Thick Woods and Slabs.

[Steve Benson]

Where do you buy super thick boards or slabs at relatively decent prices. I mean like 20/4 or 16/4 wood. Also where can you get slabs for a decent price. Basically i would like to make something with a final dimension of 4" x 4" x 16" for coffee table legs.
Thanks

[Carroll Courtney]

Steve,most of your hardwood lumber places will have it.Check the yellow pages,or where you shop for woodworking tools(Woodcraft)for a location.

[Steve Nouis]

I'd check out your local smaller sawmills, I have quite a bit of that at mine but keep in mind that it like to crack when drying down. It might be better to glue up thinner stock. Steve

[Mike Henderson]

Steve's right. If you go for dried wood, it'll be expensive because it takes a long time to dry big pieces like that. You're paying for the time it took to dry it as well as the material itself. If you go for fresh wood (green and wet), you'll have to dry it yourself which will take a long time and you risk having it crack on you.

The best thing to do is to make up the legs. There are ways to glue up pieces for legs where the glue joints are on the corners so they don't show very much.

Mike

[You'll find that the per board-foot price of big stuff is quite a bit more than 4/4 if it's already dry.)

[William OConnell]

It depends on where you live. i live on Long Island east of NYC and just bought some 16/4 by 10" wide cherry slabs from a place called Roberts plywood. Mikes right about the price being higher I paid 8.39 a Bd ft. which is more then the 4.80 I pay for 4/4. I will disagree on the its better to glue up small pieces though. I'll be making legs for a coffee table myself wich is why I wanted the slabs and paid the premium
http://www.robertsplywood.com/product_triple_crown.htm

[Rick Fisher]

I bought some 4x4 kd clear fir last week for about $6.00 per BF. I resawed it all down to 7/8" to build a table top with matched veneers.

The bigger dimensions are way more expensive, about double for fir.

For Table legs, I would consider laminating the legs, you can miter 1x4 if your careful. If you ease the edges afterwards, its can be barely noticable.

IMO

[Robin Cruz]

I glue milled 4/4 lumber together. I think it turns out to be cheaper then buying 8/4 etc.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yup gotta go to your local supplier for the thick slabs. You could have them shipped, but now your talking $$$.
JeffD

[Rick Thom]

For Table legs, I would consider laminating the legs, you can miter 1x4 if your careful. If you ease the edges afterwards, its can be barely noticable.

IMO
I have seen square legs done this way, and I suppose it's possible to make tapered legs from them. Another advantage is that all 4 boards can have the same grain orientation rather than 2 flat and 2 edge using a single plank, making what is often a more pleasing result.

[Frank Drew]

Thick stuff is always more expensive per b.f., but in general I don't agree that laminated legs are aesthetically interchangeable with solid, especially once the leg section deviates off 4-square, as with turned or otherwise shaped legs.

And who said this occupation/hobby was supposed to be economically sensible? :D

[For painted work, of course, glue-ups are fine, and make perfect sense.]