WWA Info Exchange

Well I found this guy on craig's list who mills wood wiith a bandsaw mill selling some cherry cheap.

He had several stacks cut that were well worth the price, but not as wide as I woulld have liked and some sapwood ect and he was selling the whole stacks.

Then he said he had some 5/4 which I could pick through for $2.20 a foot. It was really nice, wide and with really nice color. I didn't want 5/4, but this was some special wood and I went for it, buying 150 bf with some short but nice pieces thrown in for free.

Then he showed me the bottom part of the tree (6 feet long) he has cut the 5/4 from and which was big, but had a rotten center on one end. I asked if he could cut it up 4/4 for me. He could, no charge for the wood, but $65.00 per hour for milling. I found another 4' section of the tree in the firewood pile and asked if he could cut it too.

OK, so it took us 3 hours to cut it up, I figure I conservatively got 150+ board feet of which 100 is furniture grade and the rest will be small stuff for boxes ect. Cost me $195.00.

Sorry for rambling.................the conundrum is whether to pay more for primo lumber or do what I always end up doing, getting a mixed bag for cheaper and having to fight through the defects?

Just wondering other people's thoughts on the subject of lumber procurement?

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"To all those who work come moments of beauty unseen by the rest of the world." Norman Maclean

There are no defects in wood - only character .

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I bring to life, I bring to death:
The spirit does but mean the breath:
I know no more. (Tennyson, In Memoriam)

Amen Gene. These two stumps both had huge branches cut off them and some of the crazy grain parts are too small for furniture use, but will make some awesome one of a kind box lids!

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"To all those who work come moments of beauty unseen by the rest of the world." Norman Maclean

You might also consider cutting some of that small stuff into sequence matched veneer for other uses or for sale. Custom car interior parts for example - dash and so on. There is a market for that kind of thing. You should be able to get $7/sqft (retail ) or more for 1/16" crotch cherry veneer.

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I bring to life, I bring to death:
The spirit does but mean the breath:
I know no more. (Tennyson, In Memoriam)

See "4/4 cherry"

See "5/4 cherry"

Two photos here. the pile is the wood that came from the 4 and 6 foot logs.

The slab was one piece of 5/4 that I got in the first lot. The rest of the 5/4 (not shown) was straight edged boards 12' long, 8-18" wide. It is now at the bottom of my wood pile in the garage (OH my lower back!) so I can't really photogragh it.

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"To all those who work come moments of beauty unseen by the rest of the world." Norman Maclean

Just curious...was the seller's name Jeremy?

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John

Different guy, not Jeremy.

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"To all those who work come moments of beauty unseen by the rest of the world." Norman Maclean

I like to use wood with character. Hence the name of my company "Knots and All"

See ""

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"It is not a mistake it is a learning experience"
Monte

Beautiful haul Mate! I'm kind of with you, if you can pay a little more for some premo stuff in a situation like you had, you'll not only get some better material without having to pick through the ones with "Character," but you'll also make a good friend who'll be more likely to cut you deals on future orders.

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Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
WWA'ers I've met: Popeye, Ed Avery, Stephen Wolf, Rockfish, Rodedon

For our cabinets and some of the other interior woodworking projects associated with the house rebuild, I've relied on some of the local hardwood dealers in the immediate area. Beyond that there is always wood to be had for turning. For anyone with a shop set up to resaw moderately sized logs or is willing to rip planks with a chain saw, there is always wood to be had. I can't remember if I've ever paid anything for turning wood like big leaf maple or madrone.

Choice hardwoods don't grow native here so again, it's a trip to the store.

But in your shoes I would have jumped at the chance as well. I love cherry for its deep rich warmth. It all started with a love affair with cherry pie when I was in my youth.

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Nullum Gratuitum Prandium

Cheers - Dennis