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#1
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Are woodcrafts wood prices fair?
How are the prices at Woodcraft for lumber? I'm getting ready to buy
some wood for my 1st real woodworking project. I will probably use Oak, Maple, etc, nothing fancy. I'll be building a set of TV trays. I've seen the selection at HD for comparison. Since I don't have a full shop and tool selection I might just buy S4S or S2S for now. I'm in Broward County, FL in case anyone has any local recommendations. Thanks |
#3
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I think the best answer is "it pays to shop". I've found wood at Woodcraft
half the price of what I pay at a couple of lumber yards I go to. I've also found similar lumber that's twice as much as other lumber yards. No real rhyme or reason to it as far as I can see. When I need wood I shop a couple of places and go with best quality for the money. Biggest problem I have buying wood at Woodcraft is my local one has a lousy selection. I don't often buy there, but have recently bought some gorgeous quilted maple that no one else carries locally. Gary in KC "slindars" wrote in message om... How are the prices at Woodcraft for lumber? I'm getting ready to buy some wood for my 1st real woodworking project. I will probably use Oak, Maple, etc, nothing fancy. I'll be building a set of TV trays. I've seen the selection at HD for comparison. Since I don't have a full shop and tool selection I might just buy S4S or S2S for now. I'm in Broward County, FL in case anyone has any local recommendations. Thanks |
#4
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"Charlie Self" wrote in message ... slindars asks: still on the high side. Go to www.woodfinder.com and type in your location and the kind of wood you're looking for. Your mileage may vary. I live in Houston, 4th largest city in the US. Woodfinder gave me 8 locations over 180 miles away, one dealer that's large wholesale only, and Rockler, the highest price place in town. Bob |
#5
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On 30 Nov 2004 18:20:16 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self)
wrote: slindars asks: How are the prices at Woodcraft for lumber? I'm getting ready to buy some wood for my 1st real woodworking project. I will probably use Oak, Maple, etc, nothing fancy. I'll be building a set of TV trays. I've seen the selection at HD for comparison. Since I don't have a full shop and tool selection I might just buy S4S or S2S for now. I'm in Broward County, FL in case anyone has any local recommendations. Woodcraft prices are going to be lower than those at HD or Lowe's, but they are still on the high side. Go to www.woodfinder.com and type in your location and the kind of wood you're looking for. You can also check out places like Steve Wall's Lumber--he's in NC, IIRC, but he ships all over and has very reasonable prices and a good rep. Charlie Self =============== Yesterday I was in HD buying some electrical stuff and the guy ahead of me in line had perhaps 6 sheet of 2ft x 4 ft of 3/4 inch plywood and about a dozen 6 or 8 foot pieces of s4s red oak...assortment of 1x6's and 1x8's ... I almost fell over when his bill came to $487 bucks.. Today I am still shaking my head... UNBELIEVABLE ! Bob Griffiths |
#6
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"slindars" wrote in message om... How are the prices at Woodcraft for lumber? I'm getting ready to buy some wood for my 1st real woodworking project. I will probably use Oak, Maple, etc, nothing fancy. I'll be building a set of TV trays. I've seen the selection at HD for comparison. Since I don't have a full shop and tool selection I might just buy S4S or S2S for now. I'm in Broward County, FL in case anyone has any local recommendations. Thanks Woodcraft is usually on the higher side of fair. If you need 30 bd. ft., look for a better source. If you need a 4' piece, they will cut it for you and hte price is very reasonable for that. |
#7
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#8
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On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 21:37:10 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote: Woodcraft is usually on the higher side of fair. If you need 30 bd. ft., look for a better source. If you need a 4' piece, they will cut it for you and hte price is very reasonable for that. I'm with Ed. The Woodcraft Ed is probably talking about (Manchester, CT), is probably the same one I shop at, which happens to be about 2 miles from the millwork shop (Harris) I usually buy my lumber at. Even though Woodcraft is more expensive, if I need something that fits in the car, I'll grab it there and be on my way. The time savings over the millwork shop is worth the 10-15% higher price. Usually the stuff that ends up in Woodcraft's limited stock is good stuff, no junk. If I need a bunch, it's off to Harris, The Wood Rack, or CWG, a.k.a the hardwood dealers and millwork shops. Barry |
