Hardwoods

[Alfred Langen]

I know someone would like to sell the hardwood lumber in his barn and I want to give him a fair price for it.

I can get Red Oak, rough sawn and kiln dried for about 85 cents a board foot.  That seems ok with him and now I need to get a rough idea about what to pay for the Cherry and Walnut.

 

Alfred

[michael pope]

Alfred,prices vary dramatically from region to region,but to get a fair and estimated general price,try this web site.
http://www.hardwoodstore.com/lumber.html

[Jens Jensen]

that was good site

[Alfred Langen]

RE: http://www.hardwoodstore.com/lumber.html
Maybe you can clarify for me what this site is displaying.
I presume that the thickness is measured in quarter inches so that 4/4 is 1 inch thick. Correct?
The species is clear enough
The column 1-5 means 1 to 5 board feet and 6 to 99 is 6 to 99 board feet. Right?

If I figure this correctly, I should probably offer him $1.50 to $2.00 a board foot. Rather cheap considering the commercial sites.

Now my question is this: is Cherry or Walnut as much fun to work with?

[michael pope]

Ok,4/4 is your typical 3/4 inch thick milled board or when rough 1 inch..,5/4 is usually 1 1/8 to1 1/4 rough and 1 inch thick milled..and so on..the column 1-5 means 1-5 pieces ordered,6-99 is 6-99 pieces ordered and so on,and I do not have a preference between cherry and walnut,both are great woods with their own qualities.my least favorite woods to work with are the oak species,the open grain needs sealing before finishing,its real hard to sand properly and I do not prefer the smell of it when cutting or sanding..one of my favorite domestic hardwoods is yellow birch...when you get a good multi color piece,the finish really stands out..I have a paneled murphy bed that I made a few years ago out of birch that has crotchwood in it that has a spectacular irredescent glow to it.

[Alfred Langen]

Yes, the Red Oak freshly cut does not have a nice aroma. For that, I like pine.
Almost all of the trim and cabinet faces are Red Oak. That was how it was built. The previous owners even purchased Oak furniture from a locat store handling Amish furniture. I didn't really know what I had until I planed that first 2 x 6. Here is a sample.
I am thinking of making this guy a very decent offer for his Cherry and Walnut. He has about 500 to 900 bf available for these woods but I get the feeling he wants to sell it all at once.
Thanks Mike. I just need a kick in the pants once in while.
Alfred

[David Dean]

Well Alfred here in Missouri we get $ 1.00 a board feet for white or red oak and $ 2.00 a board feet for hickery and if your lucky we pay $ 3.00 to $ 5.00 a board feet for cherry and walnut and which out for people saying that the wood is dry you dont what to work with green wood.
Dave

[John C Langen]

when you buy some of this walnut and cherry then send about 200 feet to your brother in California-- next day air would be nice

[Alfred Langen]

Thank you for the advice to use this fantastic jig.

[Alfred Langen]

David,
Thank you for that valuable information. That is exactly what I am looking for.

[Dustin Johnson]

Also take into consideration the quaility of the lumber. Is it true 4/4 all the way through? No thick and thin stuff or tapering issues?

Grade is a whole different issue. You don't want to pay a premium price for low grade lumber.

The Hardwood Market Report was suggesting an average of .68/ft for R.Oak, .85/ft for Cherry and 1.15/ft for Walnut. These prices are for green lumber and taking the avearage of 5 grades in R.Oak and Cherry and 4 in Walnut. FAS,1F,1com,2A and 3A. The dry prices are as follows: R.Oak:.95/ft averaging FAS,1com & 2A, Cherry:1.26/ft with the same three grades being averaged and Walnut:1.60/ft the same way. These prices reflect the report dated 2/6/10. There has not been much movement in the markets althought the demand for all grades of lumber have increased.

The lumber may have been Kiln dried at one time but if it is sitting in a barn in a uncrontrolled enviroment, it will gain moisture etc. to balance with its surrounding enviroment. Also if it has been dead stacked with no stickers between layers and any form of moisture has gotten to it, there is a chance for mold etc.

Not trying to scare you away from buying the lumber as it may be some good lumber but there is a lot to take into consideration.

Alfred Langen said:

David,
Thank you for that valuable information. That is exactly what I am looking for.

[Alfred Langen]

Thank you very much Dustin.
I have not yet seen the wood. The seller said he purchased quite a few years back. I do not know the condition it is in.
I am very much aware of the timber drying process here in Michigan. There are some very humid days here. I purchased some lumber from the Big Box store. I did not know at that time that their lumber needed to be stickered and dried for a few months. As a result, my first panels were seriously warped and checked. I have learned a valuable lesson.
This is a great site. I really appreciate all of those who have taken the time to educate me.