Where do you buy your lumber?

[Derick Upchurch]

Just curious as to where most of us purchase our lumber. i buy mostly from Honest Abe Log Homes which is one of the few places where I can buy s4s lumber locally. 

[Joe L]

For some things I get it at Home Depot, when I want to so something from scratch(which is most of the time) I get it at McKinley Wholesale lumber. 

[Ken Darga]

I purchase my lumber materials from various sources---

Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Owl Lumber, Rockler, lumber yards and some from specialty places.

There's also some on-line suppliers, you can find by doing a search on the internet.

Check what's readily available in your area.

First, I check who has what, and their prices for what is suitable for my wood working tasks.

Some suppliers have limited selections.

There's also various grades of materials:

general purpose grades, select grades, cabinet grades and furniture grades. 

I sort thru and select the best pieces from the project.

Buying larger size pieces and cutting them down to size, will save you some money;

however, take into consideration---will the unused pieces be used in the near future or will it just be stored 'til the next time you need some. 

Don't tie up your funds into storing a lot of back-stock, for the just-in-case I need it syndrome. 

NOTE:

Carry a spiral notebook and note who stocks what and their prices.

Carry a tape measure with you---make actual measurements of the material---(not the difference between what it marked/labels vs the actual measurement.

Also handy, are 3x5 file cards---make a separate card for each product---carry them on you when shopping.

If you have a smart-phone, make a log and you'll have it when your shopping.

Also note the board foot pricing.

A smaller size piece may cost more than a larger piece.

Ex: a 4x8 sheet of plywood may cost $30.  Whereas, four 2x4 ft pieces may be $15 each.

Happy lumber shopping.

[Ed Ward]

Mostly big box stores like home depot, lowes

[Derick Upchurch]

Thanks for the tips Ken. Here in our rural area its hard to find good quality materials. Honest Abe has nice pine and douglas fir at reasonable prices. My problem is finding hardwoods like oak and maple. I found a specialty lumber store about 45 mins away that stocks it but the price is significantly higher (4 to 5 times) that of what I get at Honest Abe

[Ken Darga]

Derick,

Wood is wood.  

Even when it's cut from the same tree, there will be variations---

its just something we have to deal with, or have to sort-it-out.

Like shopping for a good steak---some are marked as the same cut, but there's variations between each cut.

Some may have more fat or marbleizing than others.

Some may vary from one store to another.

Some suppliers get their materials from the same mills.

How the material is stored is important.

Storing wood flat is better than standing it on end or in a leaning mode.

When stored on end, long pieces will bow and twist.

I prefer to buy my lumber from sources who store them flat.

Long pieces, with a slight bow or twist, can be cut to make shorter pieces.

Wide boards with a slight distortion can be cut into narrower pieces.

Sometimes I've had to sort thru the selection to find material to my liking.

Keep in mind, glue-ups of smaller pieces can be made into larger pieces, using applicable joinery methods.

When making a table top or larger panel of solid wood, it's best to edge join narrow pieces, to minimize cupping or bowing.

One has to become familiar with various woods and their characteristics.

This process can be learned, just do a lot of reading and studying of the matters.

You'll learn as you go.

Here's a good source of info to start.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/

Derick Upchurch said:

Thanks for the tips Ken. Here in our rural area its hard to find good quality materials. Honest Abe has nice pine and douglas fir at reasonable prices. My problem is finding hardwoods like oak and maple. I found a specialty lumber store about 45 mins away that stocks it but the price is significantly higher (4 to 5 times) that of what I get at Honest Abe

[Russ Haynes]

There are usually hardwood dealers all over. Depends on where you are. I buy almost all of my materials from Colonial Hardwoods which is my local hardwood dealer. They have everything from poplar to exotics. You can usually get better material at better prices. I've found even the oak and poplar at the big box stores to be of lower quality, especially plywood.