Does anyone have any recommendations for hardwood lumber supply in Central Florida? I’ve just moved to the Dunnellon area (20 mi SW of Ocala).
Rich
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Replies
Rich, I'm a little farther south, Arcadia, but I think there's a place in Lakeland called Lakeland Hardwoods that I've heard has a pretty good selection. Check out the Orlando area, I know there's a Woodcraft in Castleberry. Tampa should be a good place to look, too.
Jerry
I tried Lakeland Hardwoods the last time I was looking for some cherry. As I recall, they wanted something like 7.50 a bd. ft. for 4/4 rough Select. I haven't found any place in Tampa that's worth anything. I get my stuff from Wall Lumber in North Carolina - even with freight, it's cheaper than what I've found locally.
Thanks guys. I was really surprised to find so little available here. I just checked out the Wall Lumber site. That looks like just what I need. Even with freight charges, those are prices I can live with. Rich
You're not very close to Orlando, but there are some sources here that you may not know about, but which might make it practical to drive over on occasion. Are you interested in a board or two now and then, or do you have a commercial interest and a business entity?
Jimma, a few years ago I dealt with a company called, (I believe) Heritage Lumber. Are they still around? They had some great prices, and carried a huge inventory.
Jimma,I am not a commercial operation by any means. But my needs consist of between a hundred to several hundred board feet at a time, of mixed species, every few months.
The reason I asked if you were a commercial operation is because some sources in the Orlando area only sell to commercial accounts -- McEwan Lumber (now Hood) and Cramer Lumber in Sanford are among them. Both are fairly large suppliers of domestic hardwoods to the cabinet and carpentry trades. As Earl Kelly mentioned, Amazon Exotic Hardwoods is a great source of exotics and certain domestic lumber. (I was in their place just yesterday.) I couldn't find a listing for Heritage, so I guess they are gonzo. You might also check on line at Woodweb for other sources, but I think having lumber shipped is probably a practical solution at some point. If you do that, Northwoods in Virginia (or, is it Northland?) is a good company and they supply some of the local guys with domestic hardwood. I've also heard good things about Wall. If you only need a stick or two, Woodcraft is a good source but only at full retail prices, and they are open seven days. Their store in Casselberry on the north side of Orlando also has a huge inventory of tools and accessories on the floor. Good luck -- Jim
Thanks Jim,
In all the areas I've lived (Phila., No. Cal., So. Cal., Honolulu, Maui), Ive always been able to walk into any lumber yard and buy any quantity from a few bd ft to a few truck loads. Even the big suppliers didn't shut out the small guys.
The combination of nothing at all within a hundred miles of me, plus the "commercial-only" yards here is a problem.
Wall lumber looks good, at this point.
Rich
I know the feeling, but then I bet you'll get to know the environment for wood after while and, then, hopefully, feel better about things. Being in a smallish community where there aren't a lot of hardwood consumers probably accounts for some of your frustration. On the plus side, you don't have Orlando traffic!
Rich: While a bit of a hike from Ocala, you might try Alva Hardwoods in Alva, FL (just east of Ft. Myers on Route 80. I've had pretty good luck but buy in small quantities so don't know how they compare with other sources. They have a great selection of exotics. Don't know their web-site address offhand but found it through google. It's closed between June-Sept. Owner is very accomodating. Times I've been there commercial customers have said they're from Tampa and Orlando. They'll also ship. Maybe others from Knots from S. Florida have experience with them also.
Bruce
Thanks Bruce.I found the Web site.
Bruce, I know them well. Merrill Morrison, the owner, is a great guy. He's got some property in W. Virginia, and I believe he's planning on moving there in the future. I looked for his web site recently to see when he's returning, but a window came up that said the domain name was available. I was worried he might have already moved.
Where are you located? I'm in the big town of Arcadia.
Jerry
Jerry: It would be unfortunate to have Alva close-up. His web-site http://www.alvahardwoods.com is still active.
I live in Cape Coral and don't know of any other local hardwood sources in the Ft. Myers area. Do you know of any? Moved here 7 years ago from NH where good sources were available.
Bruce
Bruce, I deal also with Whittlesey Wood Products. Their main office is in Miami, I believe. They're out by the SW FL International airport. Not as much selection as Merrill in variety, but they supply to the cabinet trade, with plenty of hardwood ply and paper-backed veneer. Their prices on rough lumber is, I believe, excellent for here.
Jerry
Thanks, Jerry. Did hear about them but didn't realize they had rough stock. Will check it out.
Bruce
Rich14,
Try Amazon Exotic Hardwoods in Casselberry. He handles domestic and exotics, figured and some run of the mill stuff. He has a large selection of turning woods. And Woodcraft is right down the road.
Thanks Earl,
That's about 110 miles from me. I've been to the Altamonte area once. I'll try to get to Casselberry my next trip over there.
One of things about living in Florida that has surprised me, is the very long drives we've had to make for any kind of services. Having lived in California, where driving was a way of life, we never put on mileage like we're doing here!
Rich
Edited 8/16/2007 10:46 am ET by Rich14
Rich, I am surprised to see you have moved from northern Arizona to Florida. I thought you were moving into a new home in AZ and setting up a shop. Did you take your Hammer slider or cancel the order?
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
Jerry,
It's a bit of a tale. The job transfer happened almost overnight in April (actually it all took place in about 2 weeks including a trip to Florida for my wife and I to check out the "lay of the land" and for me to accept the new position - a promotion).
The deal was confirmed just as the boat carrying my combo machine was arriving in Sacramento.
I had ordered my machine in November, 2006. You may remember that I had been contacted by Hammer when their sales manager saw some of my messages on this Forum and realized that I had misunderstood the specs on the combo machine. I had ordered the machine thinking that the shaper had the ability to tilt as it did in the stand alone model or in the saw/shaper model. But the shaper in the combo machine can't tilt due to the construction of the chassis.
My combo machine hadn't left Austria and Hammer advised that I could change my order and "upgrade" to a 2-machine purchase of the shaper/slider saw, to get a tilting shaper, plus the jointer/planer/mortiser for a higher total price than the combo machine.
I decided to stay with the combo model. When I called them in April to advise that the machine needed to be shipped to Florida, not Arizona (a significant increase in shipping cost), they offered me a very attractive solution to the situation.
They took the combo machine into stock at the Sacramento facility, and placed a new order for a shaper/slider saw and a jointer/planer/mortiser to be shipped to Delaware, and trucked to Florida. The difference in the shipping cost of the combo machine from Sacramento to Florida vs shipping 2 smaller packages from Delaware to Florida almost offset the cost of the 2-machine purchase vs a combo. I believe I'm getting the 2-machine deal for about $200 more than the combo would have cost when the Sacramento to Florida shipping is factored in.
The new shipment is being readied in Delaware as we speak. The machines just arrived there, have gone through their inspection and setup and will be in Florida shortly.
Unfortunately, I have no workshop here! We are renting a small house while we look for a lot to build or an existing house to buy. I have a 2-gar garage that is quite small as garages go. It's JUST big enough for 2 cars (it's the smallest 2-car garage I have ever seen). There is no 220 power in the garage and my landlord is not interested in a wiring project, even if I pay for everything. The only way I could get 220 to the machines would be to jury-rig an extension cord into the laundry room to pick up 220 from there. Frankly, I don't know how I am even going to check that everything is ok with the machines when they arrive. But I'll work on that! They are probably going to stay under wraps for quite a while until I have a place to work.
I'll post some pictures when they arrive.
Rich
Rich, thanks for the update as it was a bit of a tale. I think you will be happier with 2 machines vs. the combo. I am surprised that the combo shaper does not tilt. The picture in the catalog shows a tilt handwheel but the spec sheet says no tilt.
I would recommend running a de-humidifier where your machines are stored, if you do not you will see some rust on you new machines. As you know the air in Florida is very humid unlike Arizona.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
Jerry,
I have been working out several dehumidification schemes involving both heaters and dehumidifiers. You think you have to warn me about Florida humidity??!!!!
With the combination of temperature and humidity, it is impossible to do any kind of physical exertion without becoming soaked in sweat. I tried changing a flat on my bike this past weekend in the garage. In five minutes I was drenched, head to toe. Sweat was running off my head and face like I had run a marathon. Had to shower and change clothes. I brought the bike inside to do the job. The central A/C runs 24 hours a day. We never had A/C on Maui. In Arizona we used it, maybe once or twice for a few hours.
Mornings are 95%+ RH and about 78 degrees. The temp gets to 95-97 every day with RH at about 65. It was 103, 3 days ago with a Heat Index of 110. Locals here have been telling me this is the hotest summer in memory.
