Woodworking (rec.woodworking) Discussion forum covering all aspects of working with wood. All levels of expertise are encouraged to particiapte.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
Dan Dan is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 17
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers

Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.

I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers.
Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a
lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?

Thanks

--dan

  #2   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,764
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers

Dan wrote:
Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.

I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers.
Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a
lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?


There are a bunch of options. A good lumberyard should have a limited
selection of 1/2" stock in a couple of species. Around here I can get
oak and pine in 1/2" at my local yard. If the yards around you don't
stock it, they might have thickness planing capabilities in their yard
and could provide whatever thickness you need. Again, in only a
limited number of species.

You can also look in the yellow pages for wood molding and millwork.
Some of the bigger lumber yards have a wood molding division catering
to higher end home builders whose clients are satisfied with the
selection at Home Depot and Lowes. A millwork shop will be able to
provide you with anything you can dream up, but it won't necessarily be
cheap, and there most likely will be minimum size orders.

If you're looking for something besides the eight or ten species most
lumber yards are conversant in, look in the yellow pages for hardwood
wood suppliers. They may or may not be lumped in with the regular
lumberyards. Ask the regular lumberyard if you can't find them in the
book - they'll know if there are any in your area. They'll have a
whole host of wood on hand and it's worth a trip down to the yard, even
if it's a hike, because you'll learn a lot, will be able to select
exactly the wood you need and have them dimension the wood to your
specifications. You'll probably be drooling if you like wood at all.
Bring money. A credit card can be dangerous.

A lot of the wood suppliers are now online as the wood prices are high
enough that shipping costs are outweighed by the convenience and
selection. It's a little like buying a pig in a poke buying stuff
online, but unless you have some very specific needs it'll probably be
fine for your needs.

I've bought some such stuff through eBay. The shipping costs can make
or break the deal, so pay attention to what the Seller is charging. If
they don't specifically state the charges in the listing, and don't
have a shipping calculator, ask before you bid.

Then there's always this: http://www.woodfinder.com/

R

  #3   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,175
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers


Dan wrote:

When I hit the area lumber yard, Such (3/8") stock is not in immediate evidence.


I wouldn't expect a timberyard to have such stock on hand. I would
expect a good one to be able to make it on demand.

Thin stock doesn't store well. It needs to be well-dried before
resawing to these thicknesses, otherwise you lose a lot to cupping and
flattening it again afterwards. It's best to dry it at about 2" thick,
then resaw it. Most timberyards can't afford to have stock around for
long enough to dry to these levels, so they don't hold onto it. Some
specialists, like musical instrument suppliers, do keep stock this thin
(and you pay for it).

IMHE, I only resaw to this sort of thickness on stock that's I've
personally air dried for a few years beforehand.

  #4   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,035
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers


"Dan" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.

I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers.
Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a
lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?

Thanks

--dan


3/8" thick stock usually comes at a premium price. Typically if you buy
3/8" thick stock you are actually paying for the 3/4" it was milled from.
Basically it is at least double the price for what you are getting.
Alternatively you can resaw with a Bandsaw but may have to follow up with a
planer to smooth out the pieces to a uniform thickness. Or simply plane
3/4" stock down to 3/8".
Take a look here for the "easiest" solution.
http://www.rockler.com/CategoryView.cfm?Cat_ID=1457
and here
http://www.woodcraft.com/search/search.aspx?query=wood


  #5   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,207
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers

On Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:01:58 -0800, Dan wrote:

Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.

I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers.
Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a
lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?


First thing, find a hardwood yard that will provide lumber to you "S2S"
for a reasonable price. Home Depot is not such a yard--generally in the
US such a yard will have a several varieties of oak, hard maple,
walnut, cherry, and more than a few other species. Look in the phone
book and find yards that list those and call around. They'll stock it
rough-sawn and then plane it to order.

