A good source of Material?

I’ve been looking through the posts and such but dont find any mention of a good, reasonable source for good project material. I believe I’ve done like most….looked through advertisements….checked with friends…etc….etc…Some stuff occassionaly falls in place for me….but certainly not enough to feed my “habit” for interesting projects.

For the small pieces and such, I can usually get at a home improvement box store or local lumberyard. Their selections are definitely not what I would call “quality” materials nor do they carry much in the way of decent sizes or grades. Hardwoods…good luck!

In my construction work, it is easy to find base materials – 2X4’s, 2X6’s etc….all from Doug Fir or some other knotted and pitch infested rag wood. Since the finish and imperfections of these materials do not matter in rough carpentry…this is ok. Try to find a good birdseye maple for a cabinet….or a good piece of burl for a turning….and you are just out of luck.

This question came up from reading the blog/forum on the guys in KY that were discussing and showing pictures of all the material they were sawing up and milling. As with alot of the folks here, I am too far from that location to make any use of it….though I too was drooling at the selection of woods they had.

My question goes to where others are finding their sources like myself. Not being a commercial cabinet maker I just want to find a reasonable priced supplier that would ship small to medium sized orders at a reasonable price? I am located in CA – 1/2 way between LA and SF…Ideas??

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!