Best wood for getting my feet wet?

[Curt Harms]

At that price it may have quite a bit of sapwood but it's sure worth looking at. It's good to see that people are starting to view 'urban' logs as a lumber source. I've seen some large (30"+) sound trees cut up for firewood around here.

[Jim Dwight]

I started with shelving boards and framing lumber from big box stores. I picked the clearest boards - or the ones with more interesting markings - and made a bedroom set we used until a few years ago. My joints were consistent with the quality of the wood - not great. But it worked and I learned. Softwood cuts easier but dealing with the knots is an additional thing to learn. It is also not heavy for it's size and totally capabile of being furniture wood.

If you really want to start with hardwood, you can use poplar but I don't much care for it's appearance. I prefer softwood if you're going to look at it. Poplar is great for drawer sides and back and other things you don't look at much but it can be anything from cream colored to green to black, it's surface can be kind of fuzzy and I just don't love it. While it is technically a hardwood, it's softness is like softwood. I like pine better. For an inexpensive hardwood you can look at, I would get ash. It looks a lot like oak and works about the same. I've used more oak than anything and it can be inexpensive. Maple is nicer to work but not necessaryily in appearance. My favorites are cherry and walnut but they don't come cheap.

[M Toupin]

Nick, lots of good advice but you're in VA and close to the Shenandoahs to boot. Oak (white & red), ash, popular and maples are readely available and the cheapest. Walnut & cherry are available but at a bit more of a premium. Not as bad as some areas but then again not as cheap as say the rural areas of PA & NY.

Northland Forest Products in Troy is great for domestic solid stock and they let you hand pick. If I need quantity it's worth it for me to drive out there. Check out the shorts while you're there, great prices on shorts (4-5 footers). For sheet goods I use Worth Woodgroup in Norfolk, but they have a location in Richmond too. They also carry blum & KV hardware and other supplies at reasonable prices. Just keep in mind they're geared towards pro shops who buy full bunks at a crack. They sell single sheets, but I try and go on of hours so I'm not holding up the pro guys who are trying to make a living.

Mike

[Paul Girouard]

I found the photo's of the Pine I like to find at the lumber yard:












Makes for interesting furinture I think.

[Paul Girouard]

[John Lankers]

Those are beautiful pieces.

[Paul Girouard]

Those are beautiful pieces.

Thank you.