It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

FoggyTown

Your so lucky.

We can't buy chesnut here.

Stopped by the PA Chesnut Society this weekend at the PA Farm Show.
They're close to re-breeding an American Chestnut with all of its
original characteristics, along with the blight-resistance from the
Chinese variety. Apparently there is a surviving American Chestnut
that they been using to cross-pollenate right here in Harrisburg. They
had a bunch of items made out of chestnut (of course everything is
recycled from barn floors), and it really beautiful. Never been to an
auction, but I might have to check it out to see if I can get my hands
on some of that wood.

"foggytown" wrote in message
ps.com...
It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

FoggyTown

But the timber is "superior" to the cheaper stuff in the US....

Seems like at those prices that it would be cost effective to
mail-order stock from the states and ship it across the pond. Never
looked into it but ...

foggytown wrote:
It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost
of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

Wow, just ridiculous. I definitely wouldn't have gotten into
woodworking for those prices.

"foggytown" wrote in message
ps.com...
It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

snip
FoggyTown


WHAT????? $78 per board foot!!!??? Am I reading/calculating that
correctly? Wow! How much is "cheap" wood?

DYB

foggytown wrote:

It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!


Since I'm in the States I don't have any real solution, but I'm
wondering where you're looking? Surely there are suppliers that will be
closer to world market prices that will still sell direct to consumers?

I recall a sign I noted in a shop front window when visiting on business
in the Rochester, Kent, area a few years ago --"Joinery for Purpose".

On 12 Jan 2005 06:57:53 -0800, "foggytown" wrote:

It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

I've moved to learning the fine art of veneering.
It was that or give up the hobby.

It's cool, full of finishing surprises, and I'm selling 3 times as many pieces
then before.
I can make an exotic looking chess board using MDF and rare woods far cheaper
than any of the 'real' hardwoods.

Now if only I could afford a darned vacuum press I could really go nuts.

On 12 Jan 2005 06:57:53 -0800, "foggytown" wrote:

It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK.

Affording it's easy - its finding the right supplier that's the hard
part. Might I ask where you got those quotes ?

Try these prices instead
http://www.interestingtimbers.co.uk/

"foggytown" wrote in news:1105541873.308233.5150
@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!


Sounds awfully steep. Where are you buying this stuff from? Have
you searched Google for timber merchants...if you're buying from
the local home improvement centre, you'll undoubtably be paying more
than if it's from a specialist.

BTW, if I'm reading you correct, that 24" x 2.5" x 7' piece of
chestnut is 45 board-feet, or ~$4.50/bf, which is extremely cheap.

John

Gino wrote:

On 12 Jan 2005 06:57:53 -0800, "foggytown" wrote:

It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

I've moved to learning the fine art of veneering.
It was that or give up the hobby.

It's cool, full of finishing surprises, and I'm selling 3 times as
many pieces then before.
I can make an exotic looking chess board using MDF and rare woods far
cheaper than any of the 'real' hardwoods.

Now if only I could afford a darned vacuum press I could really go
nuts.


Build your own.

http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/whybuild.htm

Some ideas:

A. Recycled wood. This site claims to have oak beams for 10 pounds a
cubic foot in UK.

http://www.demolitions.co.uk/price.html

B. Urban lumber. In the US, some of the old shade trees that must be
cut down are milled into lumber.

http://www.treesource.co.uk/acatalog...restry_19.html

C. Become a dealer. Sort of like a drug addict, you buy wholesale and
sell retail to others in order to support your habit.

foggytown wrote:

It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

FoggyTown

I didn't know you had Home Depot in the UK. ;-)

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 10:54:08 -0500, "DamnYankee*******"
wrote:


"foggytown" wrote in message
ups.com...
It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

snip
FoggyTown


WHAT????? $78 per board foot!!!??? Am I reading/calculating that
correctly? Wow! How much is "cheap" wood?

DYB

In mitigation, this is probably English Brown Oak, which is just about
unavailable except as recycled wood. It ain't cheap anywhere.

Still, if those are your only choices, I'd suggest taking up a hobby
where the cost of materials is less. Say, silversmithing.

--RC


"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 08:41:46 -0800, Gino calmly
ranted:

I've moved to learning the fine art of veneering.
It was that or give up the hobby.

It's cool, full of finishing surprises, and I'm selling 3 times as many pieces
then before.
I can make an exotic looking chess board using MDF and rare woods far cheaper
than any of the 'real' hardwoods.

Goodonya.


Now if only I could afford a darned vacuum press I could really go nuts.

People throw away old refrigerator daily in this small town. Find one
of those, strip out the pump and motor, and get thyself over to
http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/welcome.htm for more insight.
Your biggest cost will be the virgin vinyl bag, which you can make
with sheet vinyl.

2 more DIY pages:
http://www.paragoncode.com/shop/vacuum_pump/
http://www.berkut13.com/sucker.htm


================================================== ========
Save the ||| http://diversify.com
Endangered SKEETS! ||| Web Application Programming
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wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 10:54:08 -0500, "DamnYankee*******"
wrote:


"foggytown" wrote in message
ups.com...
It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The
cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

snip
FoggyTown


WHAT????? $78 per board foot!!!??? Am I reading/calculating that
correctly? Wow! How much is "cheap" wood?

DYB

In mitigation, this is probably English Brown Oak, which is just
about
unavailable except as recycled wood. It ain't cheap anywhere.

Still, if those are your only choices, I'd suggest taking up a hobby
where the cost of materials is less. Say, silversmithing.

--RC


"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.
Actually it#s "European oak" whatever that is.

FoggyTown

foggytown wrote:
It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost
of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

FoggyTown

Ooooooooops. That should have been $26/meter and $4/meter. OK, so now
we all know I#m not a metric kind of guy! I still think it's expensive
even though the retailer is called "Timber World".

FoggyTown

Measure 15 times, cut once.

Joe C.


"foggytown" wrote in message
ps.com...
It isn't easy affording woodworking as a hobby in the UK. The cost of
timber is just so silly!

3/4" X 4" oak is $26/foot.

A single piece of rough sawn chestnut which is about 24" X 21/2" X 7'
is over $200.

Even crappy 19 X 150) 3/4 " X 6" S4S pine is $4/foot.
Might as well start growing my own trees!

FoggyTown

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:31:35 GMT, wrote:

In mitigation, this is probably English Brown Oak, which is just about
unavailable except as recycled wood. It ain't cheap anywhere.

No, brown oak is always noted as such. There's quite a price premium
on it, but there's some around as old flooring and my contacts are
still felling it. I've a few boards in my stacks too.

Here's an example of it. No finish on that other than a coat of oil
and wax - no colouring at all.
http://codesmiths.com/shed/clocks/stickley_nixie/
--
Smert' spamionam