Where to buy wood for cabinet projects

[SHADOWFOX]

I am new to the woodworking scene and this might be a stupid question but where do you buy wood to use on projects such as cabinet, shelves, bookcases. Do you just buy it at menards, HD, lowes? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Chris D.

[RickT]

I buy sheet goods (plywood...I mean veneer core, MDF) from Menards, Home Depot, and Alpine Plywood in Milwaukee, WI. I buy hardwoods from Menards, Home Depot, and Kettle Moraine Hardwoods in Hartford, WI.
Rick

[LarryG]

Chris, that's hardly a stupid question; it is, in fact, an excellent question. And when you find out the answer, be sure to share it with all of us.

Unfortunately I'm only half-kidding. Acquiring decent lumber is a continuing problem for most of us ... good stuff can be hard to find, and it's usually expensive when you do find it. A fortunate few live where there are good sources but often they are limited to one or two locally-plentiful species like red oak or Douglas fir or whatever.

Buying from the big retail chains should be avoided except as a last resort, and/or for very small quantities. The reason is that their prices are VERY high and the selection is usually limited to 3/4" material. They also carry a limited selection: here, I can get only pine, poplar, and red oak, all of it plain sawn. OTOH, the quality of what the local Lowe's and Home Depot has is quite good.

I'm relatively new to fine woodworking myself but I've already learned that if you want to be a woodworker, you have to constantly be on the lookout for materials and try to keep some money in hand so that when you stumble onto a bargain, you can jump on it. I think it's fair to say that most of us buy wood, any wood, whenever we find some and then figure out what to do with it later, rather than the other way 'round.

EDIT: Forgot to mention ... check the Yellow Pages for commercial cabinet and millwork shops in your area. Many of the owners of these started out as hobbyist woodworkers, know how hard it is for the at-home woodworker to find good wood, and will sometimes be willing to help a guy out. You probably won't get a racehorse deal but the materials will generally be of excellent quality. Be sure they understand you're a hobbyist looking for small quantities for your own use, and that you're not trying to compete with them. (If you DO intend to sell your stuff, they may still be willing to work with you as long as what you're building is something they would not want to fool with.)

[JR]

If you thought you were getting into woodworking to save money, you're into it for the wrong reason.

You should have lumber yard in your area, one that is not HD or Lowe's. They will be able to supply a variety of sheet goods and dimensional lumber. They probably will not have rarer species on hand.

In my town there's a hardwood supplier. They have tended more toward flooring products in recent years, but still maintain a stock of millwork and exotic wood. But, man are they proud of their stuff. I was recently in there pricing wood for an outdoor furniture project. They wanted $23/bft for teak! $9 for mahogony. Very pricey, but they do have it on hand.

Good Luck!
JR

[Mainemarc]

Hi Chris:

You need to find a good hardwood supplier. Try your local yellow pages under either "lumber" or "hardwoods". If you're still having difficulty, lookup "cabinet makers" and ask them where they buy their wood.

Prepare for sticker shock, but LarryG is quite right, it's less expensive than buying it by the linear foot at the big box stores.

Better quality too. I found that the surfaced lumber from HD was planed and jointed very quickly and carelessly, with pronounced scalloping and other blade marks. Some of which only showed up when I started finishing my early projects.

[bfrikken]

Good question I guess it depends on many different factors. I am anxious to see a lot of the answers you will get, but here is what I have found so far.

It depends on if you want to use sheet goods such as oak or birch ply (or whatever is available) and how thick you want it. I bought my sheet goods right from lowes or HD. I do find myself sorting the stack which is a pain, but it is worth it when I get it in my garage. The thicker the sheet, the easier it seems to be to find a good piece at the BORG. The thinner sheets (under 1/2) seem to always be warped, so I find myself digging through the 2ft by 4ft sections rather then the big 4x8 sheets. MDF and Melamine tend (at least to me) look the same anywher I go, so I look for best price, which oddly enough is usually Menards.

As for boards, you can hit the major retail giants, but the best boards I have used came right from my FIL who bought right from the Mill. We just glued together, ripped to size and I had no problems. Tried the same with wood bought from HD and had okay results.

[don_hart]

Check your classified ads and take a look at woodweb for people selling wood in your area. If you are lucky you can find small hardwood vendor selling rough cut lumber. The guy in my area who does it makes most of his money taking down trees and selling firewood. He sells roughcut lumber on the side and sells it for an amazingly good price.

[LCHIEN]

You have to look in the yellow pages or on the internet for specialy hardwood lumber retailers.

Another thing about buying hardwoods, be prepared for some culture shock as you enter a whole 'nother world of jargon.

Be prepared for FAS, #1, #2 common,
board-feet, planed 2 or four surfaces, or rough cut,
random widths, Quartersawn, riftsawn and flatsawn.

And that's after you chose from 100 species.

[ChrisD]

Chris,
There's really only one good place in Chicagoland: OWL Hardwoods (www.owlhardwood.com). It's where I get my lumber all the time. There's also Badger Woods in Walworth, WI, about 50 miles from where you're at (www.badgerwood.com). Both have a pretty wide range of species and prices are reasonable. You can call to have a price list faxed to you.

[Doug Jones]

You may also give Woodfinder.com a try.


http://www.woodfinder.com/

[SHADOWFOX]

quote:Originally posted by ChrisD

Chris,
There's really only one good place in Chicagoland: OWL Hardwoods (www.owlhardwood.com). It's where I get my lumber all the time. There's also Badger Woods in Walworth, WI, about 50 miles from where you're at (www.badgerwood.com). Both have a pretty wide range of species and prices are reasonable. You can call to have a price list faxed to you.

Chris, Owl Hardwood, is that the one in Des Plaines, Il? The Badger Hardwood is in Wisconsin. Have you tried ordering through any of them? Are they pretty friendly to a newbie like me who don't know much about these things? I wish you live pretty close to me so that you could help me out!

[Jim-Iowa]

Still trying to figure that one out myself.
Sheet goods I get from the Big Box Stores, Des Moines has Menards, Lowes & Home Depot.
Hardwoods can be had at premium prices, Paxton Fine Woods and Woodsmith Store have very good quality material available.
Have yet to fall into a bargain, but can get good quality.
There is a mill located on hwy 92 east of Oskaloosa,(near Rose Hill)
but have yet to get down there.
I think the wood is where you find it in your market?

For smaller projects, the cabinet shops mentioned might be a good source. When doing production projects, cut-offs and scraps a hobbiest could and would use would not be cost efficent to a production shop. You might score some good lumber from their scrap bin?

[ChrisD]

quote:Originally posted by SHADOWFOX
Chris, Owl Hardwood, is that the one in Des Plaines, Il? The Badger Hardwood is in Wisconsin. Have you tried ordering through any of them? Are they pretty friendly to a newbie like me who don't know much about these things? I wish you live pretty close to me so that you could help me out!

Chris,
Yes, there is an Owl in Des Plaines, and that's where I buy my wood. There are also Lombard and Oak Lawn stores. I mentioned Badger Hardwood because the prices are comparable, they ship, and it's actually not that far from you.
The guys at Owl are very friendly. Let me know when you're ready to buy. I can meet you in Des Plaines and help you out!

[Deadhead]

Watch Norm or TOH on PBS and see who is sponsoring the show. In Richmond, VA, Northland Forest Products is a sponsor, but they are located about an hour away.

Also, drive around your local industrial area. See where the cabinet or carpenter trucks are going. There are suppliers that may be not be in the yellow pages.

[Handy Al]

Got a new HD ad today and they have 3/4 MAple plywood for $29.99