I've typically used inexpensive wood for my projects, but I've started
venturing into the world of hard woods. Who knew there were such
interesting woods available? Anyway, I've been testing the local waters,
and I'm not finding an obvious source. The big guys (HD and Lowe's) have a
small selection of hard woods, of which they are quite proud. Their prices
seem extravagant. There's a Wood Craft store in the area, and they have a
better selection and they are cheaper than HD/L, but I'm not convinced that
this is the best source (specialty store = high price?). I went ahead and
bought a quantity of Brazilian Cherry for $4.00 a board foot. Nice looking
wood.
OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they had some
nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
Let's hear some thoughts on good sources for hard woods, and some typical
prices.
Thanks - O.
Oregon wrote:
<snip>
> OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
> cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they had some
> nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) is currently selling for $4.05 from my supplier.
White oak (plain sawn) sells for $2.80. Quarter sawn white oak is going for
$3.60. The supplier I use generally has good pricing.
If you're interested in seeing some of his other prices for comparison see:
http://www.advantagelumber.com/
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
If you have the equipment, time, and inclination rough sawn stock is the
cheapest way out. Look under hardwoods in the phone book. I'm sure there
will be at least one. They will also probably have S2S stock and/or will,
for a price, mill the stock to your specs.
In tracking the price of what few hardwoods are available at Lowes or Home
Depot they are invariably twice the cost of what it costs me at my favorite
supplier. BUT, that is comparing wood milled and pretty much ready to be cut
to size, jointed, glued up, and finished at the home store against rough cut
stock from my supplier.
However the prices you quoted don't sound way out of line but it is hard to
tell since the prices of wood can vary a great deal depending on regional
availability and local and national demand. Costs for non domestic woods
also has to include trucking from however far away the ports of entry are.
That can really give you a throw down when price comparing..
In other words, if you need X species of wood you make some calls to
whatever suppliers are in your area and find out what the going rate is, and
that can change as often as weekly. What you may pay there, most likely is
NOT what someone else may pay elsewhere on the same day.
--
Mike G.
[email protected]
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Oregon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've typically used inexpensive wood for my projects, but I've started
> venturing into the world of hard woods. Who knew there were such
> interesting woods available? Anyway, I've been testing the local waters,
> and I'm not finding an obvious source. The big guys (HD and Lowe's) have
a
> small selection of hard woods, of which they are quite proud. Their
prices
> seem extravagant. There's a Wood Craft store in the area, and they have a
> better selection and they are cheaper than HD/L, but I'm not convinced
that
> this is the best source (specialty store = high price?). I went ahead and
> bought a quantity of Brazilian Cherry for $4.00 a board foot. Nice
looking
> wood.
>
> OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
> cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they had
some
> nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
>
> Let's hear some thoughts on good sources for hard woods, and some typical
> prices.
>
> Thanks - O.
>
>
Larry C,
I live up in Edmonds and was wondering who you use here in the Seattle area
as your wood supplier?
Thanks
Don
"Larry C" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Howdy neighbor. The WoodCraft prices don't seem out-of-line, but I'd
> really suggest you go to woodfinder.com and search for a local hardwood
> supplier. It will blow you away the first time you go to one. The
> amount of wood and the variety and the sizes will be vastly different
> than what you've seen at HD/Lowes/WoodCraft. Plus, the smell of the
> wood and the feeling you get that you're actually a woodworker vs
> shopping at a mall is an added plus.
> --
> Larry C in Auburn WA
>
> "Oregon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I've typically used inexpensive wood for my projects, but I've started
> > venturing into the world of hard woods. Who knew there were such
> > interesting woods available? Anyway, I've been testing the local
> waters,
> > and I'm not finding an obvious source. The big guys (HD and Lowe's)
> have a
> > small selection of hard woods, of which they are quite proud. Their
> prices
> > seem extravagant. There's a Wood Craft store in the area, and they
> have a
> > better selection and they are cheaper than HD/L, but I'm not convinced
> that
> > this is the best source (specialty store = high price?). I went ahead
> and
> > bought a quantity of Brazilian Cherry for $4.00 a board foot. Nice
> looking
> > wood.
> >
> > OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
> > cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they
> had some
> > nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
> >
> > Let's hear some thoughts on good sources for hard woods, and some
> typical
> > prices.
> >
> > Thanks - O.
> >
> >
>
look for cabinet makers in your phone book and call and ask them where they
buy their wood. I used to buy wood from one of these guys, till I found a
better source.