#9
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Go to www.woodfinder.com and type in your
location and the kind of wood you're looking for. Your mileage may vary. I live in Houston, 4th largest city in the US. Woodfinder gave me 8 locations over 180 miles away, one dealer that's large wholesale only, and Rockler, the highest price place in town. Bob It gave me one 24 miles away, and various further distances, including some in VA and I live in NC, the furniture capital of the country if not the world. When I lived near Washington DC, I had several within 15 miles. I still am not happy; NC has to have a bunch of hardwood suppliers. Steve |
#11
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On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 22:39:37 GMT, wrote:
On 30 Nov 2004 09:55:25 -0800, (slindars) wrote: How are the prices at Woodcraft for lumber? I'm getting ready to buy some wood for my 1st real woodworking project. I will probably use Oak, Maple, etc, nothing fancy. I'll be building a set of TV trays. I've seen the selection at HD for comparison. Since I don't have a full shop and tool selection I might just buy S4S or S2S for now. I'm in Broward County, FL in case anyone has any local recommendations. Thanks Location is critical for domestic hardwoods. Here in Arizona Woodcraft's prices are in line with our other major hardwood dealer -- Woodworker's Source. Both have local stores and some things are better at one that the other, but generally the prices are pretty much the same. Where in AZ are you? In Tucson, both Stewart Lumber (when they have hardwoods) and McEwen (on Toole street) have better prices than either Woodcraft or Woodworkers Source. In Phoenix, there is a supplier near the airport and Chandler Hardwoods. I think the one near the airport is American Hardwoods (or something like that). I don't know about Chandler hardwoods, but when I corresponded via e-mail with the one near the Phoenix airport, their prices seemed pretty good (for AZ). .... snip |
#12
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I'm down in Hollywood. Constatines looks like a good place. I was in
there onece but only glanced at the hardwoods. Both are close to work so I'll check them out on my lunch breaks. Thanks |
#13
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On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 21:15:22 -0700, Mark & Juanita
wrote: On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 22:39:37 GMT, wrote: On 30 Nov 2004 09:55:25 -0800, (slindars) wrote: How are the prices at Woodcraft for lumber? I'm getting ready to buy some wood for my 1st real woodworking project. I will probably use Oak, Maple, etc, nothing fancy. I'll be building a set of TV trays. I've seen the selection at HD for comparison. Since I don't have a full shop and tool selection I might just buy S4S or S2S for now. I'm in Broward County, FL in case anyone has any local recommendations. Thanks Location is critical for domestic hardwoods. Here in Arizona Woodcraft's prices are in line with our other major hardwood dealer -- Woodworker's Source. Both have local stores and some things are better at one that the other, but generally the prices are pretty much the same. Where in AZ are you? In Tucson, both Stewart Lumber (when they have hardwoods) and McEwen (on Toole street) have better prices than either Woodcraft or Woodworkers Source. I'm in Phoenix, on the west side. In Phoenix, there is a supplier near the airport and Chandler Hardwoods. I think the one near the airport is American Hardwoods (or something like that). I don't know about Chandler hardwoods, but when I corresponded via e-mail with the one near the Phoenix airport, their prices seemed pretty good (for AZ). Does anyone remember the name of the place near the airport? There used to be one down on 35th Ave or so, south of Thomas, but I think they're gone. --RC ... snip Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine? |
#14
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The Wood Rack, or CWG, a.k.a
the hardwood dealers and millwork shops. Where are these 2? When I'm stocking up I go to Harris (115 mile round trip) so it needs to be a decent amount of wood. I haven't found any decent lumber yards in my area (Seymour). TIA Kevin Daly http://hometown.aol.com/kdaly10475/page1.html |
#16
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RC wrote...
