# i need some spare cash for wood?!!?!?!



## ccpenco (Feb 19, 2009)

i'm broke. plain as that. so right now i don't have any good woods or anything to make my projects out of! any of you know some good ways to get extra cash quick?


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

You could try offering your projects to others and getting them to put down 50% , you,re never too young to start in business, right?


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## isetegija (Oct 11, 2008)

I am broke too , I am so broke I started beg online in my blog
I started making projects from scraps and firewood , also can be seen in my blog.


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## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

Keep an eye out in the industrial parts of town for pallets being thrown away. You have to take the time to remove all the nails, but a lot of pallets are made out of hardwood. I've seen some really nice projects from recycled pallets.

I think you mentioned that you are primarily a turner … if you make friends with the nearest cabinet company, they might let you dig through their scraps and cut-offs. A commercial cabinet company near me throws away thousands and thousands of feet of strips left over after the ripping process. Think of all the pens! The same company also has a cutoff bin outside which they allow people to dig through.


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

You could always tear apart an old project you never wished you had built in the first place. LOL
I think we're about to see woodworkers get a lot more creative because of this economy. I actually bought a rickety solid mahogany dining table at a flea market dirt cheap a few weeks ago. I plan on cutting it up.


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## dalec (Oct 3, 2007)

Visit your hardwood yard and see if they have cutoffs and scraps you can have for free. They may also have twisted or damaged pieces of hardwood that they sell at considerable discount or if they know you, may just give you a board.

Dalec


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

I have taken tree braches and made sticks and from them made little items. Each time I work the wood I feel I am learning or perfecting that which I know. Have you ever made a wood flute out of a dead branch without instructions? I made a spoon a week or so ago with a small piece of wood that was headed for my burn barrel and not because I needed a spoon but because I needed to work the wood. There are ways we can enjoy and learn untill we can afford to do what we want.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Beg congress for a bail out.


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## interpim (Dec 6, 2008)

You know I think i read somewhere that if the bailout money given to the big corporations would have been divided and given to every adult in the United States, that we would all get close to $500k, I may be wrong, but I think that would be one heck of a stimulus package, and I bet 90% of those people would buy new vehicles and items essentially saving the auto industry.


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## mart (Jun 23, 2008)

We have had over a foot of snow since midnight and I could use some help shoveling my driveway.


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## cabinetmaster (Aug 28, 2008)

We need to ask Martin if he applied for bailout money for us lumberjocks…......LOL


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Obama seems to be giving away the store. Get in line.


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## interpim (Dec 6, 2008)

Well, CessnaPilotBarry… you got me thinking about it, so I thought I would check my own calcs.
according to this blog here http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/024178.html we are sitting at a total cost for the bailout of $4.6165 trillion dollars

According to Wikipedia, there are appx. 250 million adults over 18 in the US.
$4,616,500,000,000.00 divided by 250,000,000 = $18,466

ok, so $500k was a bit off, but hey, $18.5k would work too


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

If we each got 18K, that should stimulate something! CCpenco, pallet piles are usually full of free wood. If worst comes to worst, I suppose you could flip hamburgers at the Golden Arches


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Now that is just selfish…taking money from the pockets of those poor bankers. How are they going to be able to afford those fancy new buildings and jet air planes with out a little help from the tax payers. After all the hard work our congressmen have gone to to make sure these poor "working" folk get their retirement and bonuses. What do you think we pay taxes for?


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## skidiot (Jun 2, 2008)

If you knew how much free hardwood is available you would never buy wood again. Pallets are the #1 user of hardwood in the US. Look for electrical or plumbing supply companies. They get bundles of pipe that are separated by hardwood 3X3s. Another good source is companies that use sheet metal like HVAC contractors. They get the same kind of boards plus they get giant pallets usually 8' long by 4' wide. The stringers are 3"x4×8' and the top boards are 1"x4"x4' all hardwood. After a while they have to pay someone to haul them away. And then they get ground into mulch! Also commerical construction sites are littered with the same boards. I see oak 4×4s laying in mud, sticking out of dirt piles, getting run over by cement trucks, makes me sick. Now there is going to be some extra work involoved in this. Pulling twist nails out of oak aint easy. But I can tell you how its done if you want to try. Also none of this wood is dried. And of course this isnt A1 lumber they make it into skids for a reason, but there is still plenty of nice wood if you care to work with it. Now there is one final secret. Most of this stuff is cut from what is called the center cant of a tree. This part doesnt produce quality lumber thats why it is used for skids, BUT because it is the center of the tree you can always get quarter or rift sawn boards out of it depending how you resaw it.