KY
--
http://users.adelphia.net/~kyhighland
"Oregon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've typically used inexpensive wood for my projects, but I've started
> venturing into the world of hard woods. Who knew there were such
> interesting woods available? Anyway, I've been testing the local waters,
> and I'm not finding an obvious source. The big guys (HD and Lowe's) have
a
> small selection of hard woods, of which they are quite proud. Their
prices
> seem extravagant. There's a Wood Craft store in the area, and they have a
> better selection and they are cheaper than HD/L, but I'm not convinced
that
> this is the best source (specialty store = high price?). I went ahead and
> bought a quantity of Brazilian Cherry for $4.00 a board foot. Nice
looking
> wood.
>
> OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
> cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they had
some
> nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
>
> Let's hear some thoughts on good sources for hard woods, and some typical
> prices.
>
> Thanks - O.
>
>
Howdy neighbor. The WoodCraft prices don't seem out-of-line, but I'd
really suggest you go to woodfinder.com and search for a local hardwood
supplier. It will blow you away the first time you go to one. The
amount of wood and the variety and the sizes will be vastly different
than what you've seen at HD/Lowes/WoodCraft. Plus, the smell of the
wood and the feeling you get that you're actually a woodworker vs
shopping at a mall is an added plus.
--
Larry C in Auburn WA
"Oregon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've typically used inexpensive wood for my projects, but I've started
> venturing into the world of hard woods. Who knew there were such
> interesting woods available? Anyway, I've been testing the local
waters,
> and I'm not finding an obvious source. The big guys (HD and Lowe's)
have a
> small selection of hard woods, of which they are quite proud. Their
prices
> seem extravagant. There's a Wood Craft store in the area, and they
have a
> better selection and they are cheaper than HD/L, but I'm not convinced
that
> this is the best source (specialty store = high price?). I went ahead
and
> bought a quantity of Brazilian Cherry for $4.00 a board foot. Nice
looking
> wood.
>
> OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
> cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they
had some
> nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
>
> Let's hear some thoughts on good sources for hard woods, and some
typical
> prices.
>
> Thanks - O.
>
>
Oregon wrote:
>
> Let's hear some thoughts on good sources for hard woods, and some typical
> prices.
>
I'm in the same boat. Picked up some sweet tools now I'd like to try out a
"Witman's Sampler" of different hardwoods. I've noticed some very, very
sweet looking hardwoods on Ebay but I don't have enough experience to know
if the prices are any good.....
Don
That sounds right in line.
I pay about $3 +/- for 4/4 maple Red & White Oak... (Rough cut) I think
Cherry is a about $4 right now.
The price go up a buck or so for Quatersawn or particularly thick stock (
>5/4)
Wood prices are very regional though. FWIW, I'm in Northern NY state.
This in my guy's price sheet. I have no doubt that somebody can find better
prices, but this guy delivers for a reasonable fee and he trats me right.
http://www.saranachollow.com/lumber2.html
-Steve
"Oregon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've typically used inexpensive wood for my projects, but I've started
> venturing into the world of hard woods. Who knew there were such
> interesting woods available? Anyway, I've been testing the local waters,
> and I'm not finding an obvious source. The big guys (HD and Lowe's) have
a
> small selection of hard woods, of which they are quite proud. Their
prices
> seem extravagant. There's a Wood Craft store in the area, and they have a
> better selection and they are cheaper than HD/L, but I'm not convinced
that
> this is the best source (specialty store = high price?). I went ahead and
> bought a quantity of Brazilian Cherry for $4.00 a board foot. Nice
looking
> wood.
>
> OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
> cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they had
some
> nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
>
> Let's hear some thoughts on good sources for hard woods, and some typical
> prices.
>
> Thanks - O.
>
>
Oregon wrote:
> There's a Wood Craft store in
> the area, and they have a better selection and they are cheaper than
> HD/L, but I'm not convinced that this is the best source (specialty
> store = high price?). I went ahead and bought a quantity of
> Brazilian Cherry for $4.00 a board foot. Nice looking wood.
>
> OK...let the arrows fly. Is four bucks ridiculous to pay for a BF of
> cherry, about right, or a major gloat? As another data point, they
> had some nice white oak for $3.40 per BF.
The price is reasonable. Woodcraft also runs a "wood of the month" spcial
that you may want to check out every month. Woodcraft is not the best place
for a large quantity, but if you just need a single board you can do OK
there. They usually carry a pretty god quality, at least the one in my
area. Most will sell you a small piece if that is all you need.
Check the phone pages for a hardwood suppplier though. Some offer extra
services for reasonable prices. Maybe even a bargain bin with some really
good prices for the small or otherwise nasty stuff that can be just what you
want for a small box. .
--
Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome