Ash

I am in Syracuse NY and being new to the hobby, havent found a decent place to source wood for my projects. Lowe's and home depot were either stocking very knotty cheap lumber or expensive pieces in Poplar/ Cedar and Oak. In addition - the pieces had curves and bends in them.

So if anyone has some good suggestions for me, i would be very appreciative. I am willing to travel upto an hour or two to stock up.
Thanks!

ironhead

Welcome Ash. I too am new to it and although most on here have way more experience than me I plan on finding logs and having them sawn for my and hopefully dried as well. You may want to look at that avenue as a possible source because you may be able to get the wood you want cheaper and better quality.

Good luck bro
Ironhead

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Ash

Hey I was in Lexington till a few years back...
How do you plan to look for these logs and wont it be a while before they are dry any ready to use?

I think for the long term - it might be a great plan but I need some decent cheap wood right away for my beginner boxes/bookcases and other trifles. I really dont want to use PLY or MDF as one of the things that attracts me to this hobby is grain patterns/stains and finishes one can play with...

AZ Termite

I googled hardwood sales in New York. This is what I found, check them out. It may be a start for you. If you are just starting out having your wood milled may not be benefitial to you at this point. http://www.ramillerhardwood.com. Good luck in your search. There is nothing better than a good "wood" store. I found one about 1 1/2 hours away from me. It is like walking into a candy store. I could spend hours in there, and usually do.

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rocklobster

You may want to try this link as well. It can help you find just what you're looking for in your area.

http://www.woodfinder.com/

Rob

Ash

Thank you both for the links!
I will check them both out and report back soon.

As a rule, should I buy wood only for the project on hand ... or a few pieces of the common sizes and keep them around... and build a small collection?

GeorgeC

Have you considered buying long distance and having the wood shipped to you? There are some good yards around the country that have reasonable prices.

The one I use is Wall Lumber in Mayodan, NC.

walllumber.com

George

mdlbldrmatt135

Ash,

It's a bit of a Drive but http://www.WestPennHardwoods.com is In Olean, Ny about 3 or 4 hours from you.

HTH

Matt

gharvey

Ash,
There are 2 great wood places an hour away in Victor NY and Bristol NY where most of the members of RWS get their wood. The prices and selection are very good and both are members of RWS. I also get my wood through auctions and have scored some great wood from garage sales. You need to know what you are looking at and prices if you are going to do auctions and sales. In Victor it is GW Woods and you need to talk to Greg or Ed, and in Bristol it is Joe. Bristol Valley Hardwoods also ships to anywhere. You can also check the RWS web site, www.rochesterwoodworkers.org in the classifieds where you will find tools and sometimes wood offered for sale by members. Let me know if you need more help. gharvey@frontiernet.net.

Ash

I checked out their website... pretty cool.
Are the prices reasonable...
Forgive my ignorance I am not very well versed with the going rates of various woods!

Ash

Thanks for the linky... Is more than 3 hrs... but if I am in the neighbourhood... wil workout well..

Ash

Thanks for the recommendations!
GW woods seems to be the closest from all the options - only an hour away and a pretty good collection. I dont think I will be going to auctions (if I even found one in my area), since I have no idea of fair prices etc.
I will keep an eye out on the classifieds section on RWS website.

2 questions:
1. So what kind/s of wood should I begin my initial stock with, for small projects like stools/bookcases/cutting boards etc?
2. Where do I find a good plane, that will last me a while? (I will post this question in a new thread in the tools sections too)

GeorgeC

Whether prices are reasonable or not is highly dependent upon your local situation. If you can find what you want locally you may be better off because of shipping costs. Reasonable also depends upon how much you want and just how badly you want it.

In my case there is little other than some basic woods available locally. If I want walnut I can order from them and pay shipping and still beat local cost.

G

WayneM

I have at different times checked Craigslist for local hardwoods. No promise on what you will find but I have found a few things I needed for projects. Just a though .....

Wayne

Bib

Hello,
I am in the process of bringing back an 1870 bank barn (Berrien Springs, MI). The bank side sill was rotten and needed to be replaced. I found a local sawmill that could provide 2 - 24' - 10" x 10" white oak beams. We jacked the 4 bents and removed what was left of the 140 year old sill. Installed the new sills (2) with a very cool scaf joint that tightens when you drive the stake. Anyway, the sawmill had a lot of oak sitting around from years past. I bought it all (53' semi trailer) for $750.00 plus delivery. Needless to say, I have a lot of white oak. But here is the cool part - no waste - what can't be planed and used goes in my fireplace! Its a win - win! The wood looks terrible until it goes through the Powermatice 20" planer w/ Byrd Shelix head and my Griz 12" jointer. The result is breath-taking - some is 8/4 X 16' finished. Air-dried lumber has some waste, but got to tell you, most of this oak is beautiful. I would snoop around some of your local sawmills. They all have "mistakes" that with some additional work can give you some great inventory at very little cost. Have fun
BIB

JP Sinclair

Hey Ash - My suggestion for some of the nicer woods for projects will come from your small nitch type wood guys. My small operation specializes in purely Vermont figured hardwoods. If you have time, check us out at Sinclairmillworks.com

Sometimes the small guys have the most unique looking stuff to be found anywhere - Good luck bro -

gharvey

Ash,
In our area I wood look for walnut, white oak, maple, and ash. For painting projects we have a lot of good poplar. This areas cherry is not the best, which I think comes from Pa. If you go to GW Woods in Victor, Gregg has a lot of small pieces and stocks all these woods and some nice exotics. Gregg will also rough cut to size and also plane to thickness if you send him your plans or dimensions. If you decide to come out this way let me know and maybe I can meet you there and help you get set up. I haven't seen Gregg since we did a local radio show together in November, so it would be good to go there.

Gharvey

Ash

Hi JP,
I am planning a trip to VT in the spring, and hopefully I will check your operation out and maybe get some nice wood pieces. Thanks for the tips!
Regards...

Ash

Hi George,
Thank you very much for your generosity and help!
Its been more than 2 weeks since I went out to Victor NY to GW woods. Greg was very helpful in picking some nice peices of red oak and poplar. He was kind enough to plane them for free and throw in a few xtras. Since then I have been busy making small trifles and getting basic techniques under control.
This can be a very expensive hobby. The cost of (good) wood makes it more so. But its very rewarding too as I have found out in the last 2 weeks...

BHOFM

Find a friendly local cabinet shop and see where they are
getting their stock.

A local shop put me on a mill that does custom high end work
and their trash is good stuff. They put it in a dumpster for people
to take for fire wood.

I have pieces of oak, full one inch, 8"X48"+ with a little bark
on one corner. Also some large pieces of poplar that I don't
know why they threw it out? Several over six feet by 8".

Wood is where you find it, recycle can be great.

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