If you wouldn't mind telling us where you buy your lumber from and why you buy it from the source you do, it would help those who do sell lumber do a better job.
Lumber - where do you buy it from and why?
- Thread starter CrealBilly
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Red and White flat and quarter sawn oak from Scott Smith because of price, quality and proximity to my shop!!!!!:wsmile::wsmile::wsmile::icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum
When I am using poplar, I generally don't need too much so I just head for the BORG's. (Drawer boxes and the like.) If the piece is going to be painted and I need more poplar, then it is off to Capital City Lumber in Raleigh. Price's are pretty high, but again, it doesn't take a tank of gas to get there and back.
(I have been known to piggyback another NCWW member out to NC Hardwoods for Cherry and red oak too. Great selection, excellent customer service and the NCWW discount.:eusa_danc)
(And you Jeff, when you had the mill here in N.C., because you're a good guy with great prices!)
Wayne
When I am using poplar, I generally don't need too much so I just head for the BORG's. (Drawer boxes and the like.) If the piece is going to be painted and I need more poplar, then it is off to Capital City Lumber in Raleigh. Price's are pretty high, but again, it doesn't take a tank of gas to get there and back.
(I have been known to piggyback another NCWW member out to NC Hardwoods for Cherry and red oak too. Great selection, excellent customer service and the NCWW discount.:eusa_danc)
(And you Jeff, when you had the mill here in N.C., because you're a good guy with great prices!)
Wayne
yousta git it from this nice younge fella in granville county. He had great prices and a cool cull pile too!:gar-Bi But for some reason he moved his mill to somewhere in east illinoistan so lumber runs are few and far between.:rotflm: now i mostly deal with an even younger fine fella over here in rolesville. his prices are good too.:icon_thum I never buy s3s material because it never is...... I prefer to mill my own stock.:wwink:
Oh and culls are king!:gar-La; I like using the stuff others think of as misfits........
Oh and culls are king!:gar-La; I like using the stuff others think of as misfits........
I use several different commercial suppliers. In Greensboro, Musser Lumber Co., in High Point McEwen Limber co. and in Thomasville I use TCI. I don't go to the retail outlets because their prices are just to darn high and the quality is the same. At TCI I purchase off of the bundle and can choose what I want. I'm not the biggest customer but I do buy in quantity.
I buy for two reasons, price and quality of the stock and how I am treated. Musser is somewhat cold and a little difficult to deal with, McEwen acts like they are doing me a favor by selling to me and TCI treats me like a long lost friend. And the staff at TCI have been in the business for many years so they know what they are doing, not some pimple faced kid who was hired last week.
I buy for two reasons, price and quality of the stock and how I am treated. Musser is somewhat cold and a little difficult to deal with, McEwen acts like they are doing me a favor by selling to me and TCI treats me like a long lost friend. And the staff at TCI have been in the business for many years so they know what they are doing, not some pimple faced kid who was hired last week.
If I need <20 board feet, I start at Klingspor's for the good selection and prices.
If I'm in a huge hurry and they don't have what I need, I'll go to Capital City Lumber prepared to pay double.
If I have plenty of time and need to purchase enough to make the drive (1 hour) or delivery ($35) worth it, I'll go to NC Hardwood in Gibsonville.
Since I just do this as a hobby, I'm not usually able to take advantage of a sawyer since I either need it quickly, want to browse before I decide, or can't buy enough to make it worth the sawyer's effort!
If I'm in a huge hurry and they don't have what I need, I'll go to Capital City Lumber prepared to pay double.
If I have plenty of time and need to purchase enough to make the drive (1 hour) or delivery ($35) worth it, I'll go to NC Hardwood in Gibsonville.
Since I just do this as a hobby, I'm not usually able to take advantage of a sawyer since I either need it quickly, want to browse before I decide, or can't buy enough to make it worth the sawyer's effort!
I am a neophyte to woodworking and somewhat naive, but here is my thought process:
(Price + distance within 100 miles) + urgency based on quality needed. Price + distance = what it costs me to get the stuff home. Urgency just means a small something where I resort to the Borg now that East Wake is no longer in operation.
I prefer rough sawn to full dimension (4/4 = 1"; 5/4 = 1 1/4", etc) altho skip-planed to no more than 1/8" less is okay. I don't want to pay for the sawdust that stays at the sawmill. As far as I am concerned, that is the price of doing business. Skip planing adds some value as it lets you see the figure and grain better, so some is acceptable.
I do not like to buy a long "5/4" board that has been planed down to an inch or less and still has some areas of saw marks, twist, etc. I could have taken the rough sawn one, cut it to shorter lengths, and cleaned up a lot of it at over 1" and still gotten some bookmatched panels from it. Can't do that after its been turned into chips and dust.