Does anyone remember the name of the place near the airport? There used to be one down on 35th Ave or so, south of Thomas, but I think they're gone. Are you thinking of Woodworkers Source? They're at: 3441 South Palo Verde Tucson, AZ 85715 Around the 42nd St intersection, IIRC. Jim |
#17
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On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 16:11:56 -0500, Bob G
wrote: Yesterday I was in HD buying some electrical stuff and the guy ahead of me in line had perhaps 6 sheet of 2ft x 4 ft of 3/4 inch plywood and about a dozen 6 or 8 foot pieces of s4s red oak...assortment of 1x6's and 1x8's ... I almost fell over when his bill came to $487 bucks.. Today I am still shaking my head... UNBELIEVABLE ! For SWMBO's Christmas present last year, a contemporary coffee table of red oak, I spent $400 on lumber, though that includes *mumbles* worth of mistakes. For her Christmas present this year, a small entertainment center of Cherry (veneer plus locally sawn trim pieces), I'm spending roughly the same amount on lumber. The trim for this piece uses roughly the same amount of cherry as last year's entire project. Borg charges for red oak 8x what I'm paying for Cherry. |
#18
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On 30 Nov 2004 18:20:16 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self)
wrote: slindars asks: How are the prices at Woodcraft for lumber? I'm getting ready to buy some wood for my 1st real woodworking project. I will probably use Oak, Maple, etc, nothing fancy. I'll be building a set of TV trays. I've seen the selection at HD for comparison. Since I don't have a full shop and tool selection I might just buy S4S or S2S for now. I'm in Broward County, FL in case anyone has any local recommendations. Woodcraft prices are going to be lower than those at HD or Lowe's, but they are still on the high side. Go to www.woodfinder.com and type in your location and the kind of wood you're looking for. You can also check out places like Steve Wall's Lumber--he's in NC, IIRC, but he ships all over and has very reasonable prices and a good rep. Charlie Self "Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good." H. L. Mencken I tried woodfinder and I'm guessing that it only lists places that pay them to be listed.. I'm in central Calif. and it lists the closest place as one in Sacramento... 150 miles away! I can't believe that there are no closer hardwood suppliers.. |
#19
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mac davis wrote in
: snip I'm in central Calif. and it lists the closest place as one in Sacramento... 150 miles away! I can't believe that there are no closer hardwood suppliers.. Try these guys, if it's any closer to you. Firends of mine recommend them highly. The Woodsman, Custom Milling/Drying, 2701-A North Alpine Rd., Stockton, 209-931-3293. Figured hardwoods from the "urban forest" milled and kiln dried on site. Exotics also available. Patriarch |
#20
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mac.davis notes:
I tried woodfinder and I'm guessing that it only lists places that pay them to be listed.. I'm in central Calif. and it lists the closest place as one in Sacramento... 150 miles away! I can't believe that there are no closer hardwood suppliers I think you're right about the paid listings. Check the Yellow Pages for cabinet shops. Call one and ask who their supplier is. Charlie Self "Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good." H. L. Mencken |
#21
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 15:21:08 GMT, Jim Wilson
wrote: RC wrote... Does anyone remember the name of the place near the airport? There used to be one down on 35th Ave or so, south of Thomas, but I think they're gone. Are you thinking of Woodworkers Source? They're at: 3441 South Palo Verde Tucson, AZ 85715 Around the 42nd St intersection, IIRC. Jim That's a little far from Phoenix. :-) Seriously, I know (all too well!) where the Woodworkers Source stores in the Phoenix area are and I try to avoid those neighborhoods when I can. The last time I went to WS was to their new store up on the frontage road by Bell Road. I only spend 2X my budget, but I scored this incredible plank of African Mahogany! --RC You can tell a really good idea by the enemies it makes |
#22
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#23
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"Bob" wrote in
ink.net: "Charlie Self" wrote in message ... slindars asks: still on the high side. Go to www.woodfinder.com and type in your location and the kind of wood you're looking for. Your mileage may vary. I live in Houston, 4th largest city in the US. Woodfinder gave me 8 locations over 180 miles away, one dealer that's large wholesale only, and Rockler, the highest price place in town. I can attest that for the OP's question, Woodfinder will be completely useless. It won't give him any of the three more-or-less local retailers, or the big wholesaler, but it will give him a couple of wholesalers of Ipe decking and tropical hardwood flooring. John |
#24
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RC wrote...
