# Lumber buying - etiquette question



## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

So I'm driving out this afternoon to look at some air dried cherry. The guy has about 1800 bd ft, but I only have space for about 75, so he's pulled off about that much and set it aside for me. It's been sitting stacked for about 5 years and he's moving, price is $1 bd ft. I'm not expecting the greatest lumber, but if it's good enough for shop storage and perhaps a painted project, I'll snag it. If the lumber is as described and I purchase it, is it bad etiquette to measure it as I put it in my truck to verify how much is there? Or is it rude, and I should just eyeball it?


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I would measure a board at home and get a mental image of what the description says. $1 b/f sounds very reasonable. I don't think it to be rude to measure on site. What are the dimensions?


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I have 25 bd ft of ash at home and looked at that last night and pictured it doubled and tripled. The dimensions listed in the ad state that the boards are between 4-12" wide, 4-12' long. I mentioned in my response to him that I was looking for stock 6+" wide rough, by 6-10' long. There were 2 boards I specifically asked for, I need to get 2 6"x75" pieces out of them. He said he had a few options for those for me to look at and I can take my pick.

Here's the picture from the ad :


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I do not think it would be any more rude than the seller counting the cash that you pay with. If you feel uncomfortable pulling out the measuring tape, you should get an idea of what 75 bf will look like in your truck.

This sounds like a good deal.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

I find the best guidance for these situations is to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", so keep in mind that they guys time is worth something and don't make him stand there and watch you measure each and every board.

I like the recommendation to make sure you know what 75 BF should look like before hand.

I find that living life on a two way street is best, and personally, I don't have much patience for one way (my way every time) type people…... so if you do measure, make sure you're prepared to pay him for the actual qty if it tallies up to more than 75 BF :^)

I suspect you'll find that you're getting a good deal if you just pay the man and say thank you.

Since the price is good and the lumber sure looks good, I'd feel best driving away from the deal knowing that I paid him a little more than the exact three digit decimal amount owed.


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## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

If his price is measured in BF doesn't someone have to take out the tape? How will you/he know how much to charge?

Aside from that, I don't think it's rude at all. If it makes it easier you can just say you have a project in mind which requires 75 bf and you want to make sure you buy enough.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

That's kind of what I was thinking, Matt. I do have an idea of what 50 and 75 bd ft should look like. Even if I am a horrible judge, if I walk out with 50 bd feet for $75, I still paid $1.50/bd ft. If I show up and it looks really off, I'll start measuring. Thanks for the advice, everyone.


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## hydro (Aug 9, 2013)

Remember, rough lumber dimensions are nominal at best. For $1.00/ft I would not argue too much.

It is certainly fair to measure a couple of typical boards to get an idea of how wide they were cut, and the overall length of the stock. Once you have done that you have an idea of how much you are picking out of the pile. At that price you would do well to buy as much as you can afford/store if the quality is reasonable.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Yeah, unfortunately I work out of a 2-car garage and between the bench, tools, and all the other crap in our garage, there's just not room for any more, on top of the 30-35bdft in there already. A good chunk of this is going to get used pretty quickly, I have a bed (think small, simple, very low, twin for 2 year old) to build. After that I'll be starting a bookcase, and at that point if he still has it, I may go snag some more.

It pains me to paint a bed made of cherry, however that's what is needed, and this is about 1/2-1/3 the price of poplar, the original wood of choice. Maybe in 5 years I can reclaim it, or donate it to friends with kids.


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## JayBrackett (Mar 18, 2014)

Honestly you wouldn't be breaching ANY code or etiquette by pulling a tape out on materials you are pulling your wallet out on. Like it was said one of you has to do it. That wouldn't be offensive in the least if I were selling someone lumber and if I were buying it and they took offense I'd leave it with them. It sounds like a great deal but it's not great enough to skip a quick measure/calc.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

For $1 a board foot, I would probably try to decide if the pile is worth what he's charging. I would also try to buy it all. It's always better to have more wood on hand.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Ed ,The guy has about 1800 bd ft,with all likelihood he'll give you slightly more than 75 bd ft than less,the only thing I would be concern about is the quality of the wood,eyeball the whole pile if it's fine, pay .that's what I would do,in fact, if I like what I see I'll get some more,maybe 100bd ft?l


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Agreed with everything that's been said here, thanks! Monte, if you tell me how to cram 1800 bd ft of wood into a small 2-car garage and still be able to work, I'm all ears!