I prefer straight edged in shorter (6' or less), but okay with rough edged on longer lengths, for 8" and under width, as long as width is measured on the lesser side of the board.
I need it available in quantities under 100 bf minimum.
Kiln drying is added value, especially for buggy woods. Don't like steam dried walnut.
I do little work needing wider boards, so that would be based on the project.
Bottom line, I guess I am looking at the most square smooth lumber I can get from the board. I will buy a thick rough board over a thin smoothed one every time. Don't throw away much of the drop if its over 1/8" thick.
Go
For the record: Have been really pleased with the lumber I have gotten from you, Jeff, and from Scott Smith. Have not bought any from any of the other sawyers on the forum yet, so this is not a critique of any of you all. Have bought some from other sources that I was not happy with what I ended up with.
(Price + distance within 100 miles) + urgency based on quality needed. Price + distance = what it costs me to get the stuff home. Urgency just means a small something where I resort to the Borg now that East Wake is no longer in operation.
I prefer rough sawn to full dimension (4/4 = 1"; 5/4 = 1 1/4", etc) altho skip-planed to no more than 1/8" less is okay. I don't want to pay for the sawdust that stays at the sawmill. As far as I am concerned, that is the price of doing business. Skip planing adds some value as it lets you see the figure and grain better, so some is acceptable.
I do not like to buy a long "5/4" board that has been planed down to an inch or less and still has some areas of saw marks, twist, etc. I could have taken the rough sawn one, cut it to shorter lengths, and cleaned up a lot of it at over 1" and still gotten some bookmatched panels from it. Can't do that after its been turned into chips and dust.
I prefer straight edged in shorter (6' or less), but okay with rough edged on longer lengths, for 8" and under width, as long as width is measured on the lesser side of the board.
I need it available in quantities under 100 bf minimum.
Kiln drying is added value, especially for buggy woods. Don't like steam dried walnut.
I do little work needing wider boards, so that would be based on the project.
Bottom line, I guess I am looking at the most square smooth lumber I can get from the board. I will buy a thick rough board over a thin smoothed one every time. Don't throw away much of the drop if its over 1/8" thick.
Go
For the record: Have been really pleased with the lumber I have gotten from you, Jeff, and from Scott Smith. Have not bought any from any of the other sawyers on the forum yet, so this is not a critique of any of you all. Have bought some from other sources that I was not happy with what I ended up with.
Kyle Edwards (Kyle on NCWW) in the Charlotte area. He is an honest guy that treats you right and is generous when figuring board feet. He has a sawmill in Iron Station, NC and has a pretty large inventory of both domestic and some exotic and imported woods.
If I need red oak and some other domestics, or Baltic birch plywood, I usually use Wurth Wood Group. Their prices on these can't be beat.
World Timber Corp if you need large quantities. Their prices are very reasonable, but they wont just sell you one board. They are basically a wholesale outlet.
Steve Wall in Mayoden. Quality stuff.
If I need red oak and some other domestics, or Baltic birch plywood, I usually use Wurth Wood Group. Their prices on these can't be beat.
World Timber Corp if you need large quantities. Their prices are very reasonable, but they wont just sell you one board. They are basically a wholesale outlet.
Steve Wall in Mayoden. Quality stuff.
Let's see....I bought Maple and Red Oak from Jeff Mills, cypress from Ivie, more cypress and poplar from member who hauled it here from Hickory, cherry from a member in N Raleigh and more cherry on a group buy with Dan Bowman. I buy the odd piece from Klingspor (walnut and purpleheart) and sheet goods from the BORGS. Always looking out for a lumber run!!
Kyle normally has what I need in domestic wood and has never disappointed me in 6 years. Nice to get out to the country.
Rick at http://www.thewoodworkingsource.com/ doesn't do lumber in a small way. He has large quantities and knows how to drive a front end loader.
Gwenn and Bill at http://www.lumbersourcing.com/ have incredible buys on large lots and will deliver to Concord. They're good people.
I do miss going to the Raleigh HF parking lot. Used to get treated very well there by Jeff and Ivey.
Rick at http://www.thewoodworkingsource.com/ doesn't do lumber in a small way. He has large quantities and knows how to drive a front end loader.
Gwenn and Bill at http://www.lumbersourcing.com/ have incredible buys on large lots and will deliver to Concord. They're good people.
I do miss going to the Raleigh HF parking lot. Used to get treated very well there by Jeff and Ivey.
Jeff,
I buy wholesale from distributors. Price/bdft is not king but a fair price for quality and consistency is. I find that buying better, graded lumber saves me in the long run. Lower waste and less time working around defects. Convenience and easy ordering is important too.
