Houston, TX Area

[Wayne Johnson]

I'm relatively new to the area and also new to woodworking. I'm wondering how many people here at the Creek live in the Houston area and what local resources they know of. Specifically, I'm looking for the following:

1. Where do you buy your wood?
2. Where do you buy your tools?
3. Do you know of any good local sharpening/repair shops?
4. Are you involved in any local WW clubs?

So far I have found and visited the following:

Houston Hardwoods (Wood: http://www.houstonhardwoods.com/)
Mason’s Mill and Lumber (Wood: http://www.masonsmillandlumber.com/)
WoodWright (Tools: http://www.woodwright-texas.com/)

There’s got to be more out there. Fill me in!

Thanks,
Wayne

[Tom Sweeney]

My brother lives in Clear Lake - but he's not a woodworker. There are a bunch of texans on the creek & you'll probably hear from them (watch out they're an ornery bunch )

I think Jim Izat is actually in Houston - though my brother & uncle both live in Houston & it takes an hour to get from one house to the other so I don't know how close he is to you.

have fun & see ya round the Creek!

[Rob Overton]

Hi Wayne! I must live on the other side of town from you. It reads like you are from the Spring area. I'm near Sugar Land. You have found some good sources already. I use Hardwood Lumber because I like the people and they have a good supply of wood. Woodwrights is an excellent store as is Woodcraft on 290 and Hollister, also the Cutting Edge on 59 at Bellaire is excellent. Stop in the stores and ask about the GulfCoast Wood Turners, and the Woodworkers Club. Both are excellent organizations and have a fine group of members. They are collectively and individually a lot of help. Rob

[Richard Hash]

I'm in Houston (building a house in Missouri City, but it's still "Houston"). You might be interested in the WoodWorkers Club of Houston (www.wwch.org), which meets the 2nd Saturday of every month at the Bayland Community Center on Bissonnet. It's got a good mix of skills.

Hardwood Lumber is pretty good, there's a place in the Heights also. Check out the wwch.org page and look under "Resources"

Todd Burch will chime in any second now, he's out in Katy and has a few chips under his belt now

[Todd Burch]

As Richard guessed, here I am, chiming in.

Welcome to Houston, and woodworking! I'm in Katy, about 20 minutes west of Houston. Just moved from Houston last Nov. 2001, and still go into "town" on a regular basis.

As you've already been told about Mason's, I'll offer that I buy the majority of my wood from Mason's. They are the largest hardwood distributor in Houston, but you have to open an account to buy from them. It's not so much like a smaller lumber dealer - as everything is stacked for forklifts and banded. There is also Fine Woods of Houston near I-10 and Wilcrest, on Upland. It's a smaller lumber retailer, but high quality lumber. There is Houston Hardwoods (the Heights) and also Hardwoods of Houston (290 & W. 34th). There is also Hogans, which used to be Paxtons (off Hempstead Hwy). I've also bought from Hardwood Products on the west side of the West Sam Houston Parkway (The "Beltway") just south of Hammerly and north of I-10. There are also a few sawyers and sawmills around too, if you are into that.

Someone told me that The Cutting Edge moved recently, but haven't been by to see where the new location is.

I buy tools everywhere. Empire Tools on Hempstead Hwy has a good all around selection and I think is the largest stocking distributor for Makita. Woodcraft, Cutting Edge, Circle Saw on Ella near the NW corner of the 610 loop are all distributors for the major vendors. K-Pal tools on I-10 near Shepard is a good repair shop and sells a lot of the heavier duty hand help power tools (Hitachi, Bosch, Milwaukee, etc.)

For sharpening, I use MVP and Circle Saw, mostly MVP as it's closer and I have a good relationship with the owner. I think both do a good job. For handsaws, Circle Saw. For circular saw blades, MVP Sharpeners.

There is a Makita Service Center on 59 south. A Porter Cable/Delta service center on the west loop (Beltway, AKA Sam Houston Parkway) near Clay Road. A Black & Decker service center near I-45 and Little York.

