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Thread: Buying rough cut wood

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    623

    Buying rough cut wood

    I have never been to a mill to purchase a certain type of wood. I was wondering how can one tell if wood is figured? I want to obtain some figured maple whether it be curley or birds eye but not sure what to look for. I do not know if you can tell what kind it is in the rough cut form and I don't want to look too stupid when I go to get some. So I express my stupidness (lack of knowledge) here on the forum.
    Basicly what I am asking how can you tell what your buying when buying rough cut lumber?
    Thanks for any and all replys, Doug

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Oak Ridge, NC
    Posts
    458
    Doug,
    Most sellers of wood know that figured wood demands a premium price. They aren't going to let it get away from them at a lower price. That being said there are sawmills that cut "log run" wood and you take what you get.

    As far as figured maple goes you will have no problem at all telling the figured boards from the non figured boards. The grain pattern is very distinct and the rough sawing does not disguise it.

    Take a small, pocket size, low angle block plane with you(sharp). If you find a piece that you think you like, ask if you can plane a small area on the board to see what the grain looks like. Most folks will let you do that. You just don't want to go around planing every board in the pile or doing it without permission. A couple of swipes of the plane will show you all you need.

    I do think that you will find that the figured grain boards have been set aside in a different pile from the ordinary grain boards. Should that not be the case, don't just start going through a stack of lumber with out asking permission to search through it. If you do remove boards from a pile, be sure and put them back exactly the way that the mill had them stacked before you got there. Don't make them have to go back and re-stack their lumber after you. You may not be so welcome next time you turn up.

  3. #3
    Doug,
    First observation...If you are made to feel stupid when you go to buy wood...find somewhere else to buy it. Everyone I have ever dealt with who loved to work with/around wood is always happy to tell someone what they know. I love spending time with people who deal with wood.

    Second...even though you've never done it...you may be surprised at what you can tell when you look at rough cut wood. Look at it from all angles and it tells a story about where it came from in the tree. Sometimes, if you're lucky, it presents more magic when you get it home and start working it.

    Just go, ask questions, but don't mess things up...make sure you leave stacks neater than you found them...but don't be afraid. Spend the time and you'll add another level of woodworking enjoyment to your life.
    Glenn Clabo
    Michigan

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Broken Arrow(Tulsa), OK
    Posts
    812

    Curly Grain

    Doug,

    Another option is to contact Mike Mastin at Curly Woods. Mike will make sure you get what you are looking for. His wood ain't cheap, but if your looking for highly figured lumber, it's worth every penny. Check out his website: www.curlywoods.com

    Mike is also very helpful and will happily answer even stupid questions!

    No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

    Bob

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Plano, TX
    Posts
    265
    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn Clabo
    Doug,
    First observation...If you are made to feel stupid when you go to buy wood...find somewhere else to buy it.
    I way agree with the quoted line from Glenn. I recommend going in, telling them it is your first time at such a place (everyone had a first time, you know?), and asking for help. If they are anything like a quality establishment, they will show you the ropes. Most places are glad to get new customers.

    The times I've seen people draw chuckles are when they tried to pretend to know it all, when manifestly they didn't.

    Dave

  6. #6

    Looking for figure in lumber

    Doug,

    Rough sawn Maple is harder to detect figure by looking at the face of the boards. It is better to first look at the edges of the boards. You can look through a lot of lumber quickly by look at the edges of the boards and looking for the tell tale striping which will be running perpendicular to the length of the boards.
    If there are obvious stripes along the edge, then proceed to inspect the faces of this board closely. Sometimes it is hard to see the figure through the rough surface on Maple, but if the lumber was bandsaw cut, it makes it much easier to distinguish. Circular sawmill cut lumber is rougher and very difficult to see the grain in Maple lumber.
    Figured boards don't happen often and to get the really spectaular boards is very rare, especially ones that are covered from one end to the other with super heavy figure.
    Michael Mastin
    McKinney Hardwood Lumber
    Exotic and figured woods

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Westphalia, Michigan
    Posts
    425
    Doug, I told my son recently that I have no problem with ignorance, because we all have a good dose of it. Stupidness on the other hand is knowing that you should NOT do or say something, and doing it anyway.
    As far as the figured maple goes, there are a lot of different types and grades out there. Look for quilted maple, birds eye maple, curly maple, fiddleback maple, on eBay. This will get you an idea of what is available. Figured maple occurs mostly by type in specific geographic regions. In Michigan we have curl and birds eye, with the latter occuring mostly in the upper penensula. Most of the birds eye that I see at the local saw mills have been picked over by veneer buyers and the best wood is long gone. As far as judgeing rough sawn maple, curl can be somewhat hidden by the saw mill blade marks. There are other 'figures' that occur in maple. Long eye, nickle eye and thumbnail, are three more that I have seen. The box elder is in the maple family and while most of us consider it a junk wood tree, it can have a beautiful red stain, especially in the larger diameter of the main trunk. I've seen some awesome bowls turned from this wood. What are you going to make with this wood? Send me an e-mail, I may have a line on some wood.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    623
    Coffee Table

    The above link is a picture of what I plan on making. I thought some figured maple and walnut would work. As far as I know that may be what is used in the picture. My wife collects Barbies and I thought this would make a great way to display a few of them. As well as my Earnhardt die-cast collection.

  9. #9
    Hey Doug, there is a lumber mill up near Kokomo called Hollingsworth.
    They seem like some pretty good guys, met them at the Woodworking show in Indy and went to see the mill a few times.
    Dont feel bad about not knowing something, just ask and I am sure they will help. Another place I go a lot is WoodsWorks on the east side of Indy. Really helpful people there.

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