Lumber Supplier in Southeast Michigan

[Matthew Bobek]

Hello all, does anyone know of a good lumber supplier in SE Michigan. I've never gone and purchased lumber at an actual mill or lumber yard and don't know of any in the area. I've used Bell Forest Products, but the shipping is moderately expensive and they're way up in the UP, so going there isn't an option. It would be a lot nicer to pick my own boards and be able to bring them home myself. I'm close to I-94, I-75, and I-696 so going any direction really isn't that big of a deal. Thanks.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Armstrong Millworks. On M-59 Just east of US-23. A bit of a drive, though. But they'll let you hand pick your boards.

Something much closer is Public Lumber on the corner of I-75 and 7 mile. Probably a bit more expensive. I haven't been there in a while, so I'm not sure what they stock, but they also have a lot of sheet goods as well.

[John Morrison60]

Matt

Armstrong and Public Lumber should be the first two to visit.
Armstrong has good selection of hardwoods, while Public has
a slightly smaller selection, they do stock many quality plywoods.

They are both good about letting you select your own boards.

Regular visits enable you to select good material before it gets
picked over too much.
Both Public Lumber and Armstrong will tell you when they are getting
shipments. If you are looking for a particular species or sizes, I have
gotten calls from Armstrong telling me that they got something in.
I was looking for some 8/4 curly cherry, and Armstrong called me when they got some in.

Armstrong is Cash/Check only. No credit cards.

Good luck
John

[Matthew Bobek]

Thanks for the info, I'd never heard of those places, there's plenty of lumber yards (for construction) around me, but no hardwood dealers, unless you count Woodcraft or Rockler, but they are expensive.

How is the pricing of Armstrong (reasonable?), they're about an hour from me, but if the selection and pricing are good it would be worth the trip.

Thanks.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I haven't been there in a long time, but there price was fair. Wood is getting expensive everywhere. Just give them a call and find out what their pricing is for what you're looking for.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

If you're buying a large quantity and don't need to hand select, there's also General Hardwood on 6 mile at Van Dyke. They generally sell to cabinet shops, but may sell to the public if you order enough. $300+ maybe. A bit of a hassle to deal with , though, as they don't normaly deal with the public.

[Bob Turkovich]

For S4S oak and poplar, Armstrong is about 5% higher than Home Depot/Lowe's but the quality/inventory is much, much better.

Bought some cherry from them last year to build some end tables. They let me run the finished tops through their sander for a small fee....(about $15 for two tops, if I remember.)

Ditto on the comment re: cash/check only.

They aren't open on Sunday or during lunch (12 to 12:45).

Picked up a small order of riftsawn oak from them just last Tuesday. Beautiful wood - just hope my project does it justice

[Dale Coons]

Another good place is Kencraft Hardwoods in Toledo. Smaller, family owned place, mostly the basics in terms of species. However, they have some thicker stock and will ship. Nice folks. They have a website
kencraftcompany.com

[Larry Frank]

I have used Hickory and Oak Sawmill in Decatur, Michigan and been very satisfied.

[Matt Meiser]

Here's a huge list.

Johnson's in Charlotte actually has a really reasonable delivery fee. I think its about $50 to Ann Arbor and $70 to me. I think St. Clair Shores would be similar distance to me.

[Matthew Bobek]

Thanks for all the additional information it's all very helpful, once I figure out my next project I'll have to try some of these guys out. Thanks again.

[Larry Edgerton]

Here's a huge list.

Johnson's in Charlotte actually has a really reasonable delivery fee. I think its about $50 to Ann Arbor and $70 to. I think St. Clair Shores would be similar distance to me.

I'll second that! I buy thousands of Bd. Ft. from Johnsons sight unseen and am never disappointed. On the one occasion when I recieved some case hardened poplar they replaced it no questions asked. Keep in mind that their delivery charge is the same for one Bd. ft. or 1000, so it is cheaper to buy all you need at one shot. When you call ask for lumber sales.

[Doug Shepard]

Another satisfied buyer at Armstrong and Public. I've also heard rumors that there's a very good hardwood dealer somewhere in Flint but I haven't had any dealings with them.

[Gary Muto]

I used to work 5 minutes from Armstrong but never visited. It was before I got into woodworking. I've been to Public Lumber and it's OK in terms of selection. The prices are good.
I used to work in Flint also and I visited Midwest Lumber, at least that's the name I remember. Getting there seemed very convoluted; somewhere between Robert T. Longway BLVD., I-69, and I-475. It was about 10 years ago so my memory is a little foggy. It was the largest lumber yard I ahve been to and they had hardwood and hardwood plywood. I wonder if they are still around.

[Warren Huisman]

I've bought from Pollums a couple of times. The have pretty good prices but only stock local hardwoods. Nice guy to deal with.

http://www.pollumsnaturalresources.com/