Welcome to Lumberjocks.
Toledo metro is industrial area with very few trees. Kencraft is decent, but can find better deals on rough sawn lumber direct from source within a 1-2 hour drive.
If new to NW Ohio area, should know about these "local" sources:
- Frank Miller in Union City IN.
Best figured wood destination in US. Will leave every visit with drool dripping down chin. Get on mailing list. Used to have invitation only annual warehouse clean out sale, where figured wood could be had for common grade prices. Bring lots of money, and a large trailer for any visit.
- Yoder Lumber in Millersburg OH
Another good regional resource. Full size lumber business, but has slabs, figured wood, allows you pick, and can find small 100-200bdft units of shorts cheap. Close to Hartville tool mega complex, and it is enjoyable day trip from Toledo with family.
- CR Muterspaw near Xenia, OH.
Another full service lumberyard, that occasionally has low prices on less desirable shorts, or common grades. Must visit if you get in area. If you need 150-200+ bd feet, call and get commercial unit price list. Unit grading is honest, often conservative with #2 common looking like #1 at other lumberyards, so buying stacks is a safe gamble.
Last but not least:
Grew up and lived in Ohio/Indiana several decades past. Up until a few years ago, would visit family and haul a load of lumber to AZ; thanks to numerous cheap sources developed while I lived in area. Hundreds of small sawmills have come and gone in that region. Can often find Craigslist posts of lumber stock piles in barn lofts as a result The necessity of milling building lumber from cleared land in the 1900's has been replaced by portable sawyers helping with forestry management, selling lumber as a side hustle. Meaning Northern OH/IN is clock full of sawyers and sawmills that can be hard to find. Ms. Google can lead the way. Can also use the Wood Mizer find a sawyer site to locate them. Can also find sawyers not listed by Wood Mizer on Woodfinder site.
Also suggest you consider joining the various Ohio/Indiana/Michigan Woodworking clubs despite the distance. Most have private listings of sawmills and special pricing at commercial lumber yards.
IMHO - Don't let a 2 hour drive deter you from reaching wood nirvana. I drive an hour across town in Phoenix to visit my local lumberyards, and it can be 90min in rush hour. Easy access to cheap lumber is the one thing I miss most about leaving that area, when I moved into Arizona desert.
Best Luck.
Toledo metro is industrial area with very few trees. Kencraft is decent, but can find better deals on rough sawn lumber direct from source within a 1-2 hour drive.
If new to NW Ohio area, should know about these "local" sources:
- Frank Miller in Union City IN.
Best figured wood destination in US. Will leave every visit with drool dripping down chin. Get on mailing list. Used to have invitation only annual warehouse clean out sale, where figured wood could be had for common grade prices. Bring lots of money, and a large trailer for any visit.
- Yoder Lumber in Millersburg OH
Another good regional resource. Full size lumber business, but has slabs, figured wood, allows you pick, and can find small 100-200bdft units of shorts cheap. Close to Hartville tool mega complex, and it is enjoyable day trip from Toledo with family.
- CR Muterspaw near Xenia, OH.
Another full service lumberyard, that occasionally has low prices on less desirable shorts, or common grades. Must visit if you get in area. If you need 150-200+ bd feet, call and get commercial unit price list. Unit grading is honest, often conservative with #2 common looking like #1 at other lumberyards, so buying stacks is a safe gamble.
Last but not least:
Grew up and lived in Ohio/Indiana several decades past. Up until a few years ago, would visit family and haul a load of lumber to AZ; thanks to numerous cheap sources developed while I lived in area. Hundreds of small sawmills have come and gone in that region. Can often find Craigslist posts of lumber stock piles in barn lofts as a result The necessity of milling building lumber from cleared land in the 1900's has been replaced by portable sawyers helping with forestry management, selling lumber as a side hustle. Meaning Northern OH/IN is clock full of sawyers and sawmills that can be hard to find. Ms. Google can lead the way. Can also use the Wood Mizer find a sawyer site to locate them. Can also find sawyers not listed by Wood Mizer on Woodfinder site.
Also suggest you consider joining the various Ohio/Indiana/Michigan Woodworking clubs despite the distance. Most have private listings of sawmills and special pricing at commercial lumber yards.
IMHO - Don't let a 2 hour drive deter you from reaching wood nirvana. I drive an hour across town in Phoenix to visit my local lumberyards, and it can be 90min in rush hour. Easy access to cheap lumber is the one thing I miss most about leaving that area, when I moved into Arizona desert.
Best Luck.