That's a little far from Phoenix. :-) Doh! I skipped right past "I'm in Phoenix" part. Pays to read... Jim |
#25
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 15:21:08 GMT, Jim Wilson
wrote: RC wrote... Does anyone remember the name of the place near the airport? There used to be one down on 35th Ave or so, south of Thomas, but I think they're gone. Are you thinking of Woodworkers Source? They're at: Nope, (in Phoenix),I just checked the Yellow Pages (they even advertise in Tucson -- tells you what Tucson lumber prices are like). It's American Hardwoods 1401 E Hadley Street 1-888-838-2388 |
#26
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On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 17:38:14 GMT, patriarch
wrote: mac davis wrote in : snip I'm in central Calif. and it lists the closest place as one in Sacramento... 150 miles away! I can't believe that there are no closer hardwood suppliers.. Try these guys, if it's any closer to you. Firends of mine recommend them highly. The Woodsman, Custom Milling/Drying, 2701-A North Alpine Rd., Stockton, 209-931-3293. Figured hardwoods from the "urban forest" milled and kiln dried on site. Exotics also available. Patriarch well, about 50 miles closer, anyway.. thanks.. |
#27
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Well I went over to Woodcraft last night and bought some wood. This
is my first real woodworking project, so I did not want to overboard on the price/bdf. The monthky special was Red Oak @ $3.90 a BDF and that is what I went with. Got 13 BDF for around $48. I think this was a good price. |
#28
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"slindars" wrote in message om... Well I went over to Woodcraft last night and bought some wood. This is my first real woodworking project, so I did not want to overboard on the price/bdf. The monthky special was Red Oak @ $3.90 a BDF and that is what I went with. Got 13 BDF for around $48. I think this was a good price. I can buy it for $3.25. I have to buy a full board usually 10 feet long. Did you get a fair price? Not bad. Consider that the only time I can get to my supplier is Saturday as they close at 5. Woodcraft is open evenings and Sunday. |
#29
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#30
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John McCoy responds:
Don't know where you are, but Steve Wall Lumber is selling Select red oak for $2.60, #1 common for under 2 bucks. He's in Ft Lauderdale FL. $3.90/bf is a decent price down here. Ordering from Steve Wall would put it around $3.20 or $3.40/bf after adding in shipping from NC to FL (assuming 100bf shipped truck freight)(plus Woodcraft's stuff is probably S4S, and Steve Wall charges 0.10/bf or something like that for surfacing) You're assuming on the Woodcraft lumber, not a good idea. I bought some directly from the warehouse and from the Parkersburg retail store, and none of it was S4S. It was all S2S. Jeez, $3.90 is awful. I just checked with a guy I try to go through to get lumber. He pays around $2 a BF for both red and white oak, $1.50 for poplar (and will be bringing me about 160 BF of poplar shortly [when it stops raining long enough for my shop door to be reachable by wheeled vehicles instead of boats and tracked vehicles]; that poplar is about the prettiest I've ever seen, in widths from 10" to 16", flat as a--er, um--board, white, with maybe one knot per 14' length). Charlie Self "Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country." Ambrose Bierce |
#31
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Charlie Self wrote:
Jeez, $3.90 is awful. I just checked with a guy I try to go through to get lumber. He pays around $2 a BF for both red and white oak, $1.50 for poplar (and will be bringing me about 160 BF of poplar shortly [when it stops raining long enough for my shop door to be reachable by wheeled vehicles instead of boats and tracked vehicles]; that poplar is about the prettiest I've ever seen, in widths from 10" to 16", flat as a--er, um--board, white, with maybe one knot per 14' length). Grumble. The latest (on-line) price for s4s poplar at the blue borg is about $3.75 a bf. And that is for 1x3x4' stock. You suck. I have put off driving to a couple of local hardwood lumber yards (Peterman and Reel) or "contractor yards" because I'm lazy, it is a bit of a slog and the web sites are rather poor. When I can get rift sawn FAS white oak from Hartzell shipped to the boondocks for a bit over $4 a bf, I'm wondering whether I shouldn't use the oak for drawer sides and the like. Oh and doug fir (select) is cheaper but not by that much ($2.66). Enough whining I guess. Snuffle. mahalo (and a barely audible grumble), jo4hn |
#32
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jo4hn responds:
