Wood source in Tennessee

[John Crum]

Hey folks. I'll be visiting in Pigeon Ford in the near future and am always looking for new sources of wood, primarily walnut and cherry. I checked Woodfinder and came up with MZ enterprises in Blaine, TN. They post some attractive prices. Have any of you folks in Tennessee had any dealings with this outfit that you would share with me. Good or bad. Also, they say their lumber is milled by band saw. Can you share any thoughts on this type of milling. Appreciate any info you can share.

[Stephen Edwards]

I don't know this particular company. I do buy cedar from a family who saws it with a bandsaw. The block out the cants with circular saw and then saw the cants into boards on a bandsaw. This makes for less waste when you go to mill the lumber in shop.

I don't know, of course, which direction you'll be coming from. If you're gonna be anywhere near Tompkinsville, KY, which is just above the TN state line in middle TN, you might consider calling ahead to Anderson Brothers Lumber. They usually have a lot of kiln dried walnut and cherry. Very good quality. They'll sell small orders if you call ahead to make arrangements. Prices are down right now. They usually sell lumber by the tractor trailer load. But, times being what they are.........you can probably get a small order from them at a reasonable price.

[John Crum]

Thanks for the info Stephen. Appreciate it. John

[Stephen Edwards]

Thanks for the info Stephen. Appreciate it. John

John, You're very welcome. Another noteworthy thing about Anderson Brothers is that they frequently have a "mountain" of scrap that's perfectly good lumber for small projects. That scrap pile lumber is free.

I haven't been up there in a while so I don't know if they're presently generating much scrap.

Enjoy your vacation!

[Scott Rollins]

Jeffries Woodworks is about 20 min from Pigeon Forge.

Jeffries Wood Works
8807 Valgro Rd

Knoxville, TN 37920

• (865) 573-5876

[Gregory Lyons]

I'll second Jeffries. We vacationed recently in Wears Valley (near Pigeon Forge) and for my birthday LOML allowed me to drag her up to Knoxville so I could go to a real lumber yard (the closest thing to a lumber yard that I've found in NE Florida is the local Woodcraft). We got a chance to chat with the owners, Bob & Cynthia, who were super nice, and they let my wife take a bunch of pictures. Unfortunately I was only able to grab a few small pieces to bring home with me since our car was full of suitcases and whatnot.

[Irwin Fletcher]

Hey folks. I'll be visiting in Pigeon Ford in the near future and am always looking for new sources of wood, primarily walnut and cherry. I checked Woodfinder and came up with MZ enterprises in Blaine, TN. They post some attractive prices. Have any of you folks in Tennessee had any dealings with this outfit that you would share with me. Good or bad. Also, they say their lumber is milled by band saw. Can you share any thoughts on this type of milling. Appreciate any info you can share.

John, I'll throw another vote out for Jeffrie's, as that is where I usually buy my stuff. However, Jeffries is proud of their wood if you know what I mean.

So, I recently made a run out to MZ Enterprises as I was needing some 8/4 Oak for a quick and dirty project and didn't want to pay around $5.00/bf at Jeffries. Long story short, I was a bit disappointed. I didn't know what to expect, but basically it is a farm out in Grainger county. They have a Woodmizer and a large metal storage building where they air dry their wood. Everything is kinda just thrown in there. Nothing seemed to be sorted at all, so me and a couple 11 or 12 year old kids that live there helped me pick through stacks of wood looking for decent pieces.

Bottom line, their stuff is cheap, but it isn't the kind of place you can go and "browse" like Jeffries is.

[John Crum]

Thanks a bunch guys. I appreciate all the good info. Since we will be going thru Knoxville, I'll be sure to check out Jeffries. John

[Keel McDonald]

I 3rd Jefferies!!!

[Jerome Hanby]

I'll second Jeffries. We vacationed recently in Wears Valley (near Pigeon Forge) and for my birthday LOML allowed me to drag her up to Knoxville so I could go to a real lumber yard (the closest thing to a lumber yard that I've found in NE Florida is the local Woodcraft). We got a chance to chat with the owners, Bob & Cynthia, who were super nice, and they let my wife take a bunch of pictures. Unfortunately I was only able to grab a few small pieces to bring home with me since our car was full of suitcases and whatnot.

Bet there are more places to buy suitcases and whatnot near you than good hardwood