Replies

1. 
   kennedy136 | Jan 16, 2003 07:57pm | #1

   Rick,

         In my area(NE OH)  I'm paying 4 to 5 $ per board foot for cherry.  8/4 is a little more.  This is for rough sawn and they add 10 cents a bd.ft. if I want it S2S.  Straight lining one edge is another nickle.  Email me at [email protected] if you want me to put you in contact with my source.  Even with shipping it would probably still be cheaper for you.

                                                         Mark

2. 
   johnhardy | Jan 16, 2003 08:19pm | #2

   Badger Hardwoods is, I think, in Wisconsin. They ship and their prices are very reasonable. I've used them for cherry, quarter sawn white oak, and walnut. They get something over $5 for 4/4 cherry and something over $6 for 8/4. Shipping would be UPS.

   I have no affiliation with Badger. Their web site is http://www.badgerwood.com.

   John

1. 
   fdampier5 | Jan 16, 2003 08:28pm | #5

   Badger is just outside La Crosse Wisc. Giant of an operation!  local mills are much more reasonable.. Hundreds of them in the area..

3. 
   unTreatedwood | Jan 16, 2003 08:24pm | #3

   I live in Bergen County and work in Morris County.  I have found Hearne Hardwoods to have very fair prices with great delivery practices.

   http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/

   I have used them for maple and cherry.  They are known for their cherry.

   Big Bob

4. 
   fdampier5 | Jan 16, 2003 08:26pm | #4

   wood goes from the forest to the sawmill,  from the sawmill to the kiln, from the kiln to the distributor, from the distributor to the consolidator (he buys bunkers of wood and breaks them up for each lumberyard,  200 bd.feet to X lumberyard and 600 bd.ft. to Y lumberyard etc. )   (I'll bet you've never seen your lumberyard with a bunker of cherry.)

        Each stop along the way someones hand is out. the real trick is to buy enough wood at one time so you can avoid a few hands..

     I pay $1.20 a bd.ft. for cherry here.. FAS grade( first and select)  green rough at the mill.. If I buy mill run I can get it for 80cents.  (mill run is unsorted, as it comes off the log.  a lot of mills have to pay a grader to sort the wood that adds a dime a bd.ft. around here)  bigger mills will have someone on the payroll and there won't be any price break for mill run (or you will get 2nds and 3rds..  (you don't want 3rds no matter howw much "charcter" you like))

        I take it home and in a year it air drys.. If I'm in more of a rush I can dry it down to 8% in a month by putting it in my house and running a dehumidifier.

     The savings are enough to buy the equipment you'll need to plane and joint the wood yourself..

     If a thousand bd. ft. sounds daunting get together with some of your woodworking buddies and split the order up.. if all you need is a hundred bd. ft. get ten buddies who need the same amount.. 

     Go to the sawmill and see what kinda deal you can get.. most are fairly small..some are evan friendly..

1. 
   RickL750 | Jan 17, 2003 06:48pm | #10

   Hi Guys,

   Thank you all for your assistance. I did checkout some of your suggestions and this is what I found for those of you in Jersey that care. These prices are for 4/4 clear 1-face or FAS.

   Center Lumber in Paterson - $6.39bf

   Jefferson Lumber - $4.90 linear ft (they sell dimensional lumber only)

   Casterline in Morristown – $8.20bf

   M.L. Condon White Plains, NY – $5.95bf 

   I have more but won’t bather posting them I just wanted to show you the wide range of prices I found. After eliminating the middlemen as suggested by some of you and being referred to a saw mill by a fellow woodworker on another forum, I found great value at Fisher & Sons sawmill a father and son operation in Andover, NJ thirty minutes from Morristown and my house. I spoke to them on the phone and found them very helpful and pleasant, they even invited me over to look around and I plan to in the next couple of days.  

   They have FAS 4/4 rough sawn, kiln-dried cherry for $3.50bf  

   I’ve provided a link to a fellow woodworkers website that referred me to them. He visited the facility last summer and wrote a little review. So if you’re in North Jersey and need lumber this might be the place.

    http://www.bonjoel.com/woodinfo/fischer.htm

   Thanks again,

   RickL

   P.S. Disclaimer no I’m not affiliated blah, blah, blah. I’m just happy as a pig in *** to find good value.

1. 
   TerryH13 | Jan 26, 2003 11:19pm | #11

   RICK,

   Have you tried:

   Willard Brothers In Trenton NJ.

   300 Basin Rd.

   Trenton, NJ 08619

   Ph.: NJ- 609-890-1900

          PA 215-493-9400

   I go there regularly and they have a nice selection of different woods.

   I just went to Groff & Groff they have a lot of lumber a lot of it not surfaced but am sure they can do that for you. They also have some small pieces of lumber like 15ft lg X 3ft. w aprox. 3in+ thk. They mill a lot of their lumber right there.

   Hope this helps.

   Terry

1. 
   RickL750 | Jan 27, 2003 03:24pm | #12

   Thanks for the info.

