Hello all,

When I went to the local hardwood supplier this week to get a piece of
butternut for my wife to use with her scroll saw, I had to do a
double-take. I get contractor prices, but even so- the butternut was
only $1.81/bf. For comparison, the 2/4 soft maple I grabbed at the
same time was well over $2.50/bf.

Now, perhaps it's only a matter of personal taste, but I think
butternut is a very attractive and easily worked hardwood. I just
cannot figure out why on earth it would cost less than spruce!

Anyone able to fill in the gaps for me? Is there something nasty
about butternut I'm not aware of, or is it just underrated? I would
have thought maple would be the cheap stuff- it grows like a weed
around here, but I've never seen a butternut tree in these parts.