Anybody been to the Lumber District over in Durham? Since Klingspor's closure, I don't want to drive all the way to Gibsonville for just a couple of boards.
The Lumber District
- Thread starter Gene Turner
- Start date
There are other options in Raleigh.
1) Both Rockler in Cary and Woodcraft on HWY 70 carry some wood, albeit not the selection KWS has/had.
2) Raleigh Reclaimed sells wood - lots of domestics. Haven't bought there, but would be my choice if I did not shop at Cap City.
3) Not a popular choice here on NCWW, but MY choice, is Cap City Lumber (very close to me and I have been customer there for 30+ years)
4) Larger distributors; depending on what you need. Can't recall names but that's available info.
5) Local mills - some of which have kiln dried stock. I can't name them, but Mark Fogelman maintains a database that is available as a resource here.
Just options in case you hadn't considered these.
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Why is Capital City Lumber not popular here?
I have not had good experiences with Capital City Lumber. The only time I even consider going there is when they have a sale. Be sure to call before you go to make sure the sale is still on, because I've had them end a sale w/out updating their site about it (that's one of my bad experiences).
If you are in need of red or white oak (flat, Rift or QS) our own Scott Smith of Whispering Farms in New Hill - just off of US 1, is your man! Great guy and offers our members great prices.
Whispering Pines Farm - Home
Wayne
Whispering Pines Farm - Home
Wayne
Good to know!
The lumber district has quality wood kept in a climate controlled space. They are pricier than others but they do offer some advantages to some suppliers. The wood is mostly skip planed so you have more to play with to remove defects. The walnut is not steamed so it maintains more of the color. The cherry often has more color than is usual. For a few boards the cost difference won’t be too bad.
Do not misunderstand - I am certain there are many people who shop there, as the business is now in it's 3rd generation.
But some complaints have been aired here over the years, and these are a few of the things I have read. I am not trying to make this a bi#@$ session on Cap City, but I readily acknowledge that it is not the supplier of choice for everyone, even if it is for me. What is great is that no one is forcing anyone to shop there. I do shop there when I 'need' (want) lumber and have done so for a long time.
1) Cap City also has policies about what they are willing to cut, and more importantly what is left to sell. These are entirely reasonable policies in my view, but you do have to know that these policies are in place.
- For example if you want a 6' long piece, and select a 10' board, they won't cut and sell you only 6'; you buy all 10' because that would leave them trying to sell a 4' board (and if you want a 4' board go to Rockler or Woodcraft?!). They must have 6' left to sell after you cut the board. So my example would work if you had a 12' board, they'll cut and sell you 6' and leave 6' back sell to someone else. These policies vary between domestic and imported species - so ASK before selecting your boards. (EDIT - Stephen noted below "I think it is 8' for domestic and 6' for specialty lumber" where the 'it' is the minimum length you can leave on a piece. END EDIT)
- And all this only applies to S2S material, not to dimensioned (S4S) material (1x?, 2x?, 4x?); that they won't cut unless you buy the whole board. Note that IPE is only available in dimensioned S4S.
- It helps to have reasonable expectation: cutting will not be accurate to the 1/16"; some employees can do that, and some just graduated form the 'HD (orange) school of wood hacking.'
2) Some have not found the yard staff to be helpful (or they did not meet expectations).
- I agree that can happen; I have witnessed and experienced that a few times. I also do know that those 'guilty' employees rarely last (and for a time I was there often enough to truly know that 1st hand). Since I know their place, policies, and many of the people, I do not really need a lot of help, so it matters little to me. If I do need help cutting or loading, I am patient and have always received the help I needed.
3) As noted above they do run sales (summer sales, winter sales) but their website is not always up to date. Advice: If you are going for a specific item or species or sale - call them to confirm stock, availability, or pricing.
- For me as a long term customer, I go there for my lumber needs and when there is a sale I tend to buy more than I need; I do not need to store more lumber for this hobby of mine, but it's an obsession.
