# Buying wood online



## joncro5 (Oct 9, 2009)

This is my first time buying wood online. Does anyone have any good recommendations to as where a good place is to start?

I really only want to buy a small amount of material just to try out this ''process''- Wenge, Birdseye and/or curly maple, just for 3 panels for boxes i am making now.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

No clue, but I would love to see the answer to this. I will watch this one…


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2009)

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/
Great selection, quality and service. I got exactly what I asked for.
If you need veneers then try http://www.veneersupplies.com/


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## Pete_Jud (Feb 15, 2008)

I have used http://www.cookwoods.com they are a little spendy, and the shipping is a little high. I went down there a couple of months ago to pick some wood up, and they are very easy to deal with.


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## live4ever (Feb 27, 2010)

Sort of depends on what your definition of "good" is. Cheapest? Highest quality wood? Dependable customer service? Ability to pick out unique boards?

Usually the shipping costs really kill the value aspect of buying lumber over the internet, unless you are buying large quantities. Remember shipping varies with how far you are from the store, so buying from an Arizona store if you're on the east coast isn't the most cost-effective route.

That all being said, for handpicking unique boards for special projects, check out http://www.bellforestproducts.com. They are currently having a sale on curly/tiger maple.

For buying 20bdft packs of common hardwoods at very reasonable prices, check out http://www.walllumber.com.

http://www.woodworkerssource has very nice quality lumber and good service, but they are a little spendy. For those of us on the west coast, they are a reasonable option because shipping is less.

For veneer I like http://www.certainlywood.com.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

Let me add a plug for Bell Forest products. In addition to domestic woods they also carry exotics and they are very good at finding special pieces. I wanted some large 8/4 highly figured bubinga. It took a while but eventually they had exactly what I wanted.

When I need something special, they are the first people I look to.


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## boyneskibum (Nov 24, 2008)

+1 on Bell Forest products. As Rich said, if you need something special they should be the first you look to!


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Woodworker's source is certainly spendy, as Live4ever notes. But, I've never been dissatisfied with any exotics ordered from them. And, as Scrappy will tell you, they are very nice folks to deal with. They go out of their way to get you exactly what you want.


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## joncro5 (Oct 9, 2009)

thanks for the answers everyone


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## Moyer (Jul 25, 2010)

It's a bit off topic, but have you already searched woodfinder.com? You may be surprised what type of dealers are within a reasonable range for you. Last summer I had no idea how to get any wood outside of few local domestics at a nearby mill. A friend and fellow LJ here steered me in the right direction and it turns out there are some fantastic dealers near me at savings well over what I was paying for shoddier lumber.


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## TMcG (Mar 9, 2010)

Another +1 for Bell Forest Products, quick response, very helpful but the shipping does add up.

Griffin Exotic Wood is also a nice guy and a member here for small exotic pieces.


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## eaglebkh (Feb 2, 2011)

I'm not familiar with shopping for wood online, but how do you inspect the wood using a browser? Maybe I'm accustom to low quality suppliers, but I normally find a big difference in the number a flaws from board #1 vs. board #2 on the same shelf.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

if you are looking for a small amount, everyone seems to be very happy with our fellow LJ poroskywood


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

In response to Brandon - - If you are going to buy any volume of wood and/or some expensive wood on line you really have to trust your supplier to treat you right. That's why I like Bell Forest. They have never let me down.


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