Jim Izat is down near Friendswood. Richard is more west-central/south-west. I'm way out west. I've known Richard for too many years, and have met both Rob and Jim. There are other Houston area lurkers around here too... Speak UP! (That is, if you can add anything to what I've said!! HAR HAR HAR - feel free to say "ditto" and introduce yourself)

I would encourage you to visit the next meeting of the Woodworker's Club of Houston. It's a great group of guys and gals that love working with wood, sharing experiences and offering assistance. Each month I host a "splinter group" at my shop where club members (and visitors too) can come out and we do a hands-on project. This month we made some jigs for a production run of some 2-piece deck-style chairs with a canvas back and that one piece is stored inside the other. Kinda neat and pretty comfortable, even for my big rear.

[Tony Bilello]

Hi all, I found this site last night so.....here I am.
I live in Kemah on my sailboat and I rented a mini-storage unit for my shop. We moved here after losing everything in Hurricane Katrina.
I just bought a small lathe and would like to know of any local saw mills that might provide me with blanks.

Tony B

[Brandon Powell]

Hello, Just thought that I would chime in also. I'm in the southeast part of Houston, 45S/Beltway 8 area. I've been lurking for some time now and find this site to be a great resource. I have just recently started to work with wood and have only bought from the BORG and now recently, Houston Hardwoods. The latter has a great selection, even in their shorts and cutoffs section. I just need to stop being so cheap and buy larger pieces.

Welcome to the Creek.
Brandon

[David Giles]

Seabrook area. Louisiana is about as close as north Houston in rush hour traffic! Tools are from Amazon. Plywood comes from Hardwood Products and solid wood from M&G Sawmill. I've been meaning to visit Brazos Forest Products. Scott Whiting of Phoenix sharpens the blades. As you can see, I'm pretty sedentary and rely heavily on free shipping and USPS.

[lowell holmes]

Add Clark's Hardwoods on 5 1/2 street in the Heights and Texas Kiln Products in Smithville.

[alex grams]

West Houston here - Outside of beltway 8 near York/Clay.

Not much I can add to the conversation (mostly Houston hardwoods), though as far as price for solid wood I have been wanting to check out M&G.

For mason's, they require SS #'s for even smaller non-professional purchases?

[Dick Sylvan]

As Richard guessed, here I am, chiming in.

There is also Fine Woods of Houston near I-10 and Wilcrest, on Upland. It's a smaller lumber retailer, but high quality lumber. There is Houston Hardwoods (the Heights) and also Hardwoods of Houston (290 & W. 34th). There is also Hogans, which used to be Paxtons (off Hempstead Hwy).
Someone told me that The Cutting Edge moved recently, but haven't been by to see where the new location is.

Lot's of good info, but I thought I would add a couple of updates. Fine Woods is sadly out of business unless a new owner has revived it recently. Clark's Hardwood Lumber (f/k/a just Hardwood Lumber) is in the Heights on 5-1/2 St. Hogan's is now, I believe, Brazos Forest Products, and the Cutting Edge is on the east frontage road of the Beltway (Sam Houston Toll Road) just south of 59 S and across the Beltway from the new Woodcraft.

[alex grams]

Also, the Woodcraft on 290/hollister is moving to 1960 near I-45 in the first week of May - too far away to be convenient for me

[David Duke]

Just wanted to add my welcome to the neighborhood to the mix, I'm northeast of Houston about 30 miles north of Humble on Hwy 59. Think just about everything has been covered except for the Rockler store at 59 and (I believe) BUffalo Speedway. As Alex has stated the Woodcraft is moving early May, sure am glad its getting closer to me however the LOML might not agree. If I'm not mistaken I believe Woodcraft is also opening another store around the Clear Lake area.

[Rob Overton]

The closest thing to you is CuttingEdgeTools.com On Beltway eight Just before the 59 cutoff, Also WoodCraft has opened a store on the other side.
Cutting edge is owned and operated by a wood turner, Steve Legrue.

[Jeff Lewis]

Also, the Woodcraft on 290/hollister is moving to 1960 near I-45 in the first week of May - too far away to be convenient for me

But blessedly close for me! I'm in Conroe!

M&G Sawmill has been mentioned, I'll second the recommendation. Good wood and good prices... kiln dried rough or S2S. They're 10 mi west of Huntsville off Hwy 30. Their website is... http://www.mgsawmill.com/. There's a map link on the site, and even though it's off the highway, it's pretty easy to find.

Also worth noting that Hardwood Products on the Sam Houston Tollway frontage rd near I-10 acquired their own local mill this year and have plenty of native Texas soft maple (incl. curly), oak and walnut.

I've learned of several new places to check out from this thread that I didn't know about before, so add my thanks to everyone who posted.