tomjboyle

I am new to Woodworking and love it. I have several projects lined up but I wanted to know a good source of lumber in the South Florida area (Broward). I checked out Home Depot but their prices are crazy. I am looking for Hardwood- Red Oak.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

GeorgeC

Have you checked the yellow pages? If you can locate other wood workers in your area they may have local sources.

I do not know your local area, but here in the Florida Panhandle there are not many places to walk in and buy good hardwoods.

I wind up ordering much of what I want from

walllumber.com

You can find other mail order places on the internet.

George

Tony B

They will tell you where to go. That dont sound right, does it. LOL.
Anyway, they will also tell you where to get finishing products.

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Tony B

http://www.thetexaswoodworks.com

steve mackay

I gotta say I got tiered of paying the Borgs the big bucks for "dimensioned" lumber and hardwoods. I was going to have to raise my prices almost out of reach of my GI audience. Just for kicks I stopped by a "hardwood" lumber house that caters to contractors with that "tax" thingie that excludes " The Public ". It just so happens that they keep bundles of hardwoods and "knotty" (its actually CLEARER than the Borg's "clear" ) pine "over there in the corner". In that corner is also busted stuff that the contractors won't pay "premium" price for. They sell all this stuff with sales tax, half the price of The Borg and as little as you might want. For me, its my measly one or two boards of red oak and as much of their "knoty pine" as I've got the money for at the time. If I've got the time they also don't mind if I root through their dumpster. All I'm saying is don't just call, stop by, say " HI ! " and see whats up. Even with the big outfits. Mine is a off-shoot of Georgia Pacific. AND while I'm there I can drool on the wood porn and dream of the day I can afford to have them deliver a truck load of oak in my driveway. But, as with all things, it takes some time and effort. Both in short supply to many these days !

BHOFM

I guess we are lucky, there are several mills here.
I get a lot of their scraps and they will do custom
orders. The prices are a bit high, but you get what
you want and it is high quality stock.

You might check with local cabinet shops and find
one that is friendly.

There is always the neighbors fence.

Scraps from the mill.

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steve mackay

There can't be much of that fence LEFT !

GeorgeC

" I gotta say I got tiered of paying the Borgs the big bucks for "dimensioned" lumber and hardwoods."

Who? What? are the "Borgs?"

G

bradleywellsoff

I had to purchase about 250' of 1 X 3 pine from HD and spent most of the rest of the day pealing off stickers and pulling out staples. Try to get your lumber from anyone who dosent practice this.

bzbatl

If it's just one or two pieces I need, I'll go to Lowe's or Home Depot - they're just so much more convenient, even if more costly.

We're lucky to have a bunch of lumber yards around my hood, though. So when I start a project I can always call around and price compare.

I'm new to woodworking, but I've done quite a bit of construction. I never got the bug for the nice looking wood until recently.

I'm still not very good at all this precise stuff. I don't think I ever measured a 2x4 in 64ths.

steve mackay

Sorry ! " BORG " is Home Depot or Lowes. Used to just be HD . . . "Big Orange Retail Giant" . . . but now you can roll Lowes with it. Of course the REAL derogatory angle is from, yes you guessed it, Star Trek. Since HD & Lowes pretty much own the DIY market you almost gotta shop there and resistance might be fu-tile. I won't start on my opinion of The Borg beacuse I've heard in legend that there ARE a couple around the country that don't involve migranes or sobbing to enter.

creative novice

I guess i would have to say that i must be very lucky to live in PA. ...can get oak (and really wide oak) and moulding just about everywhere and i never try the big guys. I also am fortunate to have a slightly local mill where i call..they gather and get me the good stuff. (actually, i don't think they have any bad stuff!) ..i've never gotten a bad board from them, and it is always nicely dried. i still aclimate it here. they'll also do some extra planing for me if i need something special. I also have to do very little sanding. He must sharpen his blades daily! i have been throughout his mill and he uses grizzly machines. If he doesn't have the length i need then i get extra at no charge. he does wonderful mouldings on site at less money for red oak than i could get warped pine at lowes. julie

Leo G

I have a place that is 3 miles from my shop that has a good selection of most normal hardwoods and a few exotics. It is retail pricing though. I use them for my smaller jobs when I don't have it in stock and don't want to buy a large quanity and have a pile of wood as my profit. Otherwise I get it from a supplier (Holt & Bugbee) that is 2 1/2 hours away. They deliver and have a minimum order of 200 BF.

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Dean Miller

If you really want to beat the lumber store, make your own. I was given a couple oaks off a building site recently. In two days I cut about twenty 4"X12"X8'planks with my Alaskan attachment for my chainsaw. At $7.00 a bf at Home Depot for select its a chunk of money. Still a lot of work and time to dry it, mill it etc. before can be used for woodworking. I enjoy cutting firewood, so what the heck, its right up my ally.

Marktrl

Try using this site: http://www.woodfinder.com/

Gerry KIERNAN

This doesn't work for everybody, because you have to live near an ocean, river, or lake, but I get a very large amount of my wood from one of these sources. When I lived in Richmond BC, I would scrounge along the banks of the Fraser River and come up with all kinds of planks, logs, and bits and pieces. Now that I live in Powell river I scrounge along the lake and ocean shores.
Another source of wood is warehouse districts. Any place that imports anything large will have pallets, crates, boxes, etc, and are usually happy if you offer to take them away. There is a place up here that does shipping and marine activities of some kind, and I drive right by their place every few days, on my way into town. Any material they don't want they put out by the road with a free sign. I picked up the equivalent of 5 sheets of unsanded D-grade 1/2 ply wood the other day, and one sheet of 3/4.
I am also very fortunate to have a brother who owns and operates a Woodmiser mill. He saves me all the stuff that he dosn't consider marketable. It is amazing what you can build with "throw away" material. I make my own beer and wine, so I always take a good stock with me when I go visit.

Look around to see if you have any sawyers in your area. They can be a great source of reasonably priced lumber.

If you are needing small bits and pieces check out building sites to see what they are throwing out.

Do not consider the "Borg" stores as your only option there are many sources for people who are repelled by the exhorbitant prices they charge, and have found a way to bypass them.

Good hunting.

Gerry

BenBen

Try craigslist. I was able to find a good, local black walnut supplier through craigslist. Good luck!

tomjboyle

Just wanted to let everyone know that I really appreciate the help.
THanks

kgn

Tom, good luck on finding a local hardwood source in South Florida...Palm and Palmetto maybe. It's going to cost you, since everything must be shipped in. Maybe one trip with a truck/trailer to a mill in No. Georgia, or N. Carolina? Buy enough to last you for a couple of years? Maybe get together with a couple other workers and do a group buy. Maybe there is some Live Oak available in the center part of the state. It makes me realize how lucky I am here in Virginia with all the hardwoods around, and a couple of sawmills within 20 miles or so. Cheers, Kirby