Shopsmith Forums

So, walking through my local Rockler, the thought occurred to me that if I were to pay the prices they are asking for lumber I'd go broke on a single project!

The thought also occurred to me that there has to be places out there that specialize in just lumber. It also happened across my dimly firing synapses that these places also might not do business with the individual consumer preferring instead to work with the Big Box guys and builders ordering in bulk, but in this economic downturn they might have changed their business models to allow individual consumer sales.

Now, how would I go about finding and transacting business with these places? Until I bought my SS, the only places I've ever frequented have been Retail Outlets.

jnimz wrote:So, walking through my local Rockler, the thought occurred to me that if I were to pay the prices they are asking for lumber I'd go broke on a single project!

The thought also occurred to me that there has to be places out there that specialize in just lumber. It also happened across my dimly firing synapses that these places also might not do business with the individual consumer preferring instead to work with the Big Box guys and builders ordering in bulk, but in this economic downturn they might have changed their business models to allow individual consumer sales.

Now, how would I go about finding and transacting business with these places? Until I bought my SS, the only places I've ever frequented have been Retail Outlets.

Hi Jason,
I did a dexknows.com search for "Hardwood lumber" in Denver, CO and got several promising hits. Try it out.

Some days you're the helmet, and some days, you're the "developmentally challenged" person wearing it!

Thanks.

Update: Searching as you specified yielded one place catering to builders, and the other 7 results were places selling various forms of hardwood flooring. As I said, there has to be cheaper places to get lumber (especially when just starting out) than the Big Box places?

(P.S. I was sort of looking for people in the Denver metro area with recommendations)

I believe you have an Austin Hardwoods lumber in Denver. When we had a store in Tampa they couldn't be beat for quality and quantity of wood.
For some reason they closed here in Tampa.

I would try them

Personally, I'd just search for lumberyards near your area (or region).. I'm in the LA area and there are a number of lumberyards to choose from but many more or less cater to people doing remodels and as such may have poor selections for building furniture et-al (as opposed to having 2x4's etc)..

I did a quick google maps search and perhaps Front Range Lumber in Lakewood might work? Their site indicates that they sell hardwoods -- but their prime sellers are for contractors..

There's another possible one called Specialty Wood Products in Aurora that might work -- they claim to have some hardwoods..

Probably the most promising I saw (from a web point of view) was for Frank Paxton Lumber Company in Denver.. They claim to offer domestic/imported hardwoods (Alder,Ash, Aspen, Balsa, Beech,etc). Unfortunately they don't say whether they cater to anyone off the street.. I'd give them a call first!

Try here:

http://woodfinder.com/

You might go to WoodMizers web site and search for a local sawyer because a lot of them have klins. Another place is go to http://www.WoodWeb.com and do a search on the buy and sell form.

I have on occasion stopped at a garage sale and purchased an old headboard, tabletop, or desk and have cannibalized the furniture for the wood. I made some picture frames from the oak sidewall of a bunkbed. Also in my vacation travel in the motorhome, I often stop at small regional lumber supply places and purchase some specialty boards, like clear redwood, myrtle, etc. Locally I have your same problem, the big box stores pushed all the small lumberyards out of business. The box stores only carry construction or craft woods that "turn" (as in retail turnaround) quickly. Out here it's red oak or poplar, or construction grade. The very nice small local supplier of fine and imported wood is understandably very expensive. One idea I have tried successfully, is for a specific project, and entertainment center for my daughter, I asked a local cabinet maker if I could purchase the wood listed on my plans.
Best of luck.

jnimz wrote:Update: Searching as you specified yielded one place catering to builders, and the other 7 results were places selling various forms of hardwood flooring. As I said, there has to be cheaper places to get lumber (especially when just starting out) than the Big Box places?

(P.S. I was sort of looking for people in the Denver metro area with recommendations)

Hi Jason,
I did several searches before I made that earlier post. I got the best results with "Hardwood lumber". Most of the other searches I made did mostly result with flooring companies. When I search for "Hardwood lumber" I got results that include some flooring companies plus the following list: Rocky Mountain Forest Products; Austin Hardwoods; Centennial Wood Company; Palo Duro Hardwoods; Colorado Wholesale Decking and Hardwoods; Imperial Hardwoods; Timber Mountain Hardwoods and Frank Paxton Lumber. None of those are obviously flooring companies by looking at their names, if they are all flooring companies, I apologize for wasting your time.