Where do you guys purchase your hardwood? If your like me you cant afford 13.99 a board feet from the overpriced online stores. But there wood is not usually kiln dried. At least in my area..
My first thought is a lumbermill ..
I prices white oak online today to build a new queen sized bed.. the quote was over 2500.00
I cant afford that..
I may have to buy green wood from a lumbermill but then i will was wood with the splits and cracks.
- Lablover1974
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
Location is key. Further away from the trees being harvested, the more you pay in transportation costs.
Without knowing YOUR approximate location (city, state); impossible to offer low cost alternatives.
Buying from a retailer, that buys from distributor, that buys from sawmill; is most expensive. Buying from a distributor that buys from a sawmill, means middle expensive. If you want lowest prices, buy from a sawmill directly. It's called retail economics. If your local sawmill doesn't have kiln, drive a little further and find one that does have a kiln. Finding wood is not always easy.
Volume buying is another key to lower prices.
For absolute best prices on lumber, have to be willing to buy in full stack lots (200-1000 bdft); and have proper storage to keep it safe. Also usually need to travel to where the trees are harvested in high volume as well. Arizona has very few hardwood trees. So if I want inexpensive lumber; I visit CA, or haul home a trailer load after a vacation trip with family in Midwest states.
Some examples, I spend more in AZ for southern yellow pine (~$4.5) from east coast, than I do for Pacific coast maple or alder (~$2). Folks in east coast have exact opposite pricing. Can buy domestic oak, hickory, maple for $5-6 at several wholesale lumberyards in town. Can get same lumber for 30-50% less at sawmill(s) in Midwest. Right now it's cheaper to buy from local distributor, than pay gas to haul a trailer load home.
Quarter sawn lumber is more expensive, and can be harder to find. Paying $8-$12 is fairly normal for FAS grade QS lumber. When I need unit of QS lumber, Frank Miller in Indiana is a great resource for market pricing. They occasionally have stacks of shorts stashed in warehouse, selling for 60-70% the price of normal QS lumber too. But you have to visit, to ask for the deals. There are other sawmills scattered around the US, that offer decent prices as well.
You can find many lumber sources using LJ search feature.
Many are posts asking: ' where can i find lumber near XXXX'; so again - location is key.
Hope this helps.
Without knowing YOUR approximate location (city, state); impossible to offer low cost alternatives.
Buying from a retailer, that buys from distributor, that buys from sawmill; is most expensive. Buying from a distributor that buys from a sawmill, means middle expensive. If you want lowest prices, buy from a sawmill directly. It's called retail economics. If your local sawmill doesn't have kiln, drive a little further and find one that does have a kiln. Finding wood is not always easy.
Volume buying is another key to lower prices.
For absolute best prices on lumber, have to be willing to buy in full stack lots (200-1000 bdft); and have proper storage to keep it safe. Also usually need to travel to where the trees are harvested in high volume as well. Arizona has very few hardwood trees. So if I want inexpensive lumber; I visit CA, or haul home a trailer load after a vacation trip with family in Midwest states.
Some examples, I spend more in AZ for southern yellow pine (~$4.5) from east coast, than I do for Pacific coast maple or alder (~$2). Folks in east coast have exact opposite pricing. Can buy domestic oak, hickory, maple for $5-6 at several wholesale lumberyards in town. Can get same lumber for 30-50% less at sawmill(s) in Midwest. Right now it's cheaper to buy from local distributor, than pay gas to haul a trailer load home.
Quarter sawn lumber is more expensive, and can be harder to find. Paying $8-$12 is fairly normal for FAS grade QS lumber. When I need unit of QS lumber, Frank Miller in Indiana is a great resource for market pricing. They occasionally have stacks of shorts stashed in warehouse, selling for 60-70% the price of normal QS lumber too. But you have to visit, to ask for the deals. There are other sawmills scattered around the US, that offer decent prices as well.
You can find many lumber sources using LJ search feature.
Many are posts asking: ' where can i find lumber near XXXX'; so again - location is key.
Hope this helps.
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