Jeez, $3.90 is awful. I just checked with a guy I try to go through to get lumber. He pays around $2 a BF for both red and white oak, $1.50 for poplar (and will be bringing me about 160 BF of poplar shortly [when it stops raining long enough for my shop door to be reachable by wheeled vehicles instead of boats and tracked vehicles]; that poplar is about the prettiest I've ever seen, in widths from 10" to 16", flat as a--er, um--board, white, with maybe one knot per 14' length). Grumble. The latest (on-line) price for s4s poplar at the blue borg is about $3.75 a bf. And that is for 1x3x4' stock. You suck. I have put off driving to a couple of local hardwood lumber yards (Peterman and Reel) or "contractor yards" because I'm lazy, it is a bit of a slog and the web sites are rather poor. When I can get rift sawn FAS white oak from Hartzell shipped to the boondocks for a bit over $4 a bf, I'm wondering whether I shouldn't use the oak for drawer sides and the like. Oh and doug fir (select) is cheaper but not by that much ($2.66). Enough whining I guess. Snuffle. $3.75 for POPLAR! That wouldn't be popular poplar around here. It is the dominant tree, and one local lumbering/sawmill operation no longer cuts it because of the price. Can't make any money. I like $1.50 much better. I don't know what the local borg branches charge any more. They're 30 or more miles away, and the last time I looked, some rather nothing red oak was going for what amounted to a bit over $8 a BF. I had just unloaded a second pick-up (real pick-up, not the S10 I now have) load of green red and white oak mixed...at half a buck a BF. Log run, but what the hell. I can squeeze FAS out of enough of it to beat 8 bucks by a divisor of at least 4, maybe 5. Just got a bit of a line on what may be nothing more than a rumor, or that may be gone by now: a stash of 50 year old black walnut, chunked up in someone's barn. With my luck, the bugs have done away with it by now. Anyway, the youngest daughter wants a bookshelf. I saw a few boards in that poplar that have great white/green/black coloring, so I'm going to use a water based poly finish to retain as much color as possible. I'm wonder if all the green and black will go anyway. Tulip poplar has some wondrous greens, blacks and purples when first cut, but usually loses the tints quickly. This stuff, though, is kiln dried to either 6% or 8% already and has been stacked for a few months. So it's worth a try. She doesn't like it, I can always stick it in the office. Charlie Self "Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country." Ambrose Bierce |
#34
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Barry responds:
On 07 Dec 2004 17:13:11 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self) wrote: Jeez, $3.90 is awful. Where YOU are. Here in CT, 100 bd/ft is $3.25 - $3.60 for S2S Red & White Oak. Qsawn White Oak is $7.25 & up Ah. Eastern Westchester County. No wonder it's high. Charlie Self "Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country." Ambrose Bierce |
#35
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#36
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Barry responds:
Ah. Eastern Westchester County. No wonder it's high. Right! The county now stretches almost to Kittery, ME Jeez, it's a good thing I left when I did...45+ years ago. It was over-priced and over-taxed then, but it wasn't over-all. Charlie Self "Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country." Ambrose Bierce |
#37
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#38
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#39
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On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 19:43:47 -0700, Mark & Juanita
wrote: On 07 Dec 2004 23:35:34 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self) wrote: ... snip Charlie Self "Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country." Ambrose Bierce Always thought that Ambrose Bierce was arrogant and elitist; that quote pretty much proves it. Translated: "Y'all ought to let the educated smart folks like me run things and go back to your plows and tools, you uneducated, stupid serfs!" This is unfair to Ambrose Bierce. He was not at all elitist. He regarded everyone -- high and low, great and small -- as a gang of corrupt jackasses. This is best summed up in another of his aphorisms: Occident -- That part of the world lying west of (or east of) the Orient. Its principal industries are cheating and murder, which the inhabitants are pleased to call commerce and war. These are also the principal industries of the Orient. Bierce was an equal-opportunity misanthrope. (And I'm not too sure how he felt about dogs.) --RC Projects expand to fill the clamps available -- plus 20 percent |
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