4) Pricing. This is simply not (always) the cheapest place to buy lumber, and even I have driven to other places when I needed significant quantities of sheet goods because the price difference made the drive worth it.
On the other hand, it is certainly not always the most expensive place either - and the prices can be VERY attractive/competitive especially in those months-longs winter sales. I rarely (never?) buy anything in enough quantity to make driving anywhere else worth it, especially now that I am back to hobby-only woodworking.
Enough said - valid complaints have been raised; many people including me continue to shop there.
ALSO, and this is important to me as a hobbiest, Cap City is open on Saturdays from 8 or 9 AM to 2 PM (but some long weekends like Labor Day or Memorial day or may be exceptions to that 'open on Saturday' guideline).
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FWIW, I had only been here some months when I saw Cap lumber had a sale on hardwoods. From looking at the supplier map, it’s about the closest actual lumberyard to me with kiln dried lumber. So drove down to get some 4/4 cherry and poplar for a few future projects. I very much liked being able to take my time to paw through boards to find what I wanted. I found good boards with nice color, minimal defects and wide enough for my needs. They are skip planed so easy to get a good view. Was before I had a roof rack so 6’ was my max inside and the guy cut each board for me as I requested, without being rushed. My only complaint is they never email sale info. I’ve signed up but get nothing so never know about the sales. It’s kind of irritating, although signing up for some other places triggers an incessant amount of emails and I find that more irritating.
Murdock in Bunn is pretty close to me. Another partial project I’ve been holding into is white pine which seems less common here than in upper New England. Anyway, I msg’d him on FB and he said he usually has some white pine, air dried, but cheap. Took a drive over and got some nice looking boards. Moisture was about 12% when I finally got a meter. A couple wide boards will max out my 13” planer so waiting to be planed, been lazy to replace the blades since I got a chip I can normally avoid with typical narrower boards. He had some interesting looking wide live edge maple at the time, think he does quite a variety. Not sure he has a kiln.
Wasn’t sure exactly what Scott Smith offered - I got some cypress off cuts he gave away and he had a ton of logs all over the place. But he was tied up helping an employee fix a problem with his truck so I didn’t get any time to chat. A bit further drive, but not too bad. Seems like a nice guy.
Murdock in Bunn is pretty close to me. Another partial project I’ve been holding into is white pine which seems less common here than in upper New England. Anyway, I msg’d him on FB and he said he usually has some white pine, air dried, but cheap. Took a drive over and got some nice looking boards. Moisture was about 12% when I finally got a meter. A couple wide boards will max out my 13” planer so waiting to be planed, been lazy to replace the blades since I got a chip I can normally avoid with typical narrower boards. He had some interesting looking wide live edge maple at the time, think he does quite a variety. Not sure he has a kiln.
Wasn’t sure exactly what Scott Smith offered - I got some cypress off cuts he gave away and he had a ton of logs all over the place. But he was tied up helping an employee fix a problem with his truck so I didn’t get any time to chat. A bit further drive, but not too bad. Seems like a nice guy.
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Thanks Henry!
I'm not a volume buyer of anything but my many-years experience with Capital City Lumber has also been positive.
Their policy of selling just what you need is super helpful but yes, the "remaining stock" limit (I think it is 8' for domestic and 6' for specialty lumber) can be frustrating. I was looking for some birdseye maple a few weeks ago and only needed a few feet. The in-stock boards were all 8' and buying the full board was more than what I wanted to spend. Fortunately, they had a piece in the "Total Wood" section of the retail front - at a low price - that was just what I needed.
My experience with the yard staff has always been "exceptional" and several have patiently helped me sort through large heavy stacks. One note: always check the measurements on the yard receipt and get a copy of the current price list when you enter the store. I had discrepancies twice (which they fixed promptly when notified)
As always, it sounds like YMMV.
+1 to what Henry said re: buying at Cap City.
Not had a problem over last 10 - 15 yrs.
Good thread re: noting some other sources and accompanying comments.
Not had a problem over last 10 - 15 yrs.
Good thread re: noting some other sources and accompanying comments.
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