# SOURCES: Where do you get you salvage wood???



## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Inspired by SalvageCraft

I thought I'd start a thread for people to volunteer sources for were they find salvage wood.

Some sources I know of:

Big Box stores
Lumber Liquidareters
Motorcycle shops (NEW Motorcycles)
Furniture Stores

Anyone else wish to share?


----------



## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Where I work we get deliveries of large pieces of HVAC equipment, so in turn we have a ton of pallets. I look through the pile often, but most of the wood looks to be really low grade, knotty poplar or pine, with tons of nails and staples. I have seen a few oak pallets come through…somebody said they fished a mahogany pallet out of the pile. I'm sure if anyone wanted to take some they could..but the wood just doesn't look too worthwhile to me.
You could also try rigging company's. When the cabinet shop I worked in bought a large CNC router, the rigging company guys were telling us they throw away ridiculous amounts of huge pallets and timbers. The dude told me they installed some huge piece of equipment that came on a train car packed in a huge crate made from 4×4 and 6×6 red oak timbers…some almost 20 feet long! He kept them all and piled them behind their shop, and was offering them free to anyone that wanted to haul them away..


----------



## Durnik150 (Apr 22, 2009)

I have a friend who runs a tree business. Talk about a racket. He gets paid to cut down trees. He then splits it into firewood and sells it. He gets paid twice!

Anyway, every once in a while he will cut down a walnut tree or a beautiful maple so instead of splitting it into firewood, I pay him firewood cost and haul it away. I still have to mill and resaw all the wood but at least I have it!


----------



## abie (Jan 28, 2008)

Try wood floor shops, they have samples that they git rid of often.
new styles come in all the time.
Most is hard wood and needs planning to rid it of tongue and grooves.
Also Commercial tree trimmers often are a good source.


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Demolition contractors. Being in the business myself i always seem to have plenty of reclaimed lumber around.


----------



## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

I've done pallets, but not so much any more… too much work.

I get new/old flooring from a local flooring company.

I also dumpster dive.


----------



## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

I drive by my local Sears every time I go to town so I always glance at their pallet pile. A couple weeks ago I stopped by a garage sale. Wasn't much there for tools but there was a small stack of wood leaning up in the corner. The gal said "oh, I just want to get rid of that, take what you want". I got four of the 3×3's on the right and a dozen of short pieces on top in the pictures. I think the 3×3's might be teak but I'm willing to be educated. The two pieces of mahogany 1×6 were from bed rails that I gave 3 bucks for at the Goodwill. It ain't much but it's pretty slim pickings around here for anything more exotic than red oak. I got about 250-300 bf of that clear tight grain doug fir stuffed up in the rafters. That came from a remodel/demo of a 120 year old building.


----------



## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

Farm Auctions. It seems every farmer has a pile stacked in the barn from 20+ years ago.
I check our Habitat Restore every week.
I have been doing this here for awhile now, SOME people are starting to call me and see if I want it !


----------



## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

I hadn't thought about hardwood flooring, that's a great ideas. I've got to check out the tree services also.

Brad_nailer. I feel stupid asking, but what's a rigger? I've got sailing stuck in my head, and I know I should know, but I'm senior moment-ing here…

I found a sawmill that will cut 1000 board feet for $200, and another that will cut it for a portion of the wood. Find the right tree and I'm golden!


----------



## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

I mill most of my own from dead trees on our property. 
Then, since we are in an oil/gas area, some of the rig workers will ask if I want the dunnage that comes with well casing. Some of that stuff is 18" thick and 8' 6" long. 
I've seen white oak, poplar, walnut, Doug Fir, SYP, and lots of other stuff I don't know the names of.
This summer I plan to get my boss to let me build a shed to store all the lumber in.


----------



## Tenfingers58 (Jan 25, 2011)

Riggers are the guys that get called to load/unload/place machinery at factories/construction sites etc. Usually with cranes or big towmotors.


----------



## doughan (Apr 22, 2011)

brad nailer….when you get a windfall profit of some lumber someone gives you do you send in some tax money to the governmen to cover your capital gains….or is that just for millionaire republican businessmen?

i get some nice lumber when replacing old entry doors by dismantling the old doors then use it to build new ones….no brad i don't claim it


----------



## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Sorry Milo..I guess I should have been more specific! Tenfingers is right, they are guys that specialize in moving and installing large, heavy pieces of equipment. The piece they installed for us was a huge CNC router, with two tool turrets, and a bed capable of handling a 10 foot sheet of plywood. I never collected on any of those oak beams..although I wanted to..I had dreams of building a post and beam shop out of them!

