I was reading the thread about the % of extra wood to buy for a project. I don't sell my work or do commissions so for me I think differently I suppose. Sometimes I buy wood from small mills without any preconceived ideas about what I will build. I shop and look for some nice lumber for a nice price. Then I eventually decide what is the nicest piece or pieces I can build utilizing the wood to my advantage. Presently, I am using up the last of a bunch of walnut that has followed me around for too many years to mention. When I got to the last of it, I saw nice colored wood with a lot of defects to work around so I decided on a jelly cabinet with frame and panel sides to take advantage of the shorter pieces.

As a discussion point, do many others use this approach or do you start with the project and then buy the lumber?

Ron