I found Valhalla! Wood/Lumber Everywhere!

[new2woodwrk]

I went to a local lumber store this morning looking for Poplar since both big box stores have nothing but junk left and none wide enough for me to use for my current needs.

They mentioned a place that may have it, and directed me. I had heard of this place before but have not been able to find it... Until today!

I went there, pulled up and the doors were open, but no one around. I went around back and saw a guy on a forklift and yelled out "hey".

Told him who sent me and what I was looking for and asked if he sold to the public. Yeppers., do you have Poplar? Yeppers...!

He brought me over to the biggest wood warehouse I have ever seen and ushered me to the Poplar. I was in awe. I've never purchased from a lumber yard before, so I wasn't sure of the terminology (I really need to brush up on that), but he pulled out a poplar board 14" wide by 16' long. OMG I was in heaven. Unfortunately, it was bowed and I told him that wouldn't work for me.

He pushed it back in and pulled out another and sheesh, it was near perfect!

$1.95 a board ft I told him if he'll cut it in half I'll take the whole thing LOL

$40 poorer (cash deal) and I have a 16'x14"x3/4" slab of poplar LOL

Another guy showed up, and started rattling off all the other woods they had available.... Soft Maple, Basswood, Sugar Pine, Cypress, on and on... LOL

So, it appears I've found Valhalla because this place is 4 blocks away from me LOL

Edited October 27, 2020 by new2woodwrk

[amazingkevin]

Looks like your hit pay dirt and if lightning strikes twice you'll be back. i was givin purple heart two days in a row and today he tells me he has a lot more for me!! That will awaken my intarsia projects!! I' would just drool going in the biggest wood warehouse and seen vast amounts of quality woods!! A picture would have made the club drool!!!

[new2woodwrk]

12 minutes ago, amazingkevin said:

Looks like your hit pay dirt and if lightning strikes twice you'll be back. i was givin purple heart two days in a row and today he tells me he has a lot more for me!! That will awaken my intarsia projects!! I' would just drool going in the biggest wood warehouse and seen vast amounts of quality woods!! A picture would have made the club drool!!!

I was considering taking pics, but it was my first time - you know, that Virgin thing kicked in and well, I just swooned

 

[kywoodmaster]

Just a warning about wide with boards. They are really bad about cupping, especially if they were not kiln dried correctly. My advice is to buy the narrowest piece that you can use.

If they are a drying operation (have their own kiln) ask them about Kiln Blanks. These are the boards that are taken out to measure the moister left in the wood. I buy a lot of kiln blanks from a drier. They charge me .75 each. all boards are between 4 and 8 inches wide and 4 to 6 ft long. I left out one day with a mixture of Oak, Poplar, Maple, Ash and Walnut over 100 board feet for less that $40.00. These are still in the rough form so you would need a planer but you can soon pay for one with what you save.

14 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

I went to a local lumber store this morning looking for Poplar since both big box stores have nothing but junk left and none wide enough for me to use for my current needs.

They mentioned a place that may have it, and directed me. I had heard of this place before but have not been able to find it... Until today!

I went there, pulled up and the doors were open, but no one around. I went around back and saw a guy on a forklift and yelled out "hey".

Told him who sent me and what I was looking for and asked if he sold to the public. Yeppers., do you have Poplar? Yeppers...!

He brought me over to the biggest wood warehouse I have ever seen and ushered me to the Poplar. I was in awe. I've never purchased from a lumber yard before, so I wasn't sure of the terminology (I really need to brush up on that), but he pulled out a poplar board 14" wide by 16' long. OMG I was in heaven. Unfortunately, it was bowed and I told him that wouldn't work for me.

He pushed it back in and pulled out another and sheesh, it was near perfect!

