Ask a local cabinet shop for both.

 

I use http://www.woodfinder.com/ to search around locally also some lumber yards will post to Craig's list, small lumber mills will often deal with small orders 50 - 100 bf the larger yards will look for orders of 500 -1000 bf so your best bet is to look for a small lumber mill operator in your area. Rough lumber is fairly inexpensive.

Some typical domestic wood prices in my area. http://www.polleywood.com/price.html

For exotic stuff I often deal with http://www.bellforestproducts.com its mail order but I can pick my boards online and not waste a bunch of time driving and running around so the shipping charge is a bargain also they often offer free shipping and 20% sales

 

Your in the heart of hardwood country, should be plenty of small mills that would fill very reasonable orders. Check this site http://www.woodweb.com plenty of mill in the new york and vermont area that should ship very reasonable. Vermont is a great source for bird-eye and curly maple. New York is well known for my favorite blkcherry. Another quick source is Craigslist check under material. Here a fella in western Mass selling Blackcherry for 3.00 a bd ft. mostly quarter sawn lumber great price…Black Cherry Hardwood Lumber - $3 (Lanesboro, MA.) found on Craigslist today…Good luck WC

 

Hey neighbor …we could take a ride up to Greenfield MA or down to Enfield CT or out to Sheffield MA and I even know a great place here in town that I found this past summer : ) Also as suggested earlier , Western Ma Craigslist has a fellow out in Conway and another in Ashfield selling rough stock and also has a portable bandsaw mill for hire. I also just found a neat little place here in town that does cane seating and basket weaving .

 

Depends on what you're looking for, but I see some cool stuff float across Craigslist. Out here on the west coast I see at least one guy who's got a shop that casts off eastern hard Maple at $2/bf when it's more figured than his customers want, my kitchen is taking shape out of that. I've picked up various exotic hardwoods like Massaranduba and Ipe for cheap, a local high-end deck place selling off its odds and scraps. Mahogany from a remodeling decision changed, I had to break down and extract the nails from box beams, but that too is mostly going in my kitchen.

You have to be prepared to keep a bit of a stock and think in terms of "what can I build with this wood" rather than "what do I need to build this", but it's a great resource.

 

Depending on how far west you are in Mass., you might want to make a trip over here to NY. There's a guy that has a business in Stephentown, NY and I think he has a lot of the exotic stuff. The name of the business is Joshua's Trees. There are some folks here that are not big fans of his, but there are others that are.

 

I'll sell you what you desire as long as i and got it and at a price that fits your budget. : ) Shipping might be a killer though, from this side to that side.

 

Dude, you're in New England. There are mills all over the place. Start with Woodfinder and Craigslist. You'll probably find some great deals.

Also, invest in a jointer and planer. You'll be able to mill your own wood and will save more money in the long run..

 

I buy the lions share of my wood from local saw mills. Sure it is green but what a good price. I am lucky enough to have a barn with a loft and store it in a dry place till needed. I also keep the sawyer in good spirits by making him things from time to time. He usually calls me when a good piece of timber comes into the yard too. Small pieces, like tor duck calls and such come from local flooring suppliers. You can't believe the exotic woods that they have. Like the pallet that had purple heart boards in it. Yupp, shipped from S America. FREE too.

 

As a newbie, awhile back, I did a blog entry on finding wood. Use woodfinder.com as mentioned by others. The wood will be 1/2 the price of the big box or chain stores.

 

Thanks for the tips everybody. I think am in wood heaven right now. I didn't realize there were so many places near by.

 

also check craigslist for posts - sometimes shops sell overstock, or private people will sell what they milled, or their family had in the garage. you can find some pretty cool treasures that way - far cheaper than your local mill/lumberyard.

 

There is a very good wood store here in Manchester, Connecticut, about 30 minutes or so for you. It is Parkerville Wood Products.

 

Connecticut wood group in Enfield CT has some nice stuff, but it depends how far west you are. Also, Lakeshore hardwoods out of western NY travels to woodworking shows. You can order their wood and pick it up at the woodworking show and they won't charge you shipping. Last year there was a wood working show at the Big E and they show up with a truck load of orders. Check their website to see if they will be around your area. A great way to get exotics without paying shipping…
Oh by the way, Woodcraft is a rip off! I hate that place, their mark up is outrageous. Did I say I hate that place? Because I'm there about once a week. I can't get enough.

 

CWG in Enfield is nice , but you had to buy the whole 12' piece of lumber last time I made the journey. I picked up some nice Bloodwood and wide Padauk from Lakeshore Hardwoods at last years Big E show …they had a nice selection and the pricing was great : )

 

Just checked the dates for the woodworking show in January. Order your stuff from Lakeshore Hardwoods now, and they'll bring it to the show with no shipping charge. They also have a bunch of stuff there, but its nice to have your order all shrink wrapped ready to go when you get there. The Big E site is below…

http://www.thebige.com/calendar/2373.html

 

I have the same problem, but I am in Tulsa, OK. Just about the only source for fine hardwood is Woodcraft which has limited selection and rather pricy. So I am looking for other sources also in the surrounding states. Any suggestions?

 

I'd point folks toward the woodweb sawing and kiln drying directory of sawyers
at

www.woodweb.com

There is a listing of mini sawmill and kiln operations (like mine) out there. They may not
have exactly what you're looking for, but can also point you in the right direction to find
it. A good many of these operations sell quality materials at a fair price (well below retail)
and can surface and cut lumber to your specs. Talk to folks and find out what lumber they
have readily available for projects. Investing a little time in calls and a visit to a mini mill operation
can pay big dividends in your lumber rack.