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## RHaynes (Dec 18, 2013)

+1 to Matt's suggestion. If it were closer to market (around here cherry goes for $8/bf for 4/4 up to $8/bf for thicker pieces. My hardwood dealer can also get 16/4 cherry that goes for $16/bf. If I'm paying market or close to market, it's best for me and the dealer to make sure we measure. But at $1/bf, I doubt I would measure. I'd probably take a tape, get a rough estimate of total width, total length, and total thickness and do one calculation to make sure we're in the ballpark. You can always tell the guy "it looks like plenty, I just want to check real quick to make sure I'm not getting more than I'm paying you for-I want to pay you for the difference." Then tell him it's a little over and slip an extra $10 in there.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

At my local hardwood place, the nice clear straight cherry goes for $6.50. Many times I've been there, theres a pallet of the less clear, more warped boards for $3.50. I usually grab those for cutting boards and small pieces.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

What it all boils down to is: Is this pile of wood worth $75 to me?
FBM price is a way to put the price into words so it can be advertised but when you are there, looking at the pile it is almost irrelevant. 
I would look at the quality and the amount in the pile and simply make a decision in my mind if it was worth the price to me. Just like I would buying anything else.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

I've done both. Mostly measured on the first time I meet a particular person. If I go back, I likely will trust them. I think every single time I've gone and bought lumber from someone, they have taken measurements from the thinnest section of the board, and the lengths don't include any checking or cracks. On top of that, they usually throw in an extra board or two. Most sellers don't mind tossing you a bit extra.

I had one occasion where the guy I bought a stack of 2" cherry slabs from (at $2.50/bdft) gave me a couple jars of homemade salsa.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

just quick measurement -

If the wood is 8 feet long and the stack should be ~ 2 feet wide and 5 inches tall (5 boards thick)@ 4/4

Unless it is all split out junk - I wouldn't try to get down to brass tacks on the measurement for a buck a foot.


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## LiveEdge (Dec 18, 2013)

If you can do arithmetic in your head, I'd just use rough measurements. For example. I know I'm six feet tall. I know what an 8 foot board looks like to my eye versus a 10 foot board. I also know that my outstretched thumb to middle finger is exactly nine inches. I can easily judge what is six inches from that. Sounds cheap enough to me. What if the pile is 100 BF and he charges you $75? Are you going to tell him he made an error? If not, I wouldn't complain too much if the tally goes the other way.


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

Another way to think about it is that you want to be fair to the seller as well. You don't want to try and get away with more than you paid for.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Well I got the lumber, and it is some of the nicest cherry I've ever seen, although I've always been limited to the KD cherry at the local hardwood yard. Looks to be well over 75 bd ft to me, he said it was about 70-75, and he through in a 6"x9' board but didn't count it because it had a few spots with splitting in the middle and didn't know if I could find a use for it. Really nice guy, chatted for a few minutes, I paid 80 bucks. He owns a tree business on the side and when they cut down something of value that would otherwise get tossed, this is where it ends up. Told me to give him a call when I used up this load. I just snapped a picture from the parking lot, as I had to go back to work. I'll get it stacked/stickered in the garage when I get home. Looks to be closer to 90 bd ft.


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## RHaynes (Dec 18, 2013)

VERY nice. Looks pretty straight. I like the piece with the strip of sap wood on it too. Nice score!


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## widdle (Mar 10, 2010)

Dollar a board foot is inanely cheap. Looks nice..


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Yeah, all of the boards appear to be very straight. There were a couple lengths that I had specified for him for the bed rails and the cross-rails, and he picked out a few pieces that were long enough to get a rail and a cross piece from. I'll probably be crying as I slap the white paint on it. I'm just telling myself that in a few years, I can reclaim it. And at the prices, the rail is only a $4 board.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

P, P, PAINT THEM??? Ouch. Good hunt.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

D, D, Don't Paint them!!! Do what you must, but for the love of wood!

Great find, Looks like some awesome wood!


