Free lumber!!

[dehrlich]

Ok not really, but it got your attention didn't it? Anyway as some of you know I have been talking about trying to offer some hardwoods at decent prices so you don't have to pay the inflated prices at the box stores. Look at the "sign blanks revisited" thread to see what I mean, I have also posted a few of my prices there. I am in the process of building a page on my website (www.kansaswood.com (http://www.kansaswood.com)) so you can purchase by the LF, BF or in packs. I wanted to get more input from as many as possible so that I can bring in extra stock that not only I can move, but you can and will use. This is in an effort to help all of us make more money on the products we create. Here are some of my questions:

Some of you have said that if you can get oak and maple for the same price you are paying for pine, you would rather do that. So would you still use pine for some projects? Is knotty pine ok or do you need clear?

What are the widths you most often use? Do you ever need anything narrower than 6"?

If you use Walnut, would you want the steamed stuff or do you prefer it not be steamed? If you are not familiar with this, it is a process during the drying that they use to make the sapwood darker, therefore more usable, but it makes it all kind of a washed out color.

What species would you most likely use? I plan to offer Red Oak, Hard Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Poplar, Pine, Mahogany. Are there others you would like? I can get about anything.

Think that's it. Anything else you would like to add would be great. Help me help you!!

[Digitalwoodshop]

I think we all get the idea.. You have wood to sell to this community of carvers...... and you are getting a little frustrated that the checks are not rolling in.... We sense the desperation.... You might try joining Sawmill Creek and make a contribution. That lets you post on the buy sell thread. You have a wider market of Wood Users from Pen turners to Sign Makers....

As a community when WE see a Good Thing like the ROCK or the Ringneck Blues all Metal collector we JUMP to buy them. This is a Hard Sell here trying to make money off the Community. I post my website below and in over 5 years I have never made a sale of Fire Tags because of someone seeing what I do on my site. I post my site as I am Proud that the CW has enabled me to make the stuff on both of my sites... And soon my Navy Site will go active and again, all because of the CW I can make the products like Cribbage Boards and Epoxy Domed Visitor Badges.

Good Luck,

AL

[dehrlich]

No Al, I'm not trying to hard sell, and I'm not getting frustrated. All I'm trying to do is A: make sure I have what everyone needs which will lead to B: making sure I sell what I get. I don't want a bunch of dead stock laying around, I don't have room for that. If anyone is offended by what I'm trying to do then tell me and I will quit. Sure I see a chance to make a little money but believe it or not I do want to help those people that are paying too much for material and get them a better deal. If that's not OK with everyone