Now, planing to 3/8 wastes a lot of stock--if you're doing a one-off small
job and won't be doing it again that's the way to go though, the other
option is to resaw and by the time you're set up to do that you don't have
a whole lot left of a thousand dollar bill. You'll get a lot of other
capability by going that route though, so you may want to consider it
regardless.



Thanks

--dan


--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)


  #6   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,764
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers


Andy Dingley wrote:
Dan wrote:

When I hit the area lumber yard, Such (3/8") stock is not in immediate evidence.


I wouldn't expect a timberyard to have such stock on hand. I would
expect a good one to be able to make it on demand.

Thin stock doesn't store well. It needs to be well-dried before
resawing to these thicknesses, otherwise you lose a lot to cupping and
flattening it again afterwards. It's best to dry it at about 2" thick,
then resaw it. Most timberyards can't afford to have stock around for
long enough to dry to these levels, so they don't hold onto it. Some
specialists, like musical instrument suppliers, do keep stock this thin
(and you pay for it).

IMHE, I only resaw to this sort of thickness on stock that's I've
personally air dried for a few years beforehand.


One of my usual suppliers, catering primarily to the building trades,
stocks 1/2" x 12" red oak. It kind of surprised me that they stocked
it, but they do.

R

  #7   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 425
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,250,43217



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
  #8   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
Max Max is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 87
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers


"Dan" wrote
Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.

I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers.
Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a
lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?

Thanks

--dan


I have seen "thin" pieces of select woods (oak, maple, etc) at Lowe's. If
you can't find it, ask.
If you don't have access to a Lowe's, you might try Home Depot. If neither,
ask for Birch plywood at your lumber yard.
Baltic Birch plywood is excellent drawer material.

Max


  #9   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 13
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers


"Max" wrote in message
et...

"Dan" wrote
Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.

I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers.
Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a
lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?

Thanks

--dan


I have seen "thin" pieces of select woods (oak, maple, etc) at Lowe's. If
you can't find it, ask.
If you don't have access to a Lowe's, you might try Home Depot. If
neither, ask for Birch plywood at your lumber yard.
Baltic Birch plywood is excellent drawer material.

Max


It may not be what you are looking for, but Baltic Birch comes in many
different thicknesses and is what I make all my drawers of. Tough as there
is. It's common and available at any good lumber supplier.

GW


  #10   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,047
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers

"Dan" wrote:

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.


3/8 Birch ply would do a pretty good job.

Lew



  #11   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 112
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers


Dan wrote:
Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence.


Both Home Depot and Lowes in my area carry "Hobby Boards" that are 1/2"
thick. I've seen Oak, Poplar and Pine. I've only bought a few of these
boards once, and I had to go thru the entire stack to find a few flat
ones - just like any other lumber at HD/Lowes.

Mike

  #12   Report Post  
Posted to rec.woodworking
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,489
Default Newbie question - Wood for drawers

On 5 Dec 2006 15:01:58 -0800, "Dan" wrote:

Hello --

I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot.
I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of
an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such
stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller
size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over
whelming.

I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers.
Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a
lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?

Thanks

--dan



A thickness planer or surface sander. Drawer sides are typically
1/2". Smaller drawers can use thinner stock. You can use ply and
cover the edges with solid hardwood. I have not had good luck finding
thin solid wood. Another option is to have a cabinet shop surface plan
your stock. Surface planers are around $400.
Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Newbie splitting wood question UK Capt T Woodturning 8 March 7th 06 01:22 AM
Newbie Question - Getting sawdust off/out of the wood [email protected] Woodworking 36 December 6th 05 04:16 PM
Who sells metal drawers for wood toolbox? mlambert Home Ownership 2 January 11th 05 10:26 PM
Newbie wood and first project question(s) Corey Woodworking 35 September 5th 04 07:36 AM
Newbie needs advice please getting wood less than 4/4 Sandie C Woodworking 12 June 7th 04 05:51 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:15 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"