Rich
Rich,
I'm sure you are well acquainted with warm climate conditions, but check out the Take the Heat thread and stay hydrated man!
Been following the weather reports as I have family on northern FL and you folks have been gettin' scorched!
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 8/17/2007 2:24 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Some suggestions to beat the rust in Florida, when you get your machines set up. Give the iron surfaces a coat of Boeshield T-9 followed by a good coat of Johnson's paste wax. Keep the machines covered when not in use - I use old cotton bed sheets, which seem to work just fine.My gar...err, studio has a bunch of insulation blown in overhead and I put foam insulating panels in the door. I run a window AC unit when I'm out there if the temp is above 80 or so, which is all the time right now now. The temp rarely gets above 85 with the AC off, with the insulation I have.Guests are always welcome if you get down this way.
Thanks Dick
Rich/Dick: Ditto on the humidity and rust problem. Boeshield every few weeks on tablesaw and jointer works well. My Cape Coral studio.... err garage is hotter than blazes this time of year. Garage is all block construction with no window so a window A/C is not an option. Need to insulate my garage door. What did you use? Hopefully that will help until I can afford to add a separate small A/C unit. Builder suggested cutting in a vent with open/close mechanism in my main duct leading into the house next to the air handler in the garage. Am not sure of the wisdom of that and am worried about screwing up the house system. Oh, well.
Maybe Bob in NH can send some cool weather down and we'll send heat up to Northern NH this Winter :)
Welcome to FL Rich. Where are you located?
Bruce
Bruce, I'm in Dunnellon (actually Rainbow Springs). Rich
Bruce,
Geeeesh, this summer (it's called that somewhere) has been, well I can't say it in here or I'd no doubt be banned! Today it's 50° and raining AGAIN!
We have virtually NO summer to speak of so send that heat up here and I'll send our cool down there!
Maybe Mel can figure out a way to can the heat and make a fortune selling it up here!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Hi Bruce,To insulate the garage door, I cut two inch rigid foam panels to fit the recesses in the door. Found sheets of the stuff at the Borg. I stuck it on with spray adhesive - check the can first, some of it says 'not for use with foam'. One stubborn piece kept falling out, so I gave it some construction adhesive. I also have block construction but the outside wall faces North and the door faces East, which helps quite a bit. I have a 12,000 BTU window unit and it keeps the place around 76F without a problem.
Thanks, Dick. I was thinking of using construction adhesive but it sounds like the spray might be easier and provide more uniform adhesion of the foam. Will check the can at your suggestion. Appreciate the input. Did you paint the ridgid foam before installing? Foam insulation I've seen is blue but maybe it comes in white which would be even better. Will check it out at Home Depot or Lowes down the street.
Bruce
Bruce, the foam that I found was white with a sheet of thin plastic stuck to one side. I put it on with the plastic showing and did not paint it. I found that insulating the door made a big difference. Good luck.Regards,
Dick
Rich,
I live in Venice and do a little woodworking in my garage and buy most of my woodfrom Wall Lumber also. I do make trips back and forth to New England soI generally stop by and pick mine up. However, there is a place in Sarasote on Cattleman. I can't remeber the name right now but for a piece or two it's OK but pricey.
Rich, I'm sure I could find some room for you to "store" your equipment in my shop. You could even see how everything works, and I could "test" everything while you traveled back and forth to your home.
Seriously, welcome to Florida.
Creekwood,
That's a very generous offer. I take it you would charge me a very fair rate for "storing" my stuff and "testing" it?
Rich
By all means, Rich. I know what you're thinking, how it would put me out, and how generous an offer it is, but I'd have to charge a small fee to offset my inconvenience.
I'm sure we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.
When you do get set up, let us know. I have to go to Gainesville about once a month, and I'd love to see that Hammer in use.
BTW, you get used to the humidity. Give it about 5 years.
Rich
If you are satisfied with Steve Wall's stuff, there's little reason to change. If you find you wood like a wider board selection and a little higher quality hardwood, look into The North Carolina Hardwood Store in Gibsonville NC. I have been to both of the places and I find NCHS to have nicer stuff. The guy who runs the place is almost always on-site and he is a real straight shooter. If you write to them or call ask for Hilton Peal and you're on your way. If you check the site, you'll find his prices are a little higher but they are in the ball park.
Dan
Thanks Dan. I'll check it out.
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