Durnik reminded me..A younger cousin of mine who is in the landscaping and tree removal business was telling me at Christmas he just struck a deal with a friend who owns a portable saw mill. He will garage the mill and provide a generator for it in turn he can use it for free. He was telling me he makes firewood out of tons of Hickory, Maple, Oak, Walnut, Cherry..I almost cried! He wants me to come by and talk to him about milling the good trees into lumber instead of firewood and selling it..I am just thinking how sweet it would be to have access to a mill and enough space to dry lumber. He said he even knows a guy with a kiln..

Listen Doughan…I am done with the political arguments..this is a wood working site and that's all I care to discuss on here anymore.


----------



## timbit2006 (Jan 6, 2012)

I always check for pallets behind Campion Boats. They always get heavy motors and parts coming in on hardwood pallets. I recently snagged two oak pallets and there was a very nice fir pallet that have 1×6 slats that looked like the stuff you buy at the big box stores.


----------



## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Brad_Nailor, it makes you almost want to invest in a Woodmizer!


----------



## RandyM68 (Jan 20, 2012)

I have several thrift stores within a few miles from my house. I have bought a lot of old solid wood furniture for much less than what the lumber would cost. Entertainment centers with small TV openings, and old desks that weren't designed for computers, are cheap and easy to find. A lot of times you can get your money's worth from just the drawer slides and other hardware.My favorite store is only three blocks away. That is where I bought my Delta contractor saw for fifty bucks and find the most good material. Every now and then, they haul out the stuff that hasn't sold, and give it away. I built most of my shop out of used furniture, for very little money.


----------



## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

I think the whole mobile saw mill concept is awesome.I wish I could afford a Woodmizer..or any mobile saw mill. After the freak October snowstorm we had, the resulting tree loss was huge. There were giant trees everywhere for the taking! We had out of state contractors picking up huge almost whole trees for weeks..I don't even want to think about the 100's of board feet of great lumber that was thrown away..


----------



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Brad, I found a guy in Marlborough that runs a circular saw mill and has piles of red and white oak, and a bunch of ash he just milled. I think he kiln dries as well. I havent been out to see him yet but im planning on making a trip fairly soon. I can shoot you his info if you are interested.


----------



## rejo55 (Apr 5, 2012)

This is not really on point, but I'm still so heartsick I have to tell y'all this.

In the late '80's and '90's I was working for a drill bit company in South America and made a lot of trips to the drilling rigs in the jungle -excuse me- tropical rain forests in Ecuador and Peru. We were drilling in the foothills of the Andes mountains and they had to build board roads to get the rigs in to the location, then lay 2 to 3 inch thick, 12 to 20 inch wide boards on about two acres for the drilling rig and the camp. I watched them cut mahogany trees down and mill them into boards with chainsaws for these projects. There's no telling how many millions of board feet of beautiful wood are just lying there in the mud, being run over by trucks and bulldozers. I know it was necessary, but it made me sick.

Y'all have a good'un

Joe


----------



## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Really? Someone was telling me there are a few sawmills around and you can get great deals on lumber..but it's mostly Oak. Yes if you go fill me in on the details….

Rejo..ya what a shame..all that nice mahogany..


----------



## SteviePete (May 10, 2009)

Watch Ebay, Craigslist, local material exchange (run by local recycling authority). Power utilities are increasingly being required to maintain rights of way due to recent extended outages. Watch the trees they mark-approach the landowner for permission, show it to the crew foreman, and they will cut to your request. Otherwise they cut'em 2-3ft or chip them. Fine woodworking shops will sell shorts, ends and pieces for about 15-30% of retail. Trade with other woodworkers. Buy beer at the local Homebuilders Association. Contact local planning authority about interest in "helping manage the urban forest." Some landfills and compost sites don't process wood and would be happy for you to take it. I do some canes, woodsmoking chips, and boxes/details from any fruit or nut wood. Once your name is out that you do a good job. (That means cut and haul wood, scrap, branches and sawdust. And send a thankyou with your information when done.) I got called to take four apple trees yesterday-three sawlogs, a dozen canes, many tool handles and 30gal of smoking wood. This is not for baby-foresters. It takes lots of time, a chainsaw (16" bar), a way to carry the goods. Oh ya-get signed permission. In our area the game wardens check for poaching christmas trees and logs off of public and private land. In the shop - draw knife, bark spud, small saw to cut branches and stubs from the log, wax emulsion-Anchorseal to keep the ends from splitting. A bandsaw-14" and up, Get a greenwood blade for the new stuff. Try the Wood Slicer after it has dried (Highland in Atlanta) and a place out of the sun and weather to store. You shouldn't expect "Grand Piano" wood. If this wood had high value someone smarter than us would be using it. One other type is legacy wood-sentimental wood: from your old homestads, notable events, first beerparty, grandpa's porch wood. This makes great family memorabelia. I have said too much. Also as above at rummage sales-solid wood furniture many times sells for pennies on a dollar. Scavage on!


