Wood Price Rant

[Bob Winkler]

I can't believe the high cost and poor quality of wood these days. I promised my daughter a maple and cherry bookcase for her birthday, and we've been looking at wood together.

Last week we tried my usual source in Enfield, and the figured maple (curly/tiger) looked terrible and wasn't worth buying. The cherry was even worse, and the prices were insane.

Today we went to Harris, which is closer to home, but is usually avoided because they are more expensive. Well, I bought a few nice boards of tiger maple and regualr hard maple -- $300 to do the sides and back of the bookcase . At least they had some decent quality maple, even if I did pay $8.90/bd ft. Forget the cherry, what they had was very limited and tough to justify the cost.

So now I'm not sure what to do. The thought of spending $800 or more total for a bookcase really irks me. I'm actually considering making a road trip to New York or PA to try to get better quality and lower prices. It may be worth the effort. Heck, my daughter suggests that I buy wooded property somewhere and start cutting my own! I wish it were that easy.

What does everyone else do about this problem? Maybe CT is more expensive than some areas, but I'm sure wood prices are high everywhere.

Bob

[Mike Tempel]

Wood prices are outrageous - I think it is a nationwide thing with some spots being cheaper than others. I don't know for sure but I would imagine that in some parts, where wood is more plentiful and mills are more widely available, that prices are not an issue. For me in Houston this is not always the case. Some friends and I have found an "underground" source for some QS red oak. Hence, I have about 400 bd ft in my shop and that is what I will use for some time to come. In fact, at the rate I get time to spend in my shop it is not out of the realm of possibility that my current stock will last me for 3 years or more. I may be more of a tightwad than others but when it comes to big projects I simply must think of the costs associated with the lumber as justification for doing it or not. Often times I won't build something just because of what you ran into - $800 is a lot of money for a bookcase. This is also why I find it hard to justify building stuff for friends or neighbors as they simply don't understand the cost of lumber alone - not to mention time, wear and tear, etc.

[Doug Shepard]

Haven't bought maple in a few years, but I'm with you on the quality of the cherry. The suppliers around here have plently of it, but the amount of sapwood left on boards is getting worse and worse at least on 4/4 stock. I think maybe mills are paying a bit more attention when they cut the thicker stuff - 8/4 thru 12/4. I've sometimes ended up going that route, then resawing. It costs more per BF that way, but overall it might be a wash as there seems to be less waste due to cutting around sapwood. If I'm strictly planning on buying 4/4, I have to resign myself to spending 3 or 4 hours at the suppliers. That's usually how long it takes to pick through their boards to find enough usable wood.

[Joseph N. Myers]

Bob,

Not sure what it is with CT, supply and demand, maybe something in the water or whatever. Seems that CT has about the highest prices I've seen (except some places in CA).

First thing you want to do is to check out www.woodfinder.com, put in your zip code, distance you would travel, type of wood you want and it will spit out local supplier (that entered themselves in the data base). Best way to find a local sawyer.

Next for bookcases, etc., you may want to use veneer plywood with real wood for the edges. Granted, good veneer plywood , not the HD type, goes for upwards to $100 a sheet (more for figured), but your talking under $4.00/bf and sure cuts down on the work. (I have a good 10,000 bf of oak, maple, walnut, etc., and rarely use real wood for bookcases, shelving, etc. unless requested, just not worth it).

UPS packages, the 20bf for around $100 including shipping/handling might be a good thing in your situation. Some of the ones that come to mind are:

www.walllumber.com
www.woodworkers.net
www.niagaralumber.com
www.westpennhardwoods.com

And of course, heading for NY/PA is not too bad of an idea. Heading north might be a little better for you because of your location but prices up there are also somewhat high. (woodfinder.com might be a big help in this area).

Regards, and good luck, Joe

[Bob Winkler]

Thanks for the good links and advice. I first planned on using maple veneer plywood with solid wood edging for the back and shelves. In fact, I built a whole walk-in closet organizer from cherry plywood and cherry edging. It turned out real nice.

But my daughter nixed the idea of any plywood, because she wanted it as a heirloom and something that she'll cherish always. She gets her good (and expensive) taste from her mother.

I might be able to convince her that plywood would work well, but if I'm going through the time and effort, I'd rather have her as happy as possible.
Bob

[Jim Becker]

Bob, although I personally don't like using plywood in my furniture projects (and generally don't) because I truly enjoy working with solid stock, using it does not disqualify a piece from being an "heirloom". The quality of your design, construction and finishing as well as the profound personal relationship or the receiver to the piece is what makes it an heirloom that will be passed down over the generations. In other words, it's the expression not the execution that counts!