   Rickl

2. 
   ETG | Jan 27, 2003 03:46pm | #13

   Frenchy:

   Not sure how your yard/mill grades, but the hardwood association and most vendors I deal with in PA, particularly in cherry have the following grading schedule in descending order: FAS which stands for Firsts and Seconds, then comes Selects (not the S in FAS), then No. 1 common.  Many furniture companies including Statton and Thos Moser buy a lot of No. 1 common and then sort to get the most out of the wood.  The labor content is cheaper than buying FAS.   I buy from Hearne Hardwoods and Groff and Groff - both in southeastern PA and have gotten No. 1 kiln-dryed cherry for as low as $1.50.

1. 
   fdampier5 | Jan 27, 2003 06:46pm | #14

   I too have heard of it refered to as first and seconds,  however I've more often heard of it referal as first and select.  esp when dealing with maple. In maple the clean white board is prefered and a board with the start of brown streak in it which isn't technically a defect is put in the 2'nds pile, as are boards with any amount of brown in them..

     There is more maple in Minnesota than any other hardwood thus the use of first and select rather than first and seconds..

      Actually from a practical standpoint I believe that first and seconds refers to the first and second board off the log, supposedly the boards with the fewest defects.. If you watch the milling process for a while you will understand that just isn't so..  firsts may come from deep in the log just as easily as the first board slabbed off.

    Therefore I believe that first and select is a more accurite discription of the quality of the wood rather than first and seconds..

     But hey,  I live in fly over land so what could I possibly know?  ;-)

1. 
   ETG | Jan 27, 2003 07:10pm | #15

   I understand what you are saying, but in terms of grading, if the mill is following hardwood association rules, the definitions have to be strict.  Folks can get very upset when they part with their money based on loose interpretations.  If the mill states the wood they are selling is FAS, then I sure don't want Select mixed in for my dollar - remember Select is the 3rd category after First and Seconds.  I see so many posts on this site and FHB regarding both lumber and tools where they've really neglected to do their homework.  Unfortunately in today's marketplace, you have to be extremely informed if you want to buy (really making an investment) in wood or tools.  It never ceases to amaze me the folks who wander into a big box store with no intent to buy a tool but end up walking out with a drill or a saw or whatever.   All they have done is succomb to a well done selling campaign.  But hey, who has time to read/understand any of this? - we're a instant gratification/snap decision society and the manufacturers/suppliers know it.

1. 
   fdampier5 | Jan 28, 2003 01:44am | #16

   I've spent many an hour inthe grading shed with them,   they refer to it as first and select.. since they sell several million bd.ft. a year I'm inclined to believe their grading meets somebodies rules.

     Incidently I see #2 broken into 2A and 2B plus Most of what you seem to be refering to as select is graded 3A or 3B

     Some of their customers have been buying from them for many decades. They've either accepted that grading or regrade it according to their needs.

     I do agree it is wise to purchase lower grade and resort according to your actual use..  There is no use paying a premium for  the highest grade wood when you cut things into less than 8 foot lengths.  

   Edited 1/27/2003 5:51:13 PM ET by frenchy

5. 
   roninfante | Jan 16, 2003 08:35pm | #6

   Ricke,

   Call Center Lumber in Patterson.  I don't know their current prices for cherry but I have found them to be reasonable.  Their material is generally rough.  Casterline, in Morristown has surfaced wood but I have been using rough stuff for the past several years so I don't know what they are charging.

   Ron

6. 
   gpasewicz | Jan 17, 2003 12:08am | #7

   You could try Groff & Groff in Quarryville, PA.  The prices seem reasonable, the service is good.

1. 
   AlanTurner | Jan 17, 2003 01:24am | #8

   That's where I shop, and love it.  They will ship also.  Used to be Groff & Hearne, and then they split up, and are about 10-15 miles from each other near Lancaster, Pa.  Close to the Md. border.  Hearne carries a ton of exotics, while G&G is more focused on the domestics.  Very wide boards sometimes available.  I got a flitch of 8 planks of Cherry, 12' long, 5/4.  Sapwood and some knots, so planing one's cuts was challenging.  Got a top out one board that is 20" by 52 ", clear, no sapwood.  Still have a plank or two.  It was very reasonable.

   Edited 1/17/2003 2:11:59 PM ET by s4s

7. 
   ScottTN | Jan 17, 2003 07:12am | #9

   Have you tried Wall Lumber Co. in North Carolina (http://www.walllumber.com)?  (No this isn't an advertisement, just a genuine recommendation)  I have been ordering from them for quite a few years now.  Material I receive is usually pretty good.  I get a bad board every now and then, but prices are reasonable and thay have a good selection.  With shipping, select cherry is a lot less than $8.20 bf.  I just checked and select 4/4 cheerry is currently $4.90 plus about $1 bf for shipping for 100 bf.  

   I did run into trouble with the shipping company though.  I was quoted one price and when the shipment arrived I had to pay double the freight charge.  This happened twice.  I finally had Wall Lumber prepay the shipping and it worked out fine after that.

   Scott