Would you buy hardwood shorts ?

[Rick Fisher]

Wondering if you would buy 4/4 and 8/4 Maple, Cherry, Walnut and Oak in Shorts ?

I am talking all 4' and 5' lengths .. widths would be 4" thru 10" ..

Price would be 1/3 less than 8' - 10' lengths of the same widths ?


The reason I ask is that I rarely build anything which requires longer than that.. but also think I would get more waste ?

[Dewayne Reding]

I pickup shorts when I see good ones. I can usually find a use that keeps the waste to a minimum. It really depends on the type of projects you build.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I think I have only bought one full length piece (8-10'). I only buy shorts (with a discount). Most of my scrap pieces are on the order of 3-4" long or 1" or so wide. I also I have small work area so the shorter lengths are very handy as well, both for working and for storing.

[Marc Kohlbauer]

I usually buy shorts if I can get away with it. I would guess 90% or more of the wood I have purchased has been shorts. I only buy longer boards if I have a particular project that need it. I usually end up with less waste using shorts too.

[Van Huskey]

Shorts are great and I would buy them the majority of the time if I could. One thing to take note of is the expected yield, a single defect in the middle of a short can render it pretty useless.

[Dennis Puskar]

Yes I would buy shorts probably 75% of most projects fall within that range.

[Gary Max]

I just bought a truck load--- the price was right.

[Dave MacArthur]

Without reading anything except the thread title, I'm just going to drop in here and say I think hardwood shorts would be likely to cause splinters in the posterior, and I wouldn't buy them unless I had built a Pinocchio or such.

Hope that helps in some fashion or other

[Curt Harms]

Without reading anything except the thread title, I'm just going to drop in here and say I think hardwood shorts would be likely to cause splinters in the posterior.................

I had the same initial reaction--ouch!!

[Geoff Potter]

I would buy just "shorts" if I could. Easier to haul and easier to work with. If I need longer than 4' I would purchase.

[Russell Sansom]

Sometimes. Depends on the scale of the project. A largish 2' X 18" cabinet ( like a saw till or planes cabinet ) needs 8' of clear lumber. Not counting doors, back, plinth or cornice, and, say, a drawer. With blemishes, it's hard to get 8' of good stuff out of 10 or 12 feet of raw lumber. At least I'm guaranteed that the 4 carcass boards are similar in shade and pattern...harder with shorts. Add a couple paneled doors and there's another 6 feet of compatible lumber.
On the other hand, if you're making jewelry boxes the whole thing would probably scale down to 4' shorts. Shorts are also ideal for jigs around the shop and for making mock-ups

[Rick Moyer]

Without reading anything except the thread title, I'm just going to drop in here and say I think hardwood shorts would be likely to cause splinters in the posterior, and I wouldn't buy them unless I had built a Pinocchio or such.

Hope that helps in some fashion or other

Funny! I like that you noted that you had read only the title, too. Sometimes I do that, so I am reluctant to then post something to the thread. This takes care of that. Oh btw, thanks for "learnin'" me a new word on another thread, "specious"!

[Jim Becker]

I have purchased "shorts" when they were appropriate for a project. When I make the trip to Hearne Hardwoods, for example, I absolutely spend time in the "shorts" room looking for complimentary material for the project or projects I'm buying for was well as for "inventory" purchases. I will always choose quality over size when it comes to material simply because choosing your material is the first step in finishing.

[Don Bullock]

I buy shorts when they have the grain pattern I want, they fit within the dimensions of the project I need them for and they are considerably cheaper than the longer lumber. That's something i have to watch. One lumber yard I frequent doesn't discount shorts.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

My new mantra:

choosing your material is the first step in finishing.