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Buying wood online - What is your experience?

3K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  HickWillis 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm going to be building new shaker style cabinet doors for my kitchen this fall and am currently in the process of sourcing red oak. Unfortunately, I live in an area where lumber mills are few and far between. I have found a couple that are an hour and a half + away from me and have received quotes from them for the amount of red oak I need.

With that said, I also quoted out getting red oak from a couple of the big names in online wood dealers. In most cases, they're actually cheaper (including shipping) and I don't have to drive anywhere.

I was curious if anyone has bought wood online (large or small amounts) and what your experience was.

Just for full disclosure, the quotes I received from lumber yards were for rough wood w/ 1 side straight ripped as well as S2S. Same goes for the online dealers, their websites seem to state S2S w/ 1 side straight ripped for an extra cost.
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
Will - My experience(s) with Badger Hardwoods of Wisconsin have been great. Great bunch of guys to work with. I bought a ton of lumber for shipment to Atlanta … got exactly what I wanted and what we talked about over the phone … it was as if they read my mind. They introduced me to Hackberry … good looking wood. The Northern White Pine I rec'd was at least 14" wide! Their bundles are a great deal, too! Give 'em a call.
 
#3 ·
HickWillis,

I have bought hardwood sight-unseen and I was never disappointed; but that that has been years ago. I found Niagara Lumber in Aurora, NY, provided high quality lumber in decent widths and lengths, sized and packaged for UPS delivery. They remain in business but it has been 15 years or more since I traded with them.

My second experience was with a local lumber dealer in Arkansas. While I did visit the lumber dealer once, I found it more convenient to place the order over the phone and have the lumber delivered. As with Niagara Lumber, I always received quality lumber.

In both cases I was never disappointed. When I place the order I specified the species, grade, thickness and in my case one straight edge and hit or miss planing, although hit or miss planing may be unnecessary.
 
#5 ·
The only online wood source I have bought from is http://curlymaplewood.com/. As they are selling figured wood they have multiple photos of a board along with its specs so you can actually see what you are buying. They have been superb folks to deal with and are very prompt and make sure you are satisfied.

Planeman
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have bought a lot online as I live 2-3 hours from the nearest wood stores but if I need to get something specifically for a project and I know it's going to be in the store, I will drive for it.

Shipping is very expensive when ordering online and sometimes, is as much, if not more than the cost of the lumber I need.

Being so far is one of the reasons I ended up getting my own sawmill but when I do know I will need to make the drive I will line up other things I know I would need to get in the city to make the trip worth the while.
 
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