OKC lumber

[ChongoChingi]

I am new to this site and new to WW but I did just purchase a BT3000 last week! I really like this website and have learned a lot just in the last few weeks of reading it.

My question is for anyone in the Oklahoma City area. My father in law has been teaching me WW, for the last couple of months, and we have been going to Paxtons to buy our lumber. But it looks like they are about to go out of business Does anyone have a recommendation on where to go around here now to find some wood?

P.S. I am about to finish my first workbench (New Yankee style) which I will post some pics when I am done.

[Veramacor]

You could try to find a local lumber mill and see if they will sell you rough cut lumber. Of course you would have to mill it yourself. A jointer and planer will do that for you, but if you are like me, you don't have a jointer or a planer!

Woodcraft and Rockler sell lumber but they are expensive. Sometimes you will get a deal or two.

I have bought some real nice Red Oak online in order to finish a project and the prices are real good. Again there is a kicker, if you buy a lot of wood online you will pay thru the nose in shipping costs.

The route I plan on going in the next 5 years or so is to actually mill my own lumber from trees that just have to come down. My parents have a cottage up north with maple, poplar and oak on the property, so I plan on milling it and storing/drying the lumber up there using a relatively inexpensive system like an Alaskan chain saw mill. This is pie in the sky stuff for me though, but I just thought I'd throw that out. BUT, if you find a nice 20 to 30 inch oak that was felled locally, you will have more wood you will know what to do with. You just have to wait some time before you can use it

As for milling your own lumber, our president would say "It's hard work!"

[jAngiel]

A lot of the trim carpenters down here use Norman Door and Plywood for their stock. I have seen it come in S2S and S4S but that could be the way that they order it.

When I called them with some questions about lumber I was told that they do not have hardwood, except in moldings, but they get it all the time from another source when needed. He wouldn't tell me what the other source was but said that if I ordered it they would have it.

There are a couple of members here that are from OKC and the surrounding areas, hopefully they will chime in with where they get their lumber from. I am interested in that info myself as down here there are no mills so I am stuck getting stuff from HD and Lowes and a couple other building supply stores, not exactly the best way to go but at my current skill level it more than enough...

[DonHo]

Paxton's?? I didn't know there had been a Paxton's in OKC for at least a couple of years. I think you may be refering to Hogan's (who bought Paxton's), I haven't been there in a couple of months so didn't know they may be closing either. You can buy lumber from WoodCraft on N. May, their prices are a little higher than Hogans on most lumber. I buy a lot of my lumber from Grand River Hardwoods in Pryor, they have their on sawmill and kiln dry their own woods there. They have mostly local hardwoods like red & white oak, walnut, cedar, sycamore, osage orange, etc. They usually have some cherry but they've never had any maple and they don't carry imported hardwoods. For those I often order from Steve Wall online, surprisingly the price is about the same or less including shipping (depends on how much you order) than buying from Woodcraft.

Good luck,
DonHo

I forgot to add that you can buy lumber on ebay, Grand River sells a lot of bookmatch, and specail figured lumber on ebay under the name of mollyb22 and I've also bought from others who list lumber on ebay. Just be sure to check how much shipping will be first, most I've done business with have been fair but I've found a couple who rob you on shipping. To mention Grand River again (no I'm not associated), what I do with them on things I buy on ebay is get them to hold it for me then when I go up to buy other lumber (or to the Tulsa area for any reason) I pick it up. They be happy to hold it for you.

[ChongoChingi]

Thanks for all the input. I did means Hogans. From what I hear they are closing down. My father-in-law was there a couple of days ago looking for cedar. They didnt have any and the guy there didnt think they were going to order anymore. If you go out back they are empty of everything. He also asked if they were shutting down and the guy said he didnt know, but it sounded like he wasnt convinced they were not. Doesnt look good.

My folks live in Claremore so I will have to head out to Pryor and check out what they have.

[CrashResq]

Chongo and Don... I live in Okmulgee and visit Grand River at least once a month... My inlaws live right across the lake from the mill If it would be easier for you guys to buy from them and have me pick it up for you so you could pick it up in Okmulgee (a whole lot closer than Salina) just let me know... I'd be glad to do it.

[DonHo]

Thanks for the offer of picking up the lumber but there is no way my wife would want to miss a trip thru Tulsa so she can check out the quilt shops and JoAnns and both of us wouldn't want to miss stoping in Chouteau for fudge at the Amish Cheese house

DonHo

[CrashResq]

Quilts? JoAnns?... all the more reason to swing through Okmulgee My wife is opening a Quilt/Fabric store downstairs (we live on the second floor of an old Main Street building) in February/March... Let the girls visit and talk quilts and we can go hide in the shop and talk wood

[DonHo]

Just let us know when she gets open, I'm sure my wife will see the logic in stoping by, she never met a quilt shop she didn't like

DonHo

[Red88chevy]

Chongo,

Living in a wood deprived area I understand how difficult it can be to find anything besides what HD carries. Like Don said, Wall Lumber has been good for shipping wood, and if you can use 3' pieces then their short oak, cherry, and walnut is a good price per foot including shipping. If you are looking for speciality woods and willing to make a trip out of it, then Curly Woods south of the Red River in McKinney has wonderful stuff. I had my non wood working brother-in-law drive me out there over Christmas and even he was amazed at all the choices.

[ChongoChingi]

Crash- Thanks for the offer. I visit my parents up there all the time. I will have to make a stop when I get up there

Red- I will definately check out Curly Woods. I make it to Dallas every once in awhile (The wife likes shopping there), so I will swing over to McKinney and stock up!

[DonHo]

For several years(before I got into woodworking) we went to the Dallas Quilt show every March. I've been wanting to go to Curly Woods for sometime but now we go to the Tyler Quilt Show in the spring It's actually OK, though because my daughter lives in Longview so we get to visit her and also see the azalela(?) show. I'm gonna have to invent some good excuse for going to Dallas

DonHo

[DonHo]

FYI
I stoped by Hogans in OKC yesterday to check things out. They had very little for sale other than a limited amount of hardwoods. The guy at the desk was pretty noncommital as to what was going on except to say that owership was changing hands. He didn't know when if ever they would be ready to go and restocked.
DonHo

[ChongoChingi]

Well that is better news than an out right 'No'. Maybe they will change hands and stock back up. They were closed down right after the new year for inventory. Maybe they are just trying to get things calculated before they sell. I'll keep my fingers crossed!