Where's the Wood?

[Bill0331]

Once the beastie is cleaned, lubed, and back in battery, is there a suggested source for wood beyond what we find at our big box hardware store?

Oh sage and wise ones , give us newbies some of that time tested wisdom, won't you?


Bill

[anmius]

1. Real lumber yard
2. Cabinet plywood dealer
3. Hardwood dealer
4. Local saw mill

[rdavidp]

I luckily have two supplies of hardwood locally. A locally owned hardwood specialty store that sells rough lumber, and the local Woodcraft store. I have found oak planks and a couple of other very common woods (poplar, maple, cedar)at Home Depot and Lowe's.

[lightnin]

Phone book.... call lumber yards and ask... There are two around here and one saw mill that have a good selection of hardwoods.
Anyone around northwest Indiana try Whites Lumber in Valparaiso.
Search hardwood on eBay sort by nearest first ... If you find someone close that sells a lot ask if you can come and see the wood.
You may find a good source that way. There is one guy a few miles from me that sells a lot of it.
If you are set up to mill your own, you could try a local tree service.

[derekdarling]

1. Real lumber yard
2. Cabinet plywood dealer
3. Hardwood dealer
4. Local saw mill

5. Local Forest (get permission)
6. Local arborist (they always want to get rid of wood)

[BuckeyeDennis]

Try searching your local Craigslist for "hardwood lumber". I was amazed at what turned up nearby.

[dusty]

Try searching your local Craigslist for "hardwood lumber". I was amazed at what turned up nearby.

All I found was one guy selling "black walnut slabs".

[dforeman]

There are a lot of avenues to choose from for finding wood stock, just as others have mentioned. And, of course it all depends on the type of wood you are looking for and quantity.

I found a specialy wood dealer here in this part of the country (Frederick, Maryland) that sells a variety of different types of wood (both local and imported). I haven't bought anything from them yet though.

E-Bay and Craig's List is a good source to try. But, weather it is local or not is all up to timing.

You can also try some of the local farm machinery, liquidation, consignment, and estate auctions in your area. I've come across some very nice rough sawn; as well as, processed woods through this avenue.

I have a friend that built his own house a few years ago. But instead of purchasing pre finished/processed sidding, he purchased a semi load directly from a mill of rough sawn Western Red Cedar and milled it himself. On his end it was a lot of work and time consuming. But in the end, he saved some money on the whole build by milling all the sidding himself.

I have another friend that works for a company that produces welding rod for commercial applications. When they receive shipments of material, they come packaged on containers (I wouldn't necessarily call them pallets) which use 4x4/6x6 rough oak timbers (8, 10, 12, etc lengths). And, all they do is pile them up in the yard for disposal.

[terrydowning]

Much depends on quantity, Grade, Type (Hard or Soft), Surfacing options and of course what you're willing to fork over.

I mostly do small turnings so I typically go after Urban reclaimed items, Tree removal (Often no cost, except of course hauling it away.) and other shorts, cast offs and scraps, found wood is my favorite.

If looking for smaller items, a local cabinet maker will often make a deal on his shorts and cutoffs. Don't forget the cull bin at the local big box as well.

[charlese]

Here's a site that lists many sources of wood in the U.S. and Canada. Try it! Once you find a source that looks good to you - phone them before motoring - to save fuel and frustration. http://www.woodfinder.com/

I've used this site twice very sucessfully, and once to find the source closed.