Using wood direct from mill

[Greg Magone]

We have a lot of custom mills in Seattle that mill small quantities of hardwood lumber that they aquire from a variety of sources. Ash, apple, madrone, pear, and plumb are the common varieties (along with an abundant amount of big leaf maple).

Has anyone used wood from the custom mills? I am tempted by the prices - it runs 1/2 of what I can buy it from the lumber yard. I don't know if the wood is kiln dried or green (I assume green), which would have a big impact on usability.

Beyond green or dry, is there anything else I should know about the wood? Does it work as well as wood from the lumber yard? Any other cautions with this sort of wood, besides nails?

Thanks!

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Nails shouldn't be a worry. When the wood is milled those should have been taken care of. Nails have an affinity for new or barely used blades, by the way, and the newer the blade the larger the nail.

Find out if the wood has been dried and what the moisture content is. Some seem to prefer air dried but to properly "cure" takes a while. Some say a year per inch but really it depends on the situation in which it is handled, the climate and species of wood. Depending on species, if you get wood that hasn't been properly dried it can really twist, cup or bow. Also if air dried there is a possibiliy of powder post beetle for a number of hardwoods. If the wood has been properly kiln dried critters shouldn't be a problem.

Unless the mill owner has a plane the wood will be rough cut. It can be hard to tell what the finished product will look like, especially wood that has aged for a while. One possibility is to take a hand plane with you to see what a fresh face will look like.

[Neal Clayton]

besides rich's points, all of which are legitimate ones...

if you do buy some from them, a cheap dehumidifier from the borg in a sealed container of some sort will dry the wood to the point of usability, if you want to force dry it yourself.

[fRED mCnEILL]

I live north of Seattle in Canada and buy ALL my lumber from a small mill. Its the only way I can afford to build things. Right now the going rate in $1 per b/f for cherry/maple ,etc. My last load was 15 cents per b/f but were boards that were all 5 inches wide.Still, for the price..........
A lot of the wood is green so has to be dried but if you buy on a regular basis you always have some wood that is ready to use.

Incidently, if you don't mind sharing the sources I would like to buy some of the wood you mentioned.

Thanks

Fred Mc.

[Julian Nicks]

Small mills are the best way to go. You are really supporting the small local guys, and their stuff is superior to many large mills. They get their hands on alot more figured woods, and odd varieties than you'll ever find at the hardwood dealer. I buy from a small mill that air dries all his wood, so there is little to no internal stress in the wood, and the colors are much more vibrant than if he was to kiln dry the wood.

[jason lambert]

I'm in NJ not many saw mills here but if you can get it from a saw mill it is the way to go it just will take time to dry, get a GOOD moisture meter not one that just reads the surface. You will have some that cup and bend as well so figure on a little waste. You also need to store it for some time as stated above 1yr per inch condition depending.

[Denise Ohio]

We have a lot of custom mills in Seattle that mill small quantities of hardwood lumber that they aquire from a variety of sources. Ash, apple, madrone, pear, and plumb are the common varieties (along with an abundant amount of big leaf maple)...

Between Sultan and Gold Bar on Highway 2 called Koenig's. You can haul in material for them to kiln dry for you. It's not outrageously expensive, though you'll have to haul the material in and out. (They deliver but the driver whines a lot and he can't sticker material properly worth a crap. And it's expensive.)

Like the Canadian poster, we may be interested in splitting a load if the price and type is right. We're between Monroe and Sultan, but get down to the Eastside/Seattle every couple of weeks. I'd be especially interested in madrone.

[Frank Drew]

Greg,

I've bought a lot of wood from local sawyers, but I would be reluctant to buy anything that's been poorly stacked for any length time -- any cast or warp to the boards would likely be permanent.

If you can visit a mill before they saw up a log you like the looks of, you can probably have them custom cut it to your specs (assuming you pay some or all of the amount in advance.)

If it's green, you'll have to be prepared to stack and sticker the wood properly; even if it's going to be kiln dried at some point, many recommend some months of careful air drying first.