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Shellac is much safer than paint.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I know, I know…I don't want to paint them. But, all of the other furniture is white, the floor is dark wood, and that's what SWMBO wants. If it's any consolation, it'll get stripped back down in a couple years, so there's that.

Our daughter has gone through the chewing on the crib phase, and doesn't do it anymore. I'm not worried about the paint.

P.S. The final tally was around 100 bd ft. We were both eyeballing it as we tossed it in, he through in a free board that had a decent crack down the middle (although it was 8" wide, so it's still good to me). He asked for 70, I gave him 80, we were both happy with the transaction, he told me to stop back for more when I ran out, so my etiquette couldn't have been that awful.










This wood is absolutely beautiful. I think I have enough to also make my (future) son's bookcase (NOT PAINTED!). My wife's grandfather made one when he was a late teen, and my daughter uses it now. My wife wants one for our son and I think it would be cool if my great-grandchild used it.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Yes, it would be. Like to see the end results.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Most definitely. I haven't posted my last few projects, been too busy, but I'll play catch up and get these posted as well.


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

Buy a can of blue paint. and a police sign, and flashing light.
Paint your garage blue, attach the sign and light and every piece of timber will fit… guaranteed.
You will also be most impressed with the massive improvement in interior space.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

For a dollar a bf, it is a gift horse, don't look it in the mouth.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

That's nice score,it deserves a(read carefully):


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

The sawyers I buy from can't stand it when I inspect every board. To them every board is worth the same. Straight, bowed, figured, or full of knots. Buying by the stack is a good way to go if you can.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Doesn't bother me at all if the customer wants to measure the boards. However, I let the customer pick out the boards he/she wants, then measure them with the customer tallying.

Buy some poplar and paint that. Keep the cherry for a non-painted project. That wood is beautiful. You practically stole it.


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## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)

There is more than one way to measure a stack of wood.

There's the precise way, where you measure each board and tally. Then there's the guestimate way where you look at the pile and, based on past experience, you pull with a ballpark number out of your wazoo.

There's a middle way, too : if the boards are stacked in a fairly neat pile, measure all the way across each level in inches, add up the widths of all levels and divide by 12. If there are different thicknesses or large spaces between the boards, you may have to swag a number. Likewise, if there are different lengths, it's another complication and you have to guess an average length for all the boards. That's usually not terribly difficult. Then just multiply the two numbers together and there's a close estimate.

A little less accurate but better than a total guess, is swag an average width of the stack and average length, count the levels, multiply together and, if your width estimate is in inches, divide by 12.


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## splatman (Jul 27, 2014)

Apply poly/shellac/whatever clear stuff you like, then paint pinstripes parallel to the edges. Throw in a twirly design here and there. Or cheat, and use that automotive pinstripe tape. Then call it painted. I know, I'm too doggie dog gone creative!


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## Scott_C (Oct 13, 2012)

Sounds like it's time for you to get creative with your lumber storage and buy the whole pile.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

> Doesn t bother me at all if the customer wants to measure the boards. However, I let the customer pick out the boards he/she wants, then measure them with the customer tallying.
> 
> *Buy some poplar and paint that. Keep the cherry for a non-painted project. * That wood is beautiful. You practically stole it.
> 
> - WDHLT15


I agree even if the Poplar costs more than this cherry it is way to nice to paint even if it can be stripped down later. Use it for the New Son's furniture and don't Paint any of it. Oh and the EYE Chart say's it all about this wood buy.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

The bed has been completed and in use for 5 months now. I did end up using the cherry and painting it. When the bed is done, I can reclaim the rails, which will be most of the cherry. For the headboard I made a replaceable painted MDF headboard that we can swap out when our son gets this bed.

I agree that poplar would have been nicer as far as the cringe factor of painting this cherry is concerned, but this is all I could get for cheap lumber at that time, and the driving factor was cost. The only poplar I could get would be at the dealer and was 3x as much as this cherry.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

Some times we just have to do what we have to do and deal with that *cringe factor*. Hope you can use the rest of it and get some nice Natural look with it.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I think the rest of it is going to go towards a new vanity for the bathroom, and some step-stools for the kids. Will NOT be painted.


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