I have a confession to make. I rarely buy my lumber, and I mostly work with hardwoods. I have a bad habit (or good habit, if you look at it a different way) of seeking out commercial shops that work with hardwood and inquire about scrap boards or stuff they can't use. I've visited sash and door shops, guitar shops, flooring shops and the like. I offer to buy whatever I can fit into my car trunk for a bulk price. Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I don't. The other day I was driving down a street on the way to run an errand. Out of the corner of my eye during my drive I caught an open sliding door. In the one or two seconds of my peripheral vision I registered stacked lumber with the end grains painted. I made a U turn when it was safe and drove to the shop. So I walked over and it was like finding the holy grail of hardwood. White oak, walnut, maple, cherry, etc. Inside I'm getting excited, and outside I'm keeping my cool. Talked to a guy who was working there and it turns out we live in the same area, about 30 minutes north of there. I asked him if I could buy some of his scrap boards he's not using. He tells me his boss isn't there to ask but says he'll see what he can do. We exchanged cell numbers. Last night after work he contacted me to meet him a few blocks away as he had a "couple pieces" for me. When I got there, he had a stack of beautiful white oak, walnut, and maple boards. I offered to pay something of course, said, "What can I do for you?" and he said, "It's okay, they're yours...oh and are rough boards ok? "Yes I told him, I have a planer." "Good to know", he said. So I haven't seen the last of him. At the very least, I gotta take him out to lunch or dinner!. But it just goes to show you, you never know what will happen unless you ask. This is what he gave me last night...NewWood.jpg
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Originally Posted by John TenEyck
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