I buy domestics and a few exotics from McEwen Lumber. They deliver to my area MWF of each week free with $500 order. Quality, consistency, and price is good value. I've bought from them for the last 3yrs with no issues. Can't say that from some others I've tried.
I buy most of my Exotics from World Timber Corp. Price, quality, variety, excellent common carrier shipping rates. Neg. - Don't do credit cards which results in delay of shipment. They require the order be placed in writing, order be pulled, total worked up and check sent through mail before order is released. This usually results in 5 days to get order.:no:
I buy from Wurth on occasion. Mostly specialty sheet goods but I did buy some excellent cherry from them a couple of weeks ago. Since they are convenient, I would love to buy more from them. They just don't carry much RGH lumber or have it consistently. Neg. - Wurth seems to have a floating price scale which means the cost is according to: who's behind the counter at the time, what kinda mood they are in and which way the wind is blowing. It has helped hone my negotiating skills quite a bit. :icon_thum
I buy wholesale from distributors. Price/bdft is not king but a fair price for quality and consistency is. I find that buying better, graded lumber saves me in the long run. Lower waste and less time working around defects. Convenience and easy ordering is important too.
I buy domestics and a few exotics from McEwen Lumber. They deliver to my area MWF of each week free with $500 order. Quality, consistency, and price is good value. I've bought from them for the last 3yrs with no issues. Can't say that from some others I've tried.
I buy most of my Exotics from World Timber Corp. Price, quality, variety, excellent common carrier shipping rates. Neg. - Don't do credit cards which results in delay of shipment. They require the order be placed in writing, order be pulled, total worked up and check sent through mail before order is released. This usually results in 5 days to get order.:no:
I buy from Wurth on occasion. Mostly specialty sheet goods but I did buy some excellent cherry from them a couple of weeks ago. Since they are convenient, I would love to buy more from them. They just don't carry much RGH lumber or have it consistently. Neg. - Wurth seems to have a floating price scale which means the cost is according to: who's behind the counter at the time, what kinda mood they are in and which way the wind is blowing. It has helped hone my negotiating skills quite a bit. :icon_thum
I try and buy from local sawyers. Found 1 here in VA and went and bought 1 board but will go back now that my house addiation is done.
Quality, price, and distance are probable the big things people look for. Also getting the word out so you are known. I would never have found most places if not for seeing them on line at sites like this and craigslist.
Quality, price, and distance are probable the big things people look for. Also getting the word out so you are known. I would never have found most places if not for seeing them on line at sites like this and craigslist.
My newest find is Rick at the Woodworking Source! I generally need to have my lumber already cut and sanded (which Rick will do), especially while I'm scrolling away from our home shop. He was very helpful and very reasonable. I know we have bought from, and were pleased with the purchases from both Jeff and Kyle, but that's when LOML can re-saw and plane it to a scrolling-friendly size (1/4", 3/8" finished).
Bee Tree lumber in Swannanoa has a good supply. They stopped being open on weekends, so it's more difficult to get to them, and the wood still needs to be finished for me.
Mostly I hope LOML is working on something that has scraps I can steal. I can make a basket from a 6"x6"x1/4" board, so I don't usually want large pieces of wood. Eventually he'll re-saw it for me. Sometimes his "eventually" is too long for me and I get the wood elsewhere.
The location of the wood and my ability to get there is also an issue. I'm not working right now, but also not within a couple of hours of our folks either. If I can get to the business during their hours, I try to use our member's businesses. If I can't get there or work out shipping, I order from one of several on-line sites which sell in the thicknesses that scrollers need. Now that I found Rick, I hope to not have to order online ever again.
Bee Tree lumber in Swannanoa has a good supply. They stopped being open on weekends, so it's more difficult to get to them, and the wood still needs to be finished for me.
Mostly I hope LOML is working on something that has scraps I can steal. I can make a basket from a 6"x6"x1/4" board, so I don't usually want large pieces of wood. Eventually he'll re-saw it for me. Sometimes his "eventually" is too long for me and I get the wood elsewhere.
The location of the wood and my ability to get there is also an issue. I'm not working right now, but also not within a couple of hours of our folks either. If I can get to the business during their hours, I try to use our member's businesses. If I can't get there or work out shipping, I order from one of several on-line sites which sell in the thicknesses that scrollers need. Now that I found Rick, I hope to not have to order online ever again.
I buy all of my lumber rough if I can, and I've purchased about 100 bd/ft since I'vve been down here. Other than special deals such as the walnut guy, or AILW's sawyer passing away, and deals like that, the rest has been purchased from local sawyers such as you, Scott and Jack. If I ever need anything other than what's available locally I will try the Hardwood Store or Steve Wall, but it hasn't happened yet.
