Places To Buy Lumber

[Troy]

Howdy All,

I was just wondering if there other places besides home stores (eg Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) where a person can buy lumber? While the Home stores seem to have a large selection, I would think one could get better quality wood from a store that only sold lumber.

Oh, and I'm currently near D.C. if anyone knows a place nearby.

Cheers!

[Ken Darga]

Do a Google search, enter ''lumber yards near D.C.''

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Troy, you are correct, home improvement stores is the worst place to buy quality lumber.  The grades are not as good and the care and treatment of the product has much to be desired.  True it might be cheaper than the lumber yard but the quality is not there so you end up with a project that does not have the quality that it could have. 

One of my favorites is the 2 x 4's and 2 x 6's that are like pond dried lumber and will squirt you in the eye when you drive a nail into it.  With this in mind imagine a contractor building your house with this stuff.  Once the house is dried in and the lumber begins to dry out it will start its twisting and splitting and your walls will begin to look like a snake.  If the walls are covered too soon with dry wall the mold will grow rampid.  This is why I never buy nor will any good contractor buy  building products from a home improvement center.  They will seek out a quality lumber yard for rough framing material.  Another reason is that not all of the lumber you get at home improvement centers are certified for strength.

  Buying  hardwoods is again a different matter where I will seek out a business that sells only hardwoods and will sometimes look for a lumber broker or a saw mill where I can look at the material beore I make a commitment to buy.

[David Dean]

well troy your near my home state W.V.A cant you make some calls your right on the border W.V.A , PA.

[Troy]

So that's it, lumber yards. I knew something like this existed, I just wasn't sure what to call them.

Thanks for the replies all. And especially you Jay. With me being completely new to this whole DiY thing, your well written (and witty) response helped me to understand my situation better.

Now for my next question. Is there a way to determine the quality of a piece of lumber?

[Jay Boutwell]

http://www.nachi.org/lumber-grade-stamps.htm 

Troy, this link will help you understand what certified lumber is.  In looking at a piece of lumber there is several things you look for besides just surface appearence. You look at the lumber for defects in its structure noting the manner in which the grains run in the sawn lumber.  Beware of pitch and sap pockets as well as knots.  In lumber as it dries out it changes many times.  Knots that were once tight in the green wet lumber may become loose and even fall out. You look for splits and twists in the lumber watching for bowed and cupped pieces.  Pay attention to the end grains and avoid lumber that has excessive large growth rings.  You will see this is lumber that is cut from a tree  that grew in a particular wet area like near a stream of water.  It will grow fast therefore the growth rings will be large.  This will makes the cell structure to be loose and not as strong.  Lumber with bark on it will be from the soft part of the tree and not as strong as the lumber from the area towards the center of the tree.

Pay attention to the manner is which it is prepared.  Look for the stamp stating kiln dried.  Kiln dried lumber is used to remove the moisture from the lumber.  When done correctly it is removing all the moisture  from the inside to the outside .  When done improperly it will remain reasonably straight  as you see it when you are looking at it.  If not a situation occurs where the lumber is dried too quickly and dries rapidly from the out side trapping the moisture inside the lumber.  It is often refered to as "case hardening" just like that of steel where the outer surface is hardened around the intercore.  The difference here is that the moisture remains trapped inside the lumber and when you cut it, like ripping it with a saw, the moisture will now again be released to the outside.   Because it is often in a state of tention the results is twisting and moving lumber until it finally reaches it relaxed state.  Have you ever watched a piece of lumber that is dry on the outside begin to move towards another county as it is being ripped.  This is because it is under tention most often from being improperly dried.  The lumber never had an opportunity to relax to a final state of rest before the outer surfaces trapped the inter in a state of tention.  Of importance to the saw operator is the danger of kick backs on the saw.

How much it will change its shape depends on the tension it is under and the moisture content and how fast it releases from the wood. 

Before I was a cabinet maker I used to do finish carpentary and have been in the fast build homes that were built in wet weather and sheet rocked walls before the lumber was dried from it's rain soaked state.  One of the tools I had to carry with me was an 8 pound sledge hammer to readjust the door framing to fit a door into its opening.  Even though the lumber had been kiln dried it is still amazing how much movement wood does as it dries out even from a good rain soaking or being stored is a wet enviroment.

This is why I am well aware of the snake walls and twisted framming.  Even today when I go to a job site to measure for cabinets I take with me a eight foot level and a square.  You would be surprised at the wall framing that is in homes build today even at their high standards.  You will find out of square walls, humped up floors, or floors with valleys in them.  You will find walls with bellys and dips giving you a challenge that actually makes it interesting.   It is not that the framer did a bad job, but because of the movement of wood from moisture.  A trim carpentar and or a cabinet maker is the guy who goes behind all the trades and makes them look good by hiding all of the mistakes and defects.  That is part of your job.

 Finally but not least you will be come a professional at picking lumber as it becomes an art,  the more you work with it the better you become at picking lumber.  This is why it is improtant to start with the best lumber you can.

 

[Troy]

Again, well put Jay. I really appreciate your thorough description, and understanding, of working with wood.

The link was very educational. Thanks for it. I've often wondered what the number 2 on all that wood I bought from Lowe's meant. While some of the information did leave me a little confused, the site is a great place to help me understand what to look for.

Cheers!

[Jay Boutwell]

I'm glad it helped you some.  You keep at it and you will be a pro in no time.  Don't forget, there is a large amount of knowledge on this site,  There are many members with lots of experience and willing to share it with you. 

Troy said:

Again, well put Jay. I really appreciate your thorough description, and understanding, of working with wood.

The link was very educational. Thanks for it. I've often wondered what the number 2 on all that wood I bought from Lowe's meant. While some of the information did leave me a little confused, the site is a great place to help me understand what to look for.

Cheers!

[Ken Darga]

Jay,

you wrote, ''I'm glad it helped you some. ''  

''Some'' is an understatement.

[justin waldron]

Hey Troy, I live in Fredericksburg and have quite a few different places you can go.  J.C. Forest products is here in Fredericksburg and carry anything you can think of and are very reasonable, 540-710-7222 is their number.  There is also a company out of Baltimore/Richmond Va. called Wurth Lumber and they have everything too, they will even deliver for next to nothing.  Hope this helps.

[Troy]

It does help Justin. Thanks. :)

[Jason Watkins]

I had good luck at a local log cabin building company. Google "log homes" in your area. They had a regular sawmill that could cut most anything you wanted, and a kiln to dry it.

[Troy]

Wow, a sawmill! Never thought of that. And even if I didn't buy wood from there, it would an interesting place to visit I think. Thanks Jason. :)

Cheers!