Finding good wood for your projects at a good price.

Call Woodmizer and ask if they have any owners of their machine in your area.

Call the State Forester in your state, usually by county maybe at the Extension Center and ask them for sawmills. They should know whats going on.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

You might also try finding a hardwood dealer in your area. The small mills like Karson mentioned will be the cheapest but the hardwood dealers will still be better than the big box stores as far as price and quality of lumber.

-- Glenn, New Mexico

Thanks for that Karson. That sounds like a great idea! You have a great story with that maple you got ( on your blog ). Now that’s what I’m talking about.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Thanks Bigbuck. I looked in our phone book under hardwood but no luck. We have a few hardware dealers like a Farm King. ACE Hardware, Tru-value and the like though.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

http://www.hooddistribution.com/index.html

Check this place and see if there is one near you.

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

Man! That looks like a good company! I live in southeast Iowa though. It looks like the closest is about 400 miles away according to their site map. I didn’t see anything about shipping on their site. Thanks Adrian.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

I dont remember the last time I bought oak or any hardwood for that matter. What I do is simple, worthwhile and very ‘green’. Go to local cabinet shops, casing mills, pallet builders, and even construction sites and ask if you can dig through their dumpsters. You wouldn’t believe what I have scored! You can also feel good about having saved some beautiful wood from the landfill. Be sure to ask first though, and get a name, no need to get arrested!

-- Sometimes when I am building something and it is out of square, I just bend my square.

You could also find and call some local loggers. I found the best people to get friends with are the people cutting and sawing the logs. They can tell you who they sell them too, sometimes some “scrap” or left-over wood that is too small for anything else, but great for turning, falls off the truck and into my yard.

My best and cheapest wood supplier is a local dairy farmer. He keeps 2 barns full of hardwood at all times, he does it as a side business, so no overhead and charges just enough to keep the wood business on the green side. He is not listed in any yellow pages and you only find him by word of mouth.

Good luck.

-- Rich, WNY, www.nyrockingchairs.com

Talk to other local woodworkers, clubs, etc and see if they’ll share their sources. So often the best deals are found word of mouth. Kinda like fishing spots. If they were advertised heavily they wouldn’t be the best for long. Prices go up, stock runs short, on and on. Maybe a group buy would help.
LOML is from Ne and there aren’t as many great wood sources there are we have here in NC. Just the nature of the beast. The Appalachians have tons of variety when it comes to wood. My dear friend in NW Mt has gotten very well acquainted with the pine that dominates his area. He made a deal with a truckdriver that comes here and on an empty return trip that way he brought along literally over a ton of hardwood. He sure got to be popular with local woodworkers! And shipping was virtually free.

-- CaptnA - "When someone hurts you, write it in the sand so the winds of forgiveness will scatter the memory... "

Excellent idea Christopher! Thanks! We have plenty of construction here, new and remodeling. The “Flood” hit this area hard. Gulfport Ill. , right next to Burlington where I live, is still under water! We also have some pallet companies around. Have fun with those kids!

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Keep an eye on craigslist. I have seen several adds for lumber and most are millers that will let you know what and when they have other stuff.

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

Hi Rich. Thanks for the tips. Just talked to a sawyer and he was a super nice guy. He has a lot of aromatic cedar and gave me an armful of nice scraps. He will get my business when I come up with a project for that cedar! Smelling a piece of it right now and man it smells goood! By the way, you did excellent on your rocking chair! Definitely want to find some walnut now too!

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

CaptnA: You are correct! The sawyer I just met turned me on to another guy locally he helped set up a mill but I haven’t talked to him yet. Yes, need to follow leads and maybe find a great source. Thanks! P.S. We are happy dog owners ourselves, 2 Labradoodles ( brother and sister ) and the mother Lab.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Thanks Adrian. Never dealt with craigslist. I’ll check it out. See ya.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

I know we got the last order of walnut from Tennessee and before that, New Jersey. We also just brought in a stack of California Red Wood. Problem is it was $2800 freight just for a stack space (4’x12’ on the truck). Moving the wood around the country is getting pricier and pricier.

-- Rich, WNY, www.nyrockingchairs.com

You’re in the heart of the best walnut country around. It doesn’t get any better than Iowa walnut. For what it’s worth, Hartzell Lumber in Lime Springs Iowa – NE corner of the state – has great lumber at great prices.

Like someone else said, try craigslist or look under sawmills in the yellow pages.

Bill:

I haven’t bought hardwood in a long time. I have a friend who is a machinery dealer. These shipments usually come in on flat decks & he gives me the blocking which is usually 4×4’s 4 ft. long & the species vary from cherry, red oak, aspen, ash, etc. So hunt around for a heavy machinery dealer & go in & do a little snivelling. However, you will get zip if the guy is a woodworker LOL.

Lee

-- Lee

Be patient and keep your eyes open. The bargains are there, you just have to find them.

I’ve been getting most of my wood at auctions, to the point that I’ve got about all I can store right now. Best score so far was last Memorial Day weekend, when I was able to buy 1200 BF of rough cut Alder, 600 BF of clear pine, 200 BF of walnut, 150 BF of oak, a bunk of construction lumber, scraps, and 20 sheets of mixed sheet goods for $200. I had to pass on about an equal amount because I was 80 miles from home and didn’t want to make more than two trips with the pickup and trailer.

Keep an eye on auctions, Craig’s List, and yard sales. Iowa is a lot like Nebraska – there are a lot of estate sales where someone used to be a serious woodworker, and left a barn full of wood that has been sitting for who knows how long.

Good luck!

Bob

Thanks Boardman and you too Lee. I’ll check your ideas out. Bob, great deals! I never thought about auctions and yard sales. This is great info! All of it!

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

One thing I just learned about is a local lumber yard’s annual cleanout. They are a wholesale dealer so won’t even talk to you unless you are buying 10,000 bd ft. But once a year they hold the annual clean out sale. Gates open at 8am and there are just piles of lumber. Some just leftover, some that didn’t make premium A-grade. These piles are usually selling for as low as $0.25 a bd ft, first-come, first serve. I guess last year 100 people showed up and the whole thing was over in 20 minutes…but might be worth checking for some wholesale places in the area and see if they have a similar sale.

-- Rich, WNY, www.nyrockingchairs.com