$1.95 a board ft I told him if he'll cut it in half I'll take the whole thing LOL

$40 poorer (cash deal) and I have a 16'x14"x3/4" slab of poplar LOL

Another guy showed up, and started rattling off all the other woods they had available.... Soft Maple, Basswood, Sugar Pine, Cypress, on and on... LOL

So, it appears I've found Valhalla because this place is 4 blocks away from me LOL

 

[OCtoolguy]

That sounds very much like Cherokee Wood Products where I buy my wood. They are a very large operation but when I went there the first time, I had trouble finding a human being. It was like a lumber ghost town. I too was in Heaven. I got to know Chris, the young man who oversees their website. He has done me many favors and takes care of special orders. I once needed some walnut, 1/2" thick by 12" wide. They don't normally sell it that way but he send a plank over to the mill and had it planed to what I needed. Great service. And their pricing is the best I've found in most cases.

 

[kmmcrafts]

I never could understand why someone would go to a big box store to buy lumber for the scroll and crafts work.. The cost is crazy and many times poor quality..  it's well worth the drive to find a lumber yard or better a sawmill.. 

[new2woodwrk]

2 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I never could understand why someone would go to a big box store to buy lumber for the scroll and crafts work.. The cost is crazy and many times poor quality..  it's well worth the drive to find a lumber yard or better a sawmill.. 

 Well if you don't have a choice, you go where you can

[new2woodwrk]

We bought some Yellow pine the other day.

It's a real nice grainy wood with no knots.

I don't think the puzzles are going to go too well with it though

[kmmcrafts]

2 minutes ago, new2woodwrk said:

 Well if you don't have a choice, you go where you can

There used to be a site where you could search all sawmills and lumber yards in a given area.. like by state or zip code etc... There are a lot of places around in most states.. I understand not knowing where etc.. just seems like this day and age.. simple computer searches should find something.. I realize also that many people can't buy in bulk because of space etc.. and a 100 mile trip may not be worth it to others.. I go through several hundred bdft of cherry every year.. and other species.. so it'd be worth it in my case to take a truck and buy bulk.. I blow through $500 in lumber at cheap prices.. many times 1 board at the box store cost nearly as much as 20 bdft.. at a lumber yard.. 

[kywoodmaster]

37 minutes ago, new2woodwrk said:

We bought some Yellow pine the other day.

It's a real nice grainy wood with no knots.

I don't think the puzzles are going to go too well with it though

I think you are correct. Yellow pine is a very strong structural wood but it is notorious for warping and twisting. You would be much better with white pine or spruce than yellow pine. I think poplar is the best you could get for puzzles without spending a lot of money.

[new2woodwrk]

14 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

There used to be a site where you could search all sawmills and lumber yards in a given area.. like by state or zip code etc... There are a lot of places around in most states.. I understand not knowing where etc.. just seems like this day and age.. simple computer searches should find something.. I realize also that many people can't buy in bulk because of space etc.. and a 100 mile trip may not be worth it to others.. I go through several hundred bdft of cherry every year.. and other species.. so it'd be worth it in my case to take a truck and buy bulk.. I blow through $500 in lumber at cheap prices.. many times 1 board at the box store cost nearly as much as 20 bdft.. at a lumber yard.. 

Kevin, we had 4 lumber mills and 3 lumber yards in our area prior to Hurricane Michael. We no longer have any mills and the only lumber yard is the one I just found which fortunately for me is still a secret.

A 100 mile journey for me is too much. It's still a hobby for me and we aren't selling enough to justify purchasing in bulk.

If that changes, perhaps a trip north would be worth the time and expense but not at the moment

Time will tell I guess if bulk buying is my future LOL

[OCtoolguy]

That is one of the only benefits to living in So Cal where I am. The weather being the only other benefit. Lots of places to buy just about anything. But along with that comes the overcrowding. There is no free lunch. If I had my druthers, I'd be living where most of you folks are. If only I was 10 years younger. Sigh!

 

Edited November 4, 2020 by octoolguy

[new2woodwrk]

5 hours ago, octoolguy said:

That is one of the only benefits to living in So Cal where I am. The weather being the only other benefit. Lots of places to buy just about anything. But along with that comes the overcrowding. There is no free lunch. If I had my druthers, I'd be living where most of you folks are. If only I was 10 years younger. Sigh!

 

I lived in So Ca for 36 years before moving to NW Florida

[OCtoolguy]

18 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

I lived in So Ca for 36 years before moving to NW Florida

I envy you. If we were younger, we'd be somewhere else too.