Blue Lumber ?? Orange Lumber ?? - Woodworking Talk

SawDustJack · 11-09-2006, 11:46 PM

I'm just curious , here we have a Blue , no Orange .. There is a Blue and Orange next door to each other about twenty minits from here ..
But I am curious , I get most of my sheet goods and dimensional lumber from the local blue , out of convience sake and $2 gas and 13 mpg ..
BUT the orange has a much bigger and better selection of both sheet goods and dimensional lumber ..
How is it where you be at ??

Big Dave · 11-10-2006, 12:09 AM

Your so lucky, the closest blue or orange is a 45 minute drive one way. I've never shoped them for lumber. I've got a small local lumber yard about 20 minutes from the house that has better material plus they will usually give me a deal every once in a while.

Rob · 11-10-2006, 12:25 AM

I have 3 blues and 2 oranges within 20 minutes of me. I seldom buy plywood there as the quality is pretty sub-standard.
As far as I can tell about who carries what...it looks like they get in whatever corporate thinks they should have that week. Someone gives you a heads-up about a decent product at a decent price...you go in 3 days later and its gone.

Painter Paul · 11-10-2006, 01:31 AM

Blue's too expensive period... orange is getting way too complacent... so I'm doing green right now.

Burlkraft · 11-10-2006, 08:41 AM

I was going to buy some oak ply at The Orange and I saw the Made In China sticker....WHAT????

I one again went to my local lumber/tool store and got my wood....

SawDustJack · 11-10-2006, 10:07 AM

A couple months ago , a friend built a deck with material from a local yard , mostly 2x6 and plywood .. He priced Blue , then went to the local yard and saved about 30% from Blue's quoted prices ... It's about 45 minutes from me , havent had a big enuff project to go check them out ..
We were headed there one day to check them out , had to pass by my mentor's home on the way , and ended up at a little sawmill , and hauled off a pickup load of hardwood slabs or butts or first cuts whatever you prefer to call them for free .. Now I have a good connection for hardwood ..

Kirk Allen · 11-10-2006, 10:23 AM

We have a blue and orange in two different directions from me. Each is a 40 mile trip. We have a local lumber yard but there prices are rediculous.

Since owning my sawmill I cant even recall the last time I purchased lumber from any of the box stores.

I am finishing up my kiln and did have to buy metal roofing but I beat up our local yard pretty hard and got it for less than the blue and orange could provide it.

radar67 · 11-10-2006, 07:16 PM

I don't buy at either. If I do purchase material from the box store, I go to Marvins. They have much better prices and better quality material.

SawDustJack · 11-10-2006, 07:34 PM

Yeah we just had a Marvin's open up not far from here , we went thru in a hurry one day , had good prices on tools compared to Blue and Orange , but not as big a selection .. Didnt go thru the lumber yard , but priced some material for a project and they beat Blue by about 10% ..
Blue here used to be good , my first stop is always the tools section , but nothing ever changes .. I spent about $4000 there for some material and tools a couple years ago , and got a fair deal cause I spent so much ..
I've really become disappointed in them , and prefer the Orange over the Blue now .. My favorite tools are Yeller tools , but they only carry the upper end of the lower tiered stuff .. Anything above a good quality home/hobby tool , you're outta luck , or maybe I'm just expecting more ..
I wish they would carry MM's and Laguna and the like , but I should be so lucky .. Really lust after the MM16 and 20 and 24 and 32 and 36 .. Ah to have DEEP pockets .. Or even a decent Unisaw would be nice ..