Getting lumber to work with...

[dbhost]

I am wondering, aside from the big box stores, and of course sawmills, what are some other good sources of lumber to work with that might be cheap / free?

I am looking for solutions to the $$ problem while I work on all the various projects.

[Crash2510]

my favorite free sources are pallets, large wire spools and local cabinet shops.

we have a local pallet builder that always has bins of lumber outside in various thicknesses, usually oak.

These are just a few.

[gsmittle]

If you live near a medium-sized city you might be able to find an urban sawyer or urban lumber dealer. There's one near me that deals only in trees the city cut down for whatever reason. Some of the prettiest lumber you ever saw for very reasonable prices. I visit regularly.

The only down side is that they don't have regular hours. You have to call and make an appointment, which means you pay a $150 minimum, or if you're lucky and the owner is already there, you can buy what you want without the minimum.

g.

[jackellis]

I continually check Craigslist. 250 bf of cherry, 100 bf of walnut, 100+ bf of ash, all bought at exceptionally good prices because someone was trying to get rid of lumber they no longer needed.

I also look for solid wood flooring because it can be less expensive than rough or s2s from the lumber yards. It has to be glued up and there's some waste if it's T&G, but I got 75 bf of someone's leftover oak flooring for 50 cents a bf from a CL ad and I've used it for jigs and drawer sides.

[dbhost]

good tips folks!

One I thought of, and do, is look at the Craigslist and Freecycle (Yahoo groups) ads for folks throwing away Oak, or Ponderosa Pine waterbeds. There are usually some sizeable chunks of lumber there, strip them, straighten them, and you should have some 1.5" thick lumber to work with. I wish I had thought of that before I pitched my old waterbed...

One thing with reclaiming lumber from "built" projects of course is you HAVE GOT to have a functional metal detector to find (and then you must remove) metal such as staples, nails, and screws. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just functional. I am using a cheapie handheld from HF that is really doing a good job for me...

[poolhound]

CL has always been a good bet for me. I have picked up various lots of good quality HW for great prices.

I have tried reclaiming pallets but have so far found the results not worth the effort. I have had better luck with yard sales where I have found old furniture that I have taken apart and reclaimed.

Here in PHX we have bulk trash pickups every couple of months where you can leave large items by the roadside during an allotted period and the city comes and picks them up. You can find all sorts of things in these piles of throw aways.

[just started]

Some of our local constabulary frown on that activity, the townships are making too much money on the recycling programs themselves.

[Pappy]

For small projects, a bit of dumpster diving around the cabinet shops can be rewarding. I have one large shop that keeps a 30 yard const dumpster on site. To reduce pick up cost, they stack cutoffs on pallets and set them near the road for a couple of days before throwing them in the dumpster. Maple and Cherry play are common and I have scored a little 4 and 8 qtr Cherry and Walnut.

Lack of storage has kept me from buying it, but I have seen some decent deals on CL.

[billfrommich]

I continually check Craigslist. 250 bf of cherry, 100 bf of walnut, 100+ bf of ash, all bought at exceptionally good prices because someone was trying to get rid of lumber they no longer needed.

I also look for solid wood flooring because it can be less expensive than rough or s2s from the lumber yards. It has to be glued up and there's some waste if it's T&G, but I got 75 bf of someone's leftover oak flooring for 50 cents a bf from a CL ad and I've used it for jigs and drawer sides.

I also keep an eye out for the occasional really good clearance deals on solid flooring at the big box stores. One thing to take into account is that some of the stuff is finished with a wear resistant finish that can be very hard on saw blades, planer bits, router bits etc.

[poolhound]

I just missed a CL deal yesterday. Somebody posted a mixed lot of HW Oak, Ash, Cherry and Maple boards. Most looked 6-10" wide and around 8-10' long. there was at least 100/bd/ft and he was asking $100 so somebody got a great deal.

I am also low on storage space but when one of these comes along I will find the room soomewhere. I just hope that it went to a good home.

I have not heard of any issues with folks helping themselves to items from the bulk pickups as they are mostly trash and bulk garden waste. Occasionally there is some construction grade lumber and broken furniture. Every now and again you see something left at the end of a driveway with a sign "please take me." Somebody down my street had obviously just upgraded their flooring as there was a large stack of used laminate flooring left out with such a sign. There was one unopened box which I took. Always good for ZCTPs and other odd uses.

[dbhost]

I just missed a CL deal yesterday. Somebody posted a mixed lot of HW Oak, Ash, Cherry and Maple boards. Most looked 6-10" wide and around 8-10' long. there was at least 100/bd/ft and he was asking $100 so somebody got a great deal.

I am also low on storage space but when one of these comes along I will find the room soomewhere. I just hope that it went to a good home.

I have not heard of any issues with folks helping themselves to items from the bulk pickups as they are mostly trash and bulk garden waste. Occasionally there is some construction grade lumber and broken furniture. Every now and again you see something left at the end of a driveway with a sign "please take me." Somebody down my street had obviously just upgraded their flooring as there was a large stack of used laminate flooring left out with such a sign. There was one unopened box which I took. Always good for ZCTPs and other odd uses.

IN my town, that day, heavy trash day, is not once a week. I am pretty much constantly on the lookout for tossout furniture like entertainment centers, book cases, tables, chairs, and of course, waterbeds, that I can disassemble into usable lumber...

As I get better, and faster with this whole woodworking thing, And as I can come up with workable materials, I want to take up rebuilding old, and building new furniture for some various church projects.

[gsmittle]

I just remembered--try www.woodfinder.com

g.

[cabinetman]

If you have the time to stand around, auctions are a viable source. Sometimes you can run across what is someone elses stash for not much. It sometimes takes some creative thinking or more importantly, just being aware of what's going on. For example while cruisin' on yer way to work, any store or restaurant type remodeling could be a good source. Most times they just pitch the waste instead of carting it off.

But, whatever you consider, make sure you get permission to swipe the stuff.
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