Wood Suggestions

[Mike Hill]

Many of the projects I am planning involve Shaker reproductions based on the photos, drawings and measurements from The Book of Shaker Furniture by John Casey. Pine was used for the most part (eastern white pine?) with walnut, cherry, Maple, Chestnut and many other woods at times. Of course the cost of Walnut, Cherry and Maple these days is very high, especially in the widths necessary to match the boards used by the Shakers. In the Shaker Tall Clock I built recently (almost finished), I was able to find some soft Maple in widths close to the original lumber. The Maple BTW turned out to be a nightmare. It was so porous that when I planed it, it stopped up my dust collector. The shreds from the planer looked like straw coming out of the planer :) Staining was the biggest issue in the build (blotching) and I am not completely satisfied with the finish even now.

I am looking for a source of good lumber in Texas or nearby states that is reasonably priced. Where I am buying now is mainly a source for Cabinet Makers and high end Contractors. If your not buying in quantities of several thousand dollars, there is no discount and their full retail prices are high.

I would like to build with Walnut, Cherry or other good hardwoods, but with Shaker furniture I could use Eastern White Pine if it is dry and straight or even other similar less expensive woods.

If not available here or nearby, I would travel to pick up lumber, or pay the freight if it is a good deal. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

The Shakers built with available materials and that did include pine.

Unfortunately, geography plays a big role in material availablity both in species and price. One thing you might want to consider is doing a bulk buy with one or more other local woodworkers...it helps to mitigate the freight charges and you can buy some really nice material that way for less money than buying local.