I will be in the market for some maple soon, so I'll be out there testing the market again:gar-Bi
I will be in the market for some maple soon, so I'll be out there testing the market again:gar-Bi
Sadly, without a truck, I buy from local chain stores. Have not tried Capital city lumber.
I try to buy directly from the sawyers, primarily because it's cheaper. I even bought some green lumber once and dried it myself. If you have the space, equipment and time, buying lumber rough gives you more back for the buck, and more flexibility. With rough lumber, I have the option to cut a 2' piece of that 8' board, negating the twist and treating it as 5/4 stock I can mill to 1" thick. If it was S2S bought at a store, that board would just be 4/4.
I've also bought lumber from Klingspor and Capitol City lumber. Klingspor has pretty reasonable prices, and it's already surfaced on 2 sides (S2S). When you buy rough lumber, you will inevitable have boards with checks, cracks, twists and knots, and those flaws aren't always visible until milled. So there's quite a bit of waste. When you factor that in, the higher price you pay for lumber at Klingspor is a pretty modest markup. Also, buying lumber from sawyers is generally opportunistic. Scott Smith has a reliable source of oak, but with most sawyers, you pretty much have to jump on something when it becomes available. At Klingspor, I can get what I want 99% of the time, in a comfortable heated/ air-conditioned store. That's worth something too.
So how can a sawyer do a better job of selling lumber? Information is key. Advertise what you have, with prices. The only cost is the time it takes to type the stuff in. Accurate grading helps too. For those with a lot of space, you can buy lumber in bulk. So when building a bed that requires long boards, you pick out the ones without defects and save the shorter ones with knots for the entertainment center you're building next week. But if you're a small time consumer, you can't afford that, you have to be more precise about what you buy. Not everyone has a truck/ trailer, so the ability to trim boards would be a big plus as well.
Gee, I guess this is why we have retail
I've also bought lumber from Klingspor and Capitol City lumber. Klingspor has pretty reasonable prices, and it's already surfaced on 2 sides (S2S). When you buy rough lumber, you will inevitable have boards with checks, cracks, twists and knots, and those flaws aren't always visible until milled. So there's quite a bit of waste. When you factor that in, the higher price you pay for lumber at Klingspor is a pretty modest markup. Also, buying lumber from sawyers is generally opportunistic. Scott Smith has a reliable source of oak, but with most sawyers, you pretty much have to jump on something when it becomes available. At Klingspor, I can get what I want 99% of the time, in a comfortable heated/ air-conditioned store. That's worth something too.
So how can a sawyer do a better job of selling lumber? Information is key. Advertise what you have, with prices. The only cost is the time it takes to type the stuff in. Accurate grading helps too. For those with a lot of space, you can buy lumber in bulk. So when building a bed that requires long boards, you pick out the ones without defects and save the shorter ones with knots for the entertainment center you're building next week. But if you're a small time consumer, you can't afford that, you have to be more precise about what you buy. Not everyone has a truck/ trailer, so the ability to trim boards would be a big plus as well.
Gee, I guess this is why we have retail
Local
Rick at the Woodworking Source -- Outstanding Service-awesome prices-good place to chat on the weekends
Kyle -- Great guy-good selection on interesting stuff (where to bring if you need trees lumberized)
Wurth--so so service-floating price scale-board ft calc vary by person use only in a pinch
The Hardwood store--awesome place nice wood moderate in price
Mcewen Lumber -- nice folks but only for 100 bd/ft or more
Horizon--(when they were in Charlotte-awesome) again 100 bd/ft or more
Klingspors/Woodcraft -- good for small bd ft quantities but you pay a little to alot extra.
Internet
West Penn Hardwoods -- good folks-awesome poplar- closeouts are usually warped-but they tell you that
Cr Muterspaw -- good moderately figured woods at a fair price
Rick at the Woodworking Source -- Outstanding Service-awesome prices-good place to chat on the weekends
Kyle -- Great guy-good selection on interesting stuff (where to bring if you need trees lumberized)
Wurth--so so service-floating price scale-board ft calc vary by person use only in a pinch
The Hardwood store--awesome place nice wood moderate in price
Mcewen Lumber -- nice folks but only for 100 bd/ft or more
Horizon--(when they were in Charlotte-awesome) again 100 bd/ft or more
Klingspors/Woodcraft -- good for small bd ft quantities but you pay a little to alot extra.
Internet
West Penn Hardwoods -- good folks-awesome poplar- closeouts are usually warped-but they tell you that
Cr Muterspaw -- good moderately figured woods at a fair price
I mostly buy from The Hardwood Store. They have always treated me well and it is only about 15 minutes from the house, kind of tough not to go there. I have bought from Mark Patterson Sawmill in Sanford. Good folks and treated well, I don't drive far based on price unless I am buying enough to justify total cost difference.
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