how to find hardwood dealers? (Mobile AL)

[Pete Givens]

Hi,

I hope this is the appropriate forum, but I didn't see anywhere else that I thought this would fit better. I am new to woodworking, but I'm having a heck of a time finding these 'hardwood dealers' you guys speak of. I've searched the yellow pages for every term I could think of. I have found a few, but they are all large exporters and not retail suppliers. I'm in Mobile, Alabama, which is not a big city but certainly not a small one. Anyone from the area that can give suggestions would be awesome, but I'm just wondering in a general sense how to find these people. I've looked all over craigslist and google maps. I've also searched for a local woodworkers guild or facebook group and come up empty handed. What's the deal?

[Allen Jordan]

Do any of these map searches help?

https://www.google.com/maps/search/M.../data=!3m1!4b1

https://www.google.com/maps/search/M.../data=!3m1!4b1

[Art Mann]

I would search on Craigslist for suppliers. That is how I found my preferred lumber supplier outside of Huntsville.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

You could try woodfinder.com. They show a place about 60 miles away in Gulfport, MS. Not close, but maybe not too far on a Saturday.

[David Huston]

I would find a local cabinet shop and ask who they use? Are you looking for supply just for your own projects or to sell? My local cabinet guy just orders for me from his supplier, I think it hood distribution out of mobile. We are in thr fl panhandle. He even will plane the rough lumber down for me, at a charge of course. He doesn't mark it up much if at all. I have ordered from Acadian hardwoods out of LA but they just dropped it off at the cabinet shop. I don't know if they would deliver to a home or not.

[Dan Hahr]

You could try this guy for small orders. He works at a big shop and sells on side.
Mark Harding. (850) 221-1502

I've ordered through Mobile Lumber. It's always COD and if you don't like it you can reject it.
Dan

[Pete Givens]

Thanks for the replies. I live near Mobile Lumber, but their website doesn't list any hardwoods so I thought they just dealt in building materials. Woodfinder.com is also a nice resource, I was hoping for something like that. There is only one listing near me but it's close enough for a weekend drive.

I have also found a plywood supplier that can special order pretty much anything, but a lot of those types of situations are just intimidating if you don't really know what you want. I was hoping to find a place where I could just walk in, see what they have, and buy a few boards of walnut or whatever. Maybe that's too tall an order!

[jeffp whitaker]

Pete, having lived in Mobile for nearly 35 years (more, if you count the time I lived there before Brookley closed) I feel your pain and... well, there isn't any place there that you can walk in and see hardwood before you buy other than the over priced stuff at the big box stores. *sigh* Craigslist is an option been there done that but always a crap shoot. Mobile Lumber? They will order for you IF you know what you want, but they seemed to be geared more to ordering for contractors. HOW EVER, if you are willing to drive down to the docks and go through the hassle of dealing with some of the big importers there and in Ms, they let me dig through their piles of cut offs and discards and I racked up some real gems. Mahogany spanish cedar, Purple Heart and the like... now I am exiled to the far frozen Nawth of East Tn and find myself checking out old barn wood and lumber piles at estate auctions.. found out the hard way that black Locust and 70 year old Red Oak is is about the toughest stuff to work with on the planet. GOOK LUCK my friend!

[Pete Givens]

Thanks Jeff. I'm sorry to hear that my struggles in this city are legitimate. I strolled into Mobile Lumber yesterday and it was not good...they just offered to special order things if I knew exactly what I wanted. On the plus side, I did find out that they sell 3/4 BB ply for much cheaper than Lowes...

Do you remember the places you visited on the docks? I found a couple that have websites listing some nice species inventories, but they just seem like they are primarily there for big export business and not too interested in selling a few pieces at a time to a hobbyist.

[Brian Henderson]

You could try woodfinder.com. They show a place about 60 miles away in Gulfport, MS. Not close, but maybe not too far on a Saturday.

Woodfinder is not very accurate. Around here, they fail to list any of the big lumber suppliers, but they do list a Rockler that moved several years ago, in their old location.

[jeffp whitaker]

Pete, Sadly I do not..... it's been over 7 years since I was down there, and yes they are down there to sell to big industries, (this is the hassel I spoke of) BUT persistence pays off and a couple of dollars to the yard workers will help. This Is the stuff that they send to the land fill after it is checked for moisture content/insects/ what ever. I was turned away by a couple because of insurance/liability issues. Working at HobbyTown I was also able to talk to a lot of folks about woodworking and was able to buy a bit of hard wood from folks getting out of that hobby and into R/C, my biggest score was with a guy working at a flooring plant out side Atmore and swapped out R/C stuff for Oak cut offs and rejects once in a while. So don't give up hope, talk to any one and every one about what you are looking for. drop me a line if I can be of help

[Marty Rose]

Mr. Pete. I have been to Mobile Lumber,ordered Oak Faced MDF, for Cabinets. I was sent to "the docks" to pick up my load. They,the docks, are right in the same complex where Airbus is building. I too can remember the dock number,but someone at Mobile Lumber can,will, tell you.

[Tom Welch]

Pete, I know it is a drive, but if you come over to Pensacola. Meredith and Sons Lumber stocks all types of hardwoods. That is where I get my wood from. The address is 8701 N Palafox st.

[Pete Givens]

Thanks Tom! Will definitely check it out next time I'm that way.