[Mike Parzych]

Got a question for you folks in the northwest. I've gotten some quilted maple from Woodbay Co. on eBay, as they're one of the few with decent prices. Are there any suppliers online whom I could get some longer stuff from, with robbing a bank?

[Greg Magone]

Got a question for you folks in the northwest. I've gotten some quilted maple from Woodbay Co. on eBay, as they're one of the few with decent prices. Are there any suppliers online whom I could get some longer stuff from, with robbing a bank?

I have a 100' maple tree down on the ground right now. The base is a solid maple log about 20' tall by 2.5 foot at the base, 1.5 foot diameter 20' off the ground. It fell down last winter. You'll welcome to stop by my place, mill the wood into boards, and take it home with you for no charge. Send me a direct message and I'll tell you how to get there. No guarantees that it is quilted maple.

(Yes, I'm rubbing in the abundance of maple we have here in Northwestern Washington. I don't have any great lumber sources but know of lots of great lumber still standing straight and tall.)

[Greg Magone]

For those who buy "green" lumber and air dry it, I have a few questions for you.

How hard is this to do? Is it the kind of thing that takes work on the day you get it (unloading, stickering, and adding weight) and then you forget about it until 2 years later? Or does it take time and skill to add the weight and monitor it?

Do you feel that the time it takes to get green wood adds to your woodworking enjoyment or takes away from it? I'm young (early 30's) and only have a limited time for woodworking. I like the idea of buying wood at lower prices, but don't want to try doing something that is going to take a lot of time so I can't actually make the wood furniture out of the wood. On the other hand, if it is something that takes a weekend to do, then wait a couple years and I have nice wood ready to use, I'm all for it.



Thanks again?

[Rod Sheridan]

For those who buy "green" lumber and air dry it, I have a few questions for you.

How hard is this to do? Is it the kind of thing that takes work on the day you get it (unloading, stickering, and adding weight) and then you forget about it until 2 years later? Or does it take time and skill to add the weight and monitor it?

Do you feel that the time it takes to get green wood adds to your woodworking enjoyment or takes away from it? I'm young (early 30's) and only have a limited time for woodworking. I like the idea of buying wood at lower prices, but don't want to try doing something that is going to take a lot of time so I can't actually make the wood furniture out of the wood. On the other hand, if it is something that takes a weekend to do, then wait a couple years and I have nice wood ready to use, I'm all for it.



Thanks again?

Hi Greg, I occasionally purchase green wood in lots ranging from 100 to 300 board feet.

I sticker them outside on the covered patio, with a tarp over them. I put Lee Valley log sealer on the ends of the wood once they're stacked.

We don't have termites where I live so that's not a problem, I don't know about your location.

I use maple stickers because it doesn't seem to stain the wood, and I had lots of maple scraps.

Once they're much lighter (very scientific aren't I?), I move them downstairs to the shop storage rack, where they sit for another 6 months to infinity while I use the wood up in projects.

I always have at least a years wood in the rack, so the time to dry my own isn't a problem, however I still purchase wood from the mill that's been kiln dried.

I find that the drying of the wood adds some satisfaction to the process, and I guess if I wanted to go all the way I'd be like Roy and fell my own trees etc. That's a bit too much work for me though, stacking the wood twice is about as much extra work as I'm willing to do.

Regards, Rod.

[Frank Drew]

Rod,

If you can find a location out of the direct sunlight, and preferably with some air movement, you'll hasten the drying by leaving the tarp off your wood stack.

Greg,

The hardest part about drying green wood is finding an appropriate site and getting started; you should, ideally, start the stack well off the ground (like up on leveled cinder blocks), and the base of the stack should be as straight as you can make it -- all the boards in the pile will dry only as straight as the first board. If you have a variety of thicknesses to stack, the thicker stuff can go on top for weight. Maybe a piece of cheap ply or corrugated metal on top to keep the rain or snow off your lumber. In that case, that was when I wanted to use the lumber, not that you necessarily have to wait that long to use your stuff.

After that, you just wait, and here, at least in my experience, patience is a virtue. I can't prove this scientifically, but it's struck me that the longer you allow your wood to air dry, the milder working it becomes. The best cherry I've used, in terms of workability, had air dried almost a decade.