As to the cost of lumber, since you appear to be looking for domestics, start searching out the "little guys"...folks who cut lumber, usually with a band-mill, and then sell it either green or as quality air-dried material. I buy a lot of my lumber that way and get "premium" quality for about half what most of the larger retailers are getting. The last cherry I bought (not including what I stole from Dan Smith... ) was about $3.00 bd/ft. The seller is a small operator that has been cutting lumber for over 45 years; cash only and a large inventory of very nice, furniture grade air-dried lumber that I can pick through to my little heart's content. He also keeps the stacks small so it's easy to find things without being buried in wood. Since he only cuts local wood, cherry, maple, walnut, ash and oak are pretty much what's common in his barn. That's fine for me and if I need something really special for a table top or something, I'm more than willing to drive the miles and pay the price to source from a larger specialty shop, especially since I save so much on the more basic material.

[Bob Winkler]

I hope I didn't offend anyone by implying that building with plywood is "second rate". As I said in my post, I do use plywood when it makes sense, and I'm sure that our ancestors would have surely used it if it was available.

I think my wife and daughter feel that using solid wood differentiates what I build from what I could buy anywhere. To them, the extra effort and time spent makes that piece that much more valuable, regardless of the material costs.

And I also like using solid wood, because I end up with lots of cutoffs that often end up in smaller projects.

Bob

[Dave Avery]

Bob,

I had the same experience at CWG and haven't been back since. I can personally vouch for Westpennhardwoods and Niagaralumber. Also, I've traveled to Northampton MA. and bought wood from Copperbeech millwork. Good luck. Dave.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

What's up with those prices? They are way higher than I pay here in SA. 4/4 cherry goes for about $5.50 a board foot, maple a little less. Curly maple goes for less than $6.00 a BF, but the last time I bought regular maple I found some with curly figure at regular prices.

[James Carmichael]

Bob,

I stumbled on this link late last night and got numbers for a couple of small sawyers/kiln operators in my area. I haven't contacted them yet and don't know if the links are currenlt or not.

I feel your pain. I'm thinking the best bet is going to be finding a WW club or something in my area and network. One is farily near my family's ranch which is covered with post and blackjack oaks with some ash and mesquite, so I'm thinking that might be a good option, at least for domestics.

http://www.woodweb.com/Resources/RSSDG.html

[Todd Davidson]

Bob,

There's a small mill in Barkhamstead (860) 379-7645 that may suit your needs

[Dennis Peacock]

I get Curly Maple that is rough cut and kiln dried for $2.60 BDFT and Ash Alder, Oak (white and red) as well as soft maple for just over $2.10 BDFT. About 2 years ago....Red / White Oak was $1.29 BDFT. It all relates back to the cost of FUEL which raised the operating costs of the mills and loggers. So the higher costs get passed on to us consumers. From the looks of things, it's not going to get any cheaper any time soon.

[Bob Winkler]

Wow, I can't believe it---curly maple for under $3 bd/ft. Some of you guys are pretty lucky.

I think I might give either Niagra Lumber or West Penn Hardwoods a try. I never tried them because I worry about not seeing the wood before buying it. But until I find a better source, it's worth the chance.

Thanks for all the great comments.

Bob

[Mike Cutler]

Bob. I feel your pain bro'. Wood is very expensive up here, I am building a large book shelf system for SWMBO out of Brazillian cherry. I lucked into a deal at the Woodcraft in W. Greenwich RI and bought all they had at $3.10-3.70 bd/ft. I've heard good things about Hearne Hardwood in Pa and Mike Mastin, here on the board has gotten good remarks for" Mail Order Wood". You may also want to check out Steve Wall Lumber on the net.
If the sizes that you need are within the ability for UPS shipment, that may be the way to go, cause not only are the prices high here in CT, but the quality is very sketchy.
One other factor is that we are still in the middle of winter ,and the demand may not be sufficient for the Enfield store to order any new lumber. They may not want to carry the inventory 'til spring. The last time I was in there they looked like they were really concentrating on flooring, but that was before they moved their location.
Good luck looking, If I see anything worth looking at I'll Pm ya'

[Rich Konopka]

I can't believe the high cost and poor quality of wood these days. I promised my daughter a maple and cherry bookcase for her birthday, and we've been looking at wood together.

Last week we tried my usual source in Enfield, and the figured maple (curly/tiger) looked terrible and wasn't worth buying. The cherry was even worse, and the prices were insane.

Today we went to Harris, which is closer to home, but is usually avoided because they are more expensive. Well, I bought a few nice boards of tiger maple and regualr hard maple -- $300 to do the sides and back of the bookcase . At least they had some decent quality maple, even if I did pay $8.90/bd ft. Forget the cherry, what they had was very limited and tough to justify the cost.

So now I'm not sure what to do. The thought of spending $800 or more total for a bookcase really irks me. I'm actually considering making a road trip to New York or PA to try to get better quality and lower prices. It may be worth the effort. Heck, my daughter suggests that I buy wooded property somewhere and start cutting my own! I wish it were that easy.

What does everyone else do about this problem? Maybe CT is more expensive than some areas, but I'm sure wood prices are high everywhere.

Bob

Bob,

There are a few small time guys who sell through bargainnews.com look under Lumber. They offer mostly green but they also sell kiln dried. Also,
you may want to give Moore's a call. He is not any cheaper that CWG but he does have some real nice stock.