----------



## Howie (May 25, 2010)

This has been a very informative post. Thanks to all the LJers that posted.


----------



## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Today, the local craigslist has 9 free pianos. http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/search/zip?query=piano&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

I see crappy tables and furniture made from nice wood at flea markets going cheap.


----------



## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

SteviePete! AWESOME Recommendations! Well done Sir!


----------



## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

On Craigslist's "For Sale" section, there's a "Free" subcategory. A quick search for "wood", "lumber", etc. will get you a lot of results in a hurry. Most of it is junk pallets, but there is some cool stuff to be found occasionally. See the truism regarding beggars being choosy.


----------



## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Oh, yeah, I've been scouring Craigslist a lot lately!


----------



## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

So far my salvage has been…

#1. Stormfall trees. Hurricane Ike provided a LOT of turning blanks!
#2. Dumpster diving (not literally). Craigslist and Freecycle. I watch for people throwing out Oak, or other hardwood water bed frames. They provide a LARGE amount of usable lumber with minimal metal or similar intrusions. 
#3. Working in I.T. I tend to get a LOT of shipments in for the data center for large numbers of servers, racks, power distribution units and the like… The fun part of these is identifying the wood… I will not use pallet wood from any pallets that held things like chemicals, transformers or similar materials… 
#4. Local cabinet / furniture shop. I don't neccesarily mind tight knots as I tend to build in a more rustic style anyway, so I tend to get cutoffs where the cabinet shop is trying to keep straight clean grain. They give their customer what they want, I get what I want. Win win…


----------



## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

Even a lot of good wood in OLD upholstered furniture - 
Back in the day a lot of the Sofa frames were mahogany mortised or doweled to support the armrests before being covered.
So if you see the old 'Grandma' floral couch out on the corner waiting for the garbage truck - you might want to peel back the fabric and see if there is some good stuff underneath.


----------



## enurdat1 (Apr 1, 2012)

I'm an avid Craigslister, and goodwill hunter. I've hauled pianos and entertainment centers for the lumber. Working in healthcare, Hospitals are always remodeling. I have had solid oak door for just for the hauling. Antique shops and auctions are great spots too. Look for the stuff that needs work, or is too beat up to refinish.


----------



## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I used to get LOTS of salvaged wood when I worked in a Sheet metal shop. We got our sheet steel on 10 feet long pallets made up of three 4×4's 10 feet long. The steel came from Japan as did the pallets. I scored a lot of Oak mahogany, appaltong, gum and mystery hardwoods. Large, local, sheet metal shops might be a good place to look.


----------



## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

I get salvage lumber from the factory where I work. Enginetics Aerospace makes jet engine parts and the high-dollar-raw-material .. Inconel and Titanium … used to make the hardware come packed in some nice wood. If someone doesn't take it home … it gets hauled away. I made a real nice back yard fort for my gramd-kids last year.


----------



## crashn (Aug 26, 2011)

Picked up a solid cherry coffee table today from CL for FREE. The lady said she made it 35 years ago in a woodworking class, but finally decided to part with it. If the wife does not like the style of table (which she likely wont), it has a great top and middle shelf that can be re-purposed into boxes and the such. I'm an avid CL and check the listing on the hour from my CL app on my android phone. best app EVER. Also i Like bookshelves, desks, hutches, anything for free. got some bamboo slats from a friend, interesting wood there!


----------



## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Places that I have gotten salvage materials from were cabinet shops, construction sites and renovation sites.


----------



## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

I just discovered a HUGE pile of wood, just sitting in a field. And I have to work this weekend. Hope it isn't bonfire fodder before I get there! There was PLY in the stack, and I have a project that needs it!


----------

