Trying to Understand Wood Prices

[Mike Shields]

Trying to figure out the reason for this:

a 1" x 8" x 8' select pine at HD is ~ $17.00

roughsewn 1" x 7" x 7' maple is $16.00

Whats driving the cost of the materials here?

[dan grant]

fuel-labour maybe

[Paul Johnstone]

Trying to figure out the reason for this:

a 1" x 8" x 8' select pine at HD is ~ $17.00

roughsewn 1" x 7" x 7' maple is $16.00

Whats driving the cost of the materials here?

Supply and demand. The typical homeowner that wants only a piece or two of good pine doesn't mind paying around $3 a board foot for it.

[Dewey Torres]

One... it's the BORG
Two... the select pine that they sell is planed and square, free of knots (hard to do with pine), and is pretty much ready to finish. It still isn't worth that price to me, but :rolleyes:..I admit I still buy it from time to time because it is ready to work right out of the truck.

Dewey

[Brad Shipton]

That Kiln to dry the material from rough is a fuel HOG and the $100k+ moulder setup and tooling aint cheap to run either. Supply and demand is a part of the puzzle too.

[Mike Wilkins]

You are paying a premium for the selection of a blemish-free, knot-free piece of wood, selected for interior fine finish work or furniture building. I also think we are paying a fuel premium also. The increase of fuel prices is affecting everything we buy these days, and the big box stores have to pass on the cost, or eat the cost. Guess which one will happen.
If you are looking for some softwood for a furniture project, the best place is a lumber that deals with hardwoods and softwoods. The softwoods from them is usually chosen for the best face with no blemishes.

[Jim King]

The collapse of the American Dollar is not your friend and your pine at a big box store very possibly is not from the US. Here in Peru the US currency is down about 25% against a third world country. It is a mess.

As my production goes to the States and Canada it hurts me as an exporter to the States also. As I get paid in devalued dollars my cost of production goes accordingly. This problem of the driver of the world economy taking a dive is not good for anyone in the world except those who do not have a floating currency such as the Chinese plus the slave labor they have they also control the value of their currency in world markets so no one can compete with them.

It is a temporary situation and a correction will come but how many will fall by the side before this is over .

This is one COMPLICATED subject.

[Frank Drew]

The planed pine has had more value added than has the maple, plus, if the average homeowner (i.e. without tools or equipment) just wants some stock for closet shelving, rough sawn would be a pain to deal with.

[Charles P. Wright]

The planed pine has had more value added than has the maple, plus, if the average homeowner (i.e. without tools or equipment) just wants some stock for closet shelving, rough sawn would be a pain to deal with.
I've done the closet shelving a few times with pine from HD. I would always chose the premium instead of select pine. One of the nice things about HD is that you can stand there and reject 90% of the stock and just pick the best ones out of a bin; the ones that just barely missed the better grading and get something that looks reasonable for 1/3 the price of the select.

[paul wiser]

hd rapes the lumber prices. particularly on hardwood. i can purchase hardwoods much less expensive than theirs, add freight and still pay less.:D:D