So I bought $800+ of 1X oak from Lowes this weekend and am now cutting it to make units for a customer.
Imagine my irritation while trying to remove the “stickers” from the 1Xs. Not the standard “Lowes” size stickers but the ones from their supplier “Tom’s, where quality comes to surface” and has the SKU # on it.
“Quality” doesn’t come to surface, the #$% GLUE does!!!!!
Have to use Brake Cleaner to remove it. The regular Lowes SKU stickers come off easily. These “Tom’s” don’t. What crap.
Edited 5/31/2007 9:55 am ET by rwjiudice
Replies
I wonder if anyone uses brake cleaner to actually clean brakes. I've used it for everything but. Wonderful stuff.
The "good" thing about Brake Cleaner is it seems to evaporate quickly without any residue. "Goo Off" leaves an oil on the wood.
I'm probably blasting a 5 foot hole in the ozone layer with every spray, but since I'm 62 and have no more need for hair spray, I'm thinking it's a zero sum effect!!!!!
Edited 5/31/2007 12:11 pm ET by rwjiudice
Try using naptha. It will remove the residue and is safe for most surfaces. You can get naptha at Lowe's or most any hardware store.
Try hitting them with a heat gun or hair dryer. Often heat will plasticize the adhesive and it will peel off without residue.
Then call Lowe's and bitch. If they don't know, they won't have any reason to change.
Edited 5/31/2007 5:00 pm ET by byhammerandhand
I've had the same problem with dimensioned hardwood from Home Depot. My "solution" was to make my cuts so that the sticker was on a piece of scrap - or hidden.
I once scraped off a sticker and cleaned up the glue with some paint thinner. Everything looked fine until I applied my stain - the sticker location telegraphed thru like a neon sign.
The guy at HD told me that they couldn't do much about it. The hardwoods had the stickers when they arrived at the store.
"My 'solution' was to make my cuts so that the sticker was on a piece of scrap - or hidden."
My solution is to go to a real lumber yard or sawmill for anything other than the occasional 2X4 or sheet of drywall. I'm lucky that there are several nearby me. I shudder to think what I'd have to do if that were not the case.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
My question is why in the world would anyone pay those rediculous prices on wood from Lowes or Home Depot?
Well, I can think of two reasons: Convenience and availability.
First, they will will cut long/large stock to fit into my car. The local lumber yards won't do that. So either I buy from a big-box store, or I rent/borrow a truck, which isn't always easy for me.
Second, they sell small quantities. If I only need a 1x2x24 to practice joinery, they are happy to sell it to me that way. Try that at the local lumber yard.
Third, they sell dimensioned hardwood. Very limited species, but for those of us that don't own a planer nor a joiner, it is our only option.
Fourth, they are open nights and weekends. For those of us that can't make a lumberyard run during the work week, the Big Boxes are open on the evenings, all day Saturday and Sunday too. The lumber yards aren't.
If I didn't have access to the big-box stores, there is no way I could pursue a woodworking hobby. I agree that they aren't a good place to buy hardwood but it beats no place at all.
I'm amazed. You might look around - every wood/mill/etc., place I've gone to will be happy to cut stuff down for you. They may charge for jointing, planing, etc., but 'make it fit' is usually free.
My experience with Home Depot is going though all their maple to find 2 6' pieces than more or less were the same color.
Regrettably, in many locations, Lowes and Home Depot are the only places the non-pro can find wood.
For example, here in Louisville, there are no, open-to-the-PITA-public, hardwood lumber yards. Period.
There is one that will "let" you order hardwood, sight unseen, no order under $100, pick it up tomorrow, please don't bother the help, location here.
Somehow I can't bring myself to give them my business.
Mike D
Call Frank Miller Lumber (Union City, IN). They deliver in a wide area, free, as long as you can wait until the next truckload comes to your town, usually once a week or more often. I'm about the same distance away as you and they come right to the door with the lumber and now also sell plywood.http://www.frankmiller.com/I don't know that they have a minimum delivery order, but I don't think so, unless you start abusing the privilege.
Thanks,
I've bookmarked the page!
Mike D
Wow - I'm surprised. I visited 3 places saturday - 2 just to look and one to pick up a trailerload. All these places cater to consumer and pros and are very welcoming and helpful. Being as I'm near Toronto, I would have expected you folk to have it easier. Btw - names are exotic woods (Burlington), Cedar Creek and A&W in Cambridge.
When we were living in Phoenix, AZ in the middle of the desert, there was a very nice hardwood lumber yard that had nearly everything you could want - and wanted your business as well.So, when we moved here to Louisville, since you can't see 20 feet in any direction for the darn trees, I just assumed that someone ought to be selling lumber from them somewhere. Nope!Oh, well, there's always mail order. :)Mike D
Mike, you might want to try calling some cabinet shops or furniture-makers in your area. They might be able to direct you to someone, or even help you get some wood through them.
I talked to the guy who made the front entrance for my new house, and he gave me a couple of phone numbers and then invited me over to his shop to pick through his scrap bin. I probably won't be able to make any tabletops that way, but I'm sure I can find a few nice pieces for practing joints, finishes, etc.
I spoke with Daren Hiatt at Frank Miller Lumber today on some other issues and he said they also deliver to Louisville. They specialize in quarter- and rift-sawn wood. They also carry exotics and plywoods.If you make a lot of small stuff, like boxes, they also sell pallet loads of off-cuts for firewood that make some fine trimmings.
I used to think that way too. I didn't own a jointer or a planer. But here's what I found.
The dimensioned lumber at the box stores was not straight or clean enough to edge glue. The selection was not adequate.
Many lumber yards are open with limited hours on Saturdays. Some who wouldn't cut the lumber for me permitted me to use my circular saw and cut it before fitting it into the car. I would often go on my lunch hour to purchase lumber as well.
The internet now provides many options. I realize it is a bit risky, but suppliers like Hogan Hardwoods are reputable dealers who can deliver quality woods to your doorstep for a small fee. I can get my lumber shipped from 150 miles away for $9.50.
If you have no jointer, get a good plane and learn how to produce edge glue joints. Or use a router and a straight bit with an edge guide. You still may want to purchase milled lumber, but you will need to clean up edges from time to time.GREG
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Brake cleaner works well, as some have told you. The hot air blower does a decent job, but you still have to clean the sticker residue off. When all else fails, I use a caninet scraper to get down to bare wood. If you have a planer /jointer make sure your glue edges are uniform so there are no gaps and a straight edge. With the wide variety of grain patterns in their lumber, make sure you get lumber that matches in grain and color. Oak is known to have variations of both from the same tree. When selecting, view both sides of the boards and you may be able to match up grain and color easier. Your paying for the lumber, so take your time when selecting it if you are going to glue the lumber edge to edge. Your project will turn out a lot better if you take this extra step.
Try 3M Adhesive Remover.
Vic
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