow Creekers. :D

[Dennis Peacock]

I just can't do it either. Not when I can get it for $2 a bdft, kiln dried, select grade.

[Dennis Peacock]

T-minus 42 days and counting till Orange opens in Lake City......... Can't wait, tired of Blue (currently the only show in town) ripping us off !! Kinda makes me wonder how long it will take Blue to leave......... this particular one is a pathetic excuse for a store. Sure do hope Orange imports some GOOD management.

Wow!!!! It's right the opposite here Tony. Orange is new in town, but they stink at most everything. If you need it? They don't have it in stock. Blue? If you need it? They have it. Prices are better, service is far better and stock selection is WAY better. I guess it's all about where you live.

[Tony Falotico]

Wow!!!! It's right the opposite here Tony. Orange is new in town, but they stink at most everything. If you need it? They don't have it in stock. Blue? If you need it? They have it. Prices are better, service is far better and stock selection is WAY better. I guess it's all about where you live.


I've visited lots of blue and orange around Florida during my travels, I'm convinced it's individual store MANAGEMENT !! In Gainesville FL orange is poor, blue is much nicer, yet drop 25 miles south to Ocala and find a very nice orange. In Tallahassee Both are very nice, In St Pete FL Both are equally nice.......... It's local MANAGEMENT, I'm convinced.

The Lake City blue was nice when it first opened, Scotty's closed 60 days later, but they have been plagued with management problems, cleaned house about a year ago, redid the store, but didn't improve much under new leadership. It's a very small store by Blue standards (I've been told it's their smallest store footprint and they don't build this one any more). Orange is definitely going to put a hurting on them. I don't think we are big enough to support two, so I would not be surprised at all if blue pulls out within a year.........

[Jeffrey Schronce]

He's also right about Hearne Hardwoods. I made the trek up there last weekend. Wow! What a great place, and great folks. Rick Hearne came out and chatted with me while I was messing up his nice stacks of cherry. They will be my preferred supplier from now on. I thought they were going to be too far away for me, but as it turns out it only takes about 10 minutes longer for me to get there than it does to the "local" suppliers. 5 turns from my driveway to their loading dock. I am one happy camper. :)

Michael

Is this the Hearne Hardwoods in Oxford PA?
Thanks
Jeff

[Jesse Cloud]

Now come on KC, its way past April fool's day. You must be pulling our legs. I'll bet you just ran out of firewood...;) BTW, where's the pic of those shelves, huh???

[glenn bradley]

California is a long state and I've lived in a few latitudes. Borgs everywhere seem to be very subject to their local management. In the Folsom area (central Cal) Blue was very messy and poorly run while Orange was the best I've seen. In So Cal, Blue has their act together while it is a wonder that Orange can keep any customers.

[Frank Fusco]

I made the misteak of buying oak from Home Depot. ONCE and once only. When my project was nearly finished and I was doing final sanding, I noticed marks evenly spaced on the wood. The were round indentations about the size of a nickle with visible lettering and numbers in them. These were not apparent with the boards as purchased. But then, I wasn't looking for something like this either. They were too deep to sand out and I didn't own a planer at the time. Partially ruined project. I wrote to Home Depot (the store manager wouldn't come to the telephone [Mountain Home, Arkansas] ). The response was "sorry" but no offer to remedy or refund. I later learned that the marks were caused by automated handling equipment and can be found on most wood sold by HD. Never again.