I am reposting in general as I goofed and posted this in hand tools. Sorry!
Good morning, I realize this is rather spurious but I’ll give it a shot. First of all I live in Wyoming… we don’t have a lot of trees and the ones we do are pine or aspen especially where I live. You have to travel over 100 miles just to get to a big box store. Anyway I’m building a bar and want to do the face frames and doors in butternut. Butternut because I hope to try carving something in the doors. I have a friend going to Minnesota and he can pick me up 50 board ft of 8×4 and 50 bdft of 4×4 butternut for $6 a board ft. I read somewhere butternut was going to become extinct. This wood is sight unseen, rough cut, 5-6 inch widths, 4-6 ft lengths. Am I crazy? Is this a valid price based on what I could tell you? I will have to buy a planer. I have been carving awhile and worked with butternut. Someone told me the best way to learn how to buy would is to just jump in. I would at least not have to pay freight. Appreciate any thoughts on this.
Replies
You say you have worked with butternut before, you want to carve it and you don't have to pay for freight. If you are off a little on price, you aren't by much. Go for it.
As you know, its easier to carve than walnut but it tends to "ding" very easily because it is soft. Its a trade off. My only concern with butternut is the variation in color. If the lot you are buying is the same log you should have good consistent quality. I think I would go for it.
Its all about luck. Last week, I went to see a man about some "killer curly cherry" he had in the barn. I bought some cherry and I bought 3 birds eye maple boards in the rough. I could see a little birds eye-but it was dirty and hard to tell really. Got home and planed the cherry-its weak. The maple on the other hand is offffff the charts. I paid 8bf for the cherry and 6 bf for the maple. Time to go back ... right?
Went back this morning and he decided to keep the rest of the maple for his brother.
Strike while the iron is hot.. it might not come again.
dan
I have not heard that butternut was in danger....I'm aware that ash is in jeopardy. I had the good fortune of buying some nice 4/4" butternut in the spring of 2008 for $1.50 rough sawn, but I realize it's more common here than out your way. Boards were 6"-8" wide on average, 8'-10', and some had a few weathered and mildew areas, but not much.
It's an attractive wood that has a natural rustic look IMO. It's very light weight and works really well. I used it to build an interior door last fall.
Edited 11/25/2009 1:13 pm ET by Knotscott
Kiln dried FAS here retails at 4. I've heard the endangered thing too but talk to someone in Michigan and they say its so rampant its a weed. I don't know. Depends on who you talk to I guess. Don't have any difficulty getting it here, but not much demand either. I know a couple of carvers who like it but I'm the only one I know thats every actually built anything with it.
On that - overall I liked it. I was a little nervous about how soft it was. The upshot is it works wonderfully. Hand or power tools, easy as pie. A little fragile if you get, say, dovetail work. They can chip out pretty easy. What I made was a small chest of drawers and once done and finished, its held up fine and it finished beautiful. I get a lot of questions about what kind of wood it is.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Thanks to all that replied. I found a comment about woodfinder.com on the message board and found A&H Turf in Billings. Called them and they had butternut for $3.15/bf. Also had qs white oak for a little over $5/bf. This is a great forum! Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
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