Exotic Wood Equals Mucho $$

[Ken Salisbury]

Everytime I go to my exotic wood supplier I get sticker shock. Here is a picture of what I picked up yesterday. Left to right: Goncalo Alves - Tulipwood - Bloodwood - Tulipwood - Cocobola - Cocobola. At the whopping total of $80.

For reference the longest pieces (Cocobola) are 24". It is a good thing I only make little stuff out of this or I would be in the poor house.

[Brad Schafer]

pretty wood, but lotsa $$$. someone's making some coin.

b

[Joe Tonich]

Ken,

But don't you love to go to your exotics supplier? I do! Unfortunately he's mostly into turning blanks, not much in dried lumber. Thats a nice bunch of wood there. BTW, 1 1/2"x1 1/2"x18" runs me anywhere from $8 - $20. I cannot find BOARDS around here except for Rocklers or Woodcraft & they want an arm and a leg for it.

Joe

[Lynn Sonier]

Ken, you mentioned how much you paid for the wood but you didn't say how much you paid the armored car company to bring it home.

[Robert Mayer]

The wood on the left (Goncalo Alves) is amazing looking. Cost of the wood is my biggest problem. The tools are cheap compared to the wood.

[Lloyd Robins]

You have some beautiful wood there. I tend to work in oak and walnut, which ,while expensive, are not at as premium a price level. The exotics are extremely high priced. Cherry is almost as high. I get quite jealous when I hear the prices for wood that are available in the East. But I still wouldn't trade the opportunity to work with something as beautiful as wood for a different hobby.

[Glenn Hodges]

Not gloating or bragging, but I just happen to live in an area where wood is plentyful. I have piles of wood waiting to be turned such as 30 inch cherry, 36 inch pecan, persimmon, poplar, river birch, magnolia, some walnut, camphor, hickory, oak, etc...Yesterday a guy offered me a pecan tree he said how big a diameter you want, and I told him not to bring me any larger than 36 inches. One guy is bringing me sections of a hickory tree in excess of 24 inches in dia. from North Carolina, he also called yesterday. My good fortune is that I will make a bowl for free for anyone that will give me a tree that I want. I learned that here, I can't remember who gave me that advice, but I am glad I took it. I sure hate to buy wood.


You have some beautiful wood there. I tend to work in oak and walnut, which ,while expensive, are not at as premium a price level. The exotics are extremely high priced. Cherry is almost as high. I get quite jealous when I hear the prices for wood that are available in the East. But I still wouldn't trade the opportunity to work with something as beautiful as wood for a different hobby.

[Terre Hooks]

Ken,

I guess you are still getting this stuff in Scottsboro. His prices are stiff, but he is the only game around, also.

Last time I was there, I brought home a 1x4x10' piece of wenge ($55) and a 1x5x10' piece of Jatoba for about an $80 grand total. I was hurting, too.

I really want to make some bedroom furniture out of Maple & Walnut, but I am going to have to do some searching, I can't afford to pay $6+ bdft for those two.

I have asked him several times to think about carrying rough stock, but he claims it would not be cheaper than buying S4S.

[Dennis Peacock]

Ken,

But don't you love to go to your exotics supplier? I do! Unfortunately he's mostly into turning blanks, not much in dried lumber. Thats a nice bunch of wood there. BTW, 1 1/2"x1 1/2"x18" runs me anywhere from $8 - $20. I cannot find BOARDS around here except for Rocklers or Woodcraft & they want an arm and a leg for it.

Joe

My "local" exotic supplier is in Tulsa, OK.......I'm sure there is someone here in AR that has exotics...I just ain't found'em yet.

[Ken Salisbury]

Ken,

I guess you are still getting this stuff in Scottsboro. His prices are stiff, but he is the only game around.

I really want to make some bedroom furniture out of Maple & Walnut, but I am going to have to do some searching, I can't afford to pay $6+ bdft for those two.


Yes Terre I got it in Scottsboro and the prices are stiff but still better than ordering from somewhere and pay shipping. I get mine there so I can pick and choose and see what I am buying first hand.

Let me know when you need some cherry or walnut - I am sure I can get you what you need for around $2/ft give or take a little.

[Mark Mandell]

I knew that the 12 feet of 1x12 cocobolo I've had sitting in the shop was worth more than the cherry and walnut I usually work, but I didn't think it was worth THAT much. Looks like I need a bigger safe deposit box!

Mark Mandell

[Doug Littlejohn]

I know what you mean. I have been stocking up on exotics over the last couple of years (helps spread out the $$) but the last time I went I blew between $400 and $500. There is a supplier here that gets some pretty good stuff fresh from the boats when they come in.

Well, this last time he had this absolutely gorgeous (sp?) slab of quilted bubinga in get this, 6/4 by 12" wide!! Well, a 7' chunk of that set me back about $130.

Then there was the time he had just got in some bookmatched cocobolo, 4/4 by 8" by 5', 2 sequential pieces. Another $125. Anice chunk of ligvitae $70 (now CITES listed).

Bloodwood, tulipwood, bocote, goncalo and another of my most favorites, zirzcote ($25-$30 bdft).

Don't know what I'll use the various pieces on but something special will come along. Heck, as long as I take care of the wood, they're a great investment as the exotics only get more and more expensive.

At least you and I have access, many ww's can't even get the stuff!! Sure make beautiful pens !!

[Tom Sweeney]

A month or 2 ago I met Bill Grumbine for lunch & then we went to Hearnes Hardwoods down the road from me. Bill had bought a boatload of figured maple for a DR table. As they were running it through their planer & timesaver sander Bill & I were checking out the inventory. In the showroom they had some really amazing wood. They had some curly Koa & some amazing quilted maple. Only thing is they were each $100 BF - that is not a misprint. They were basically instrument grade & gorgeous - but $100 a BF!
Except for some tiger maple from Home Depot I haven't paid for wood yet. OH wait there was that 70Bf of prime rough sawn cherry I got at auction for I think $15.

[Bruce Page]

Ken, you should try checking out the wood prices in my neck of the woods. I'm guessing double that around here :mad:

[Anthony Yakonick]

Hi, while I'm a turner I think flat workers are at a disadvantage when it comes to exotics. I turn small items out of exotics one of my top sellers is turned ring boxes example: 3x3x30 bloodwood $25 with shipping I can get about 7 boxes from a turning square at $45ea= $315. The math works out for bottle stoppers also. See exotics are cheap! My other motto is "Machines don"t cost money they make money" The only problem is Cocobolo is a near death experenice to me due to my rosewood allergy.

Anthony