I am just starting in buying wood, but I am having a challenge in finding places where I can buy quality wood in Maryland.
Some people recommend the internet, but I just want to be sure that I go to a reputable supplier. Know of any?
How do I place an order for the wood, because the suppliers ask a lot of questions and I get very lost. I just learned that there is air-dried wood, klein-dried wood. I think that the klein-dried wood the colors get affected by the process. I am unsure if this is correct or not.
Please explain the terminology if you reply to my post as I am a novice.
Thank you for your reply.
Replies
MSW,
I feel your pain, from both a knowledge and terminology perspective. There is a world of information out there on wood and I could spend the rest of my life pursuing that info and never build anything.
The first suggestion: hit the library, don't buy any books yet. Second, pick a project, any project, between people here and where you shop you'll get lots of support with the decisions. You'll learn what wood to use for various aspects of your project (legs, top, aprons, etc.).
Good luck and remember to have fun.
Look for the Wood Whisperer web site. I'm pretty sure one of his earlier video entries was about going to the lumber yard. It's informative and he's got a good sense of humor.
How do I place an order for the wood, because the suppliers ask a lot of questions and I get very lost.
Old man here so take it with a few or more grains of Salt!
How do I place an order for the wood, because the suppliers ask a lot of questions and I get very lost.
I would start out with THAT question .. I Have NO idea what you asked me! Most folks will understand that and try to help you. If NOT.. Hang up and look for a different supplier..
OK so he/she may have a bad day.. Call back and ask again.. Maybe somebody with a better altitude or her husband finally told on the 'spur of the moment'.. Gee You are sure pretty!!
Makes all the difference.. Why I always try to shop local.. Get some idea the mood of the folks you are dealing with!
EDIT: I'd add..
Never get nasty. Get you NO PLACE REALLY FAST!
I have dealt with all sorts of REALLY 'can I say pissed off folks' in my Job..
In my work most had a business that if the job failed they could not meet payroll!
Yes even that mean old Boss will worry about if YOU will get a paycheck! Really
Edited 7/15/2008 9:00 pm by WillGeorge
Edited 7/15/2008 9:07 pm by WillGeorge
There is a world of information on this website and on the internet regarding hardwoods, terminology, etc. I would suggest you do your research and then, when you have specific questions about that which you don't understand, we can probably help you. pmm
msw,
I live in Florida and know of no good sources of local lumber (Ocala, FL). I order lumber from Wall Lumber over the internet and have always been pleased with them. On vacation one year we stopped by their place and picked up some cherry, very impressive place and good people.
Smitty
Hi MSW... Let's start with the basics...
Type of wood... You can't just say 'Oak' as there is both a red oak and white oak. They are different and you want the right one for your project. Same for pine. There are many different varieties of pine.
Size... The basic measurement of wood is a Board Foot. It is 12" x 12" x 1" thick. Any board less than 1" is considered 1". After that, thickness is specified by quarters of an inch. so a 1" ROUGH board is refered to as 4/4 (four quarters)and will finish to about 3/4 of an inch. A 1 1/2" board is 6/4. You get the idea. Next is width. Do you need a specific minimum width?
Length... Again, do you need a specific length. Always order wider and longer than you need as the edges are not always neat. Sometimes the board will have some warp to it and that will have to be taken into account.
And... can you purchase boards 'rough', meaning as it comes from the saw-mill, splinters and all, do you need it 's2s', surfaced two sides, or 's4s', surfaced four sides. If you have a planer and/or jointer you can purchase rough, otherwise you are going to become a master at hand-planeing. Every time the lumber yard does one of these steps for you, the wood gets thinner, narrower and more expensive. You must pay for their time in handling and prepping the wood.
Grade... here you've got to talk to the person you are dealing with. Wood is graded by how clear the stock is. If you need long clear lengths, you're going to pay a premium. If you are going to cut the stock into smaller pieces and can eliminate knots or other defects, you can buy a lesser grade. What you don't want is large knots, either firm or loose, as the grain swirls around knots and will give you lots of grief unless you're looking for that 'look'.
Air dried vs. kiln dried. Ait drying takes approximately one year for each inch of thickness. That means that the wood must be stored and stickered (given air space around each piece) for that length of time. Again... time is money. Kiln drying is much faster. Yes, you can get stock that was not dried propeerly and you will have problems, but most large hardwood suppliers have reliable sources of good wood, and that should not be of concern for most woods.
And finally, read some books on WOOD, not projects, but on the technical nature of wood. This will give you better ideas on how to select the wood you need.
With this info in mind, you should be able to better discuss what you want or need with the guy or gal on the other end of the phone line.
I hope this is the info you want.
SawdustSteve.... Long Island, NT (E of NYC)
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