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## ccpenco (Feb 19, 2009)

good advice everybody, i'll have to try out some pallets and whatnot. Barry, does the insecticide affect the overall finish of the wood?


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## BlueStingrayBoots (Jun 11, 2007)

Wanna trade?

Got any lathe chisels?


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## mark_h (Mar 1, 2009)

If youre interested in pallets, look in the free stuff section on craig's list. There are plenty of local companies offering them for free if you just pick them up.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Guys, do you mean pallets are treated with insecticide? Guess that makes sense, we/ve imported enough invasive species. Wonder how they enforce that on the Chinese who export lead in toys and posion in dog food? God only know what is in prescription meds?


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

Our containers of furniture got pumped full of poisons after they are packed here and again when they got to the port of destination so everything gets it not just the pallets. Use common sense when handling pallet wood if you don,t know where it,s from but you shouldn,t have any trouble and it is a great source of wood.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Back before we used all these hazardous chemicals, cira 1900, the average life expectancy was 49 years. Now, with all these hazards, it is 74. Seems they may be causing bonus years )


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## interpim (Dec 6, 2008)

I just perused Craigslists free section, and found a bunch of sources. I just wish I had a way to mill whole logs. One man is giving away a ton of Avocado wood <-- never seen that before, and several pallet ads. Just do a search for firewood, or pallet… It comes up with plenty of hits.


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## ccpenco (Feb 19, 2009)

yea i just checked craigslist and a ton of people have pallets and spare wood


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## grumpycarp (Feb 23, 2008)

I wonder. Except for the pleasure of seeing your own words in print why would anyone GIVE AWAY their source of free lumber? Are you hillbillies that attention starved or just that dumb? Did it occur to you that you were being phished?

Stock up now cuz it won't be there later . . .


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## DannyBoy (Oct 26, 2007)

Just make sure when you go after those pallets that you ask permission before you grab. Without permission it is steeling. A lot of those companies bundle and send back their pallets and they get a little touchy when people "steal" their stuff.

I've not had any problems asking the managers before I snag a pallet or two. Usually they have a few they are willing to part with.

~DB


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

I used to collect shipping pallets at the dumping ground. Tried once to acquire/purchase from a small shipping company, I was turned down. They'd rather let those pallets rotten.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Do you really think there are that many scroungers out there who will read this to make a substantial impact on the pallet supply?


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## ccpenco (Feb 19, 2009)

LOL


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## PG_Zac (Feb 14, 2009)

Interpim,
Within the next two weeks or so, I'll be posting a project using Avocado wood - with pictures.

I haven't decided yet if I'll post a 2 or 3 part blog, or just a loooong project. Keep a lookout for it and you'll see how nice Avo is.


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## ccpenco (Feb 19, 2009)

hi stingray boots. sure i wouldn't mind trading yup i do have turning tools if thats what you want to trade for


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## cmaeda (Sep 1, 2008)

Thanks Interpim. I just e-mailed the guy about the Avocado wood. If he still has a lot left, maybe I can mill a few boards for you. I don't have a kiln so I'll have to let these boards air dry.


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## mark_h (Mar 1, 2009)

"Do you really think there are that many scroungers out there who will read this to make a substantial impact on the pallet supply?"

LOL. All the pallets in the county are worth the glory of seeing my words in print.


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## interpim (Dec 6, 2008)

Wow Cmaeda Thanks for the offer


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## BlueStingrayBoots (Jun 11, 2007)

Great! sent pm.


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## cmaeda (Sep 1, 2008)

interpim: I e-mailed the guy last night but no reply yet.
I haven't thought about milling firewood.


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## WoodSpanker (Feb 10, 2009)

Grow trees in your backyard? loooooong process, but worth it!  HA!


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## bigrob (Jul 27, 2008)

I haven't bought wood at retail in a loooooong time. Lowes has cull carts for less than 20 cents on the dollar. I built a chicken coop for less than $15. Looks good too!! HA


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## tinnman65 (Jan 19, 2009)

I heat with fire wood and had a tandem load of slab wood delivered. There was about 50 B.F. of Cherry I just refused to burn. It was mostly 5/4 X 6"X 15" to 20" long. I think they were cutoffs to make the boards all a similar length. I would have rather gone cold than burn that nice cherry! You might even try a local lumber yard for slabs.


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