Real Vermont Maple wood

[Mark Elmer]

Hi all,

I have been a lurker here for several weeks. I will be spending some vacation time in Vermont in July.

I'd like to bring home a few board feet of Real Vermont Maple to build a flag display case for the flag that was presented to my wife when her dad passed away about two years ago.

Perhaps something quilted or some other interesting figure.

Any suggestions on a source?

[John Michaels]

Found this link. Looks like some of the listings might pan out.

http://www.vermontwood.com/members_a.html

[Brian W Evans]

Mark,

Finding maple in VT should be no problem. I live in VT and you can't swing a cat without hitting a sugar maple, at least where I live. When I buy lumber there are two retail locations near Burlington:

Northend Hardwoods (http://www.northendhardwoods.com/)
Morse Hardwoods (http://www.morsehardwoods.com)

Morse Hardwoods mills/kiln dries its own local lumber. I can't say for sure that Northend has local wood, but I can't image why they'd buy from anywhere else, given the large local supply.

I also see maple lumber on craigslist quite often. Many people have portable saw mills here and make money by selling lumber cut from their own property. Here's a link to a guy who seems to frequently sell maple ($2/bf !):

http://burlington.craigslist.org/mat/674834107.html

As a side gloat, I recently bought 40 bf of 16/4 spalted maple from a local guy for about $4/bf. Lucky SOB just found it lying on his property and had a neighbor with a sawmill.

Finally, check out the classifieds in this paper (http://www.vt-world.com). Better yet, pick one up when you're here (they're free) and look for sawmill ads (not necessarily in the classifieds).

If all else fails, PM me and I'll try to track some down. A guy I work with has a sawmill and probably has some air dried maple around.

Enjoy your trip. Let me know where you're going to be and maybe I can suggest some things to see/do.

[Nate Rogers]

Bryan,
I live just down the road from the Morse plant, they do not process there own lumber. Almost all of the lumber they sell comes from the south or Canada. The only thing the do is process the lumber into flooring etc...
As for Northend they do process quite a bit of the lumber at the plant in Lyndonville vt. The only place I know of in the state that certifies that the lumber comes from vt is Lathrop Lumber in Bristol VT. That being said Craigslist is usually loaded with lumber from every Tom/Dick and Harry with a band mill.

Nate

[Rob Grubbs]

Maybe a silly question, but what makes Vermont maple better than any other northern maple? Is this for a nostalgic reason? Not trying to start anything, just curious. :D

[Chris Weishaar]

Lathrops in Bristol is the best place. It will be a bit closer to where you will be than up in the Burlington area. Morse and Northend at both considerably more expensive than Lathrops. Lathrops has a good selection of wood that is from Vermont, they actual own quite a few woodlots that they harvest themselves. I was there last month and Sap Maple is running right about $3.00 for 4/4 for the Vermont harvested maple.

I stay away from the CL wood due solely to the fact that I know someone who is just getting set up with a mill. He knows absolutely nothing about milling wood but he figures he can put it on CL cheap and someone will buy it. He thinks you just push the logs throught the mill and build a big pile of wood. He has no clue how to stack, sticker, or dry the wood. Granted this is only one guy, there are plenty who know what they are doing out there. If you go that route make sure you know when it was cut and how it was dried/stored.

Chris

[Chris Weishaar]

Maybe a silly question, but what makes Vermont maple better than any other northern maple? Is this for a nostalgic reason? Not trying to start anything, just curious. :D


The taste! Come on you know that, you must have had our syrup!:cool:

[Rob Grubbs]

The taste! Come on you know that, you must have had our syrup!:cool:
Indeed, I have had the syrup! I lived and worked in the Northfield area for about 10 years. I really miss the area.

[Kevin Godshall]

The taste! Come on you know that, you must have had our syrup!:cool:

<----- would be more then willing to have a Pennsylvania Vs. Vermont maple syrup challenge.......... ;)

[Jared Larrow]

Chris -

Have you ever stopped by the old-timer on Route 7 in Charlotte? The guy with the sawmill on the side of the road? His prices sound good but I haven't taken the time to see what he has.

[Jerry Lawrence]

<----- would be more then willing to have a Pennsylvania Vs. Vermont maple syrup challenge.......... ;)
Oooohh...Them's fightin' words!

[Brian W Evans]

Mark,

Sorry to steer you wrong about the retail places. My other advice stands, though. I know/have met several people with saw mills who know how to sticker and dry lumber. Some of these I've met through Craigslist. Finally, I'll second (third?) what people are telling you about Lathrop's. The shop teacher where I work buys all his lumber there and recommends them highly.

[Brian W Evans]

Since we're on this topic, I've been looking for a good place to buy figured wood in VT. I can get birdseye & curly maple, but I'd really like to buy quilted maple, flame birch, any kind of figured cherry, etc. I usually only use domestic woods. Any of you Vermonters know a good place to get this stuff locally?

Thanks.

[Chris Weishaar]

Chris -

Have you ever stopped by the old-timer on Route 7 in Charlotte? The guy with the sawmill on the side of the road? His prices sound good but I haven't taken the time to see what he has.

Jared,

I haven't stopped by. Is he still there, I thought he ran into problems with the town?

Chris

[Chris Weishaar]

Since we're on this topic, I've been looking for a good place to buy figured wood in VT. I can get birdseye & curly maple, but I'd really like to buy quilted maple, flame birch, any kind of figured cherry, etc. I usually only use domestic woods. Any of you Vermonters know a good place to get this stuff locally?

Thanks.

Brian,

I don't have the list with me, (it is at home...I am at work) but I think that Lathrops had some spalted maple and figured cherry last time I was there. I can check their price sheets when I get home. That stuff is hard to get at alot of places because it doesn't show up too often. I hate to think of how much of it ends up firewood because no one knows what they have.

Chris

[Mark Elmer]

I want to thank all of your for your recomendations. I haven't been able to find a proper website for Lathrop's but I did find an address and phone number.

Thanks again,

Mark

[Kevin Godshall]

Oooohh...Them's fightin' words!

:p Only since I helped the neighbor fill 50 gallon drums of PA syrup to ship to VT for sale there................