Where do you get your Wood

[Christopher1]

Do you think the quality of lumber differs in each store? Where do you buy lumber, and why do you think it is the best place. I was also wondering if anyone just went out and chopped a tree down for their projects?

 

[Cammy]

I have never gone out and chopped my own wood. My uncle once went out and constructed a chair out of wood that came from his wooded area. I am not sure if one store has better wood than another, but I usually go to Lowe's. Sometimes I go to Marvin's, it all depends on my errands for the day.

 

[Rob]

Local supply stores

I get mine either from Lowe's, Home Depot or one of several local building supply stores here in town. On occasion, I luck up and run across some odds and ends at a Habitat for Humanity store we have here. Our local builders often take things there when they are doing remodeling jobs.

 

[remodelme]

We get a lot of our wood from Lowe's. We also have used our own wood (we logged our woods and had several trees to use). I also use barn board from barns all over our area.

 

[busterswoodshop]

I am a carpenter by trade so all the wood used at work is store bought.
At my home work shop I use Mesquite wood mainly. All the mesquite I use I harvest and make into boards myself.

 

[WingDing]

If I'm doing some projects around the house and wood species isn't a real concern, I'll go to Home Depot usually.

When wood species (and quality) are going to be shown off, I'll go to a local hardwood dealer. It's unlikely you'll find anything outside of pine, poplar, and/or maple at the Home Depots around me. That may very regionally.

Plywood I'll buy from the hardwood dealer, too. You'll pay for it, but the quality is leaps and bounds better than most big-box home centers.

For me, it's largely dependent on the project.

 

[WingDing]

I am a carpenter by trade so all the wood used at work is store bought.
At my home work shop I use Mesquite wood mainly. All the mesquite I use I harvest and make into boards myself.

buster, how do you go about rough cutting the Mesquite you harvest? Do you have access to a saw mill? Or have you fashioned one of those nifty band saw sleds to rough cut lumber?

Interested in learning more, for sure, from all I've read, rough cut is certainly the way to go. Unfortunately, I can't find money in the budget at the moment to purchase a jointer and/or planer.

 

[steve1]

buying wood

I live in the foot hills of the Adirondacks so there are many loggers and saw mills around me so most of my projects are from wood I have bought and stored for years. I have wood that I bought 10 years ago. I have some wood that is just waiting for the right project like these 3 5/4 x12x12 curly maple boards i have had for ever. I am not sure what I will build with them but its nice wood. those 3 boards would go for about 300 dollars each around here. I have bought wood at Lowes and home depot if I need something quick with out having to plane and what not. there is a guy in cliffton park NY that sells exotic wood real neat stuff. well that all I have for this post happy wood working and keep the fingers out of trouble work safe.

 

[WingDing]

I live in the foot hills of the Adirondacks so there are many loggers and saw mills around me so most of my projects are from wood I have bought and stored for years. I have wood that I bought 10 years ago. I have some wood that is just waiting for the right project like these 3 5/4 x12x12 curly maple boards i have had for ever. I am not sure what I will build with them but its nice wood. those 3 boards would go for about 300 dollars each around here. I have bought wood at Lowes and home depot if I need something quick with out having to plane and what not. there is a guy in cliffton park NY that sells exotic wood real neat stuff. well that all I have for this post happy wood working and keep the fingers out of trouble work safe.

Steve, a fellow New Yorker! I've got a camp on Brantingham Lake, not too far from you.

BTW, saw your bar in the Picture Gallery. Looks great. Did you pin the tenon on the corbels? Love the way those corbels look.

 

[busterswoodshop]

buster, how do you go about rough cutting the Mesquite you harvest? Do you have access to a saw mill? Or have you fashioned one of those nifty band saw sleds to rough cut lumber?

Interested in learning more, for sure, from all I've read, rough cut is certainly the way to go. Unfortunately, I can't find money in the budget at the moment to purchase a jointer and/or planer.

I use a chainsaw mill for the big stuff and a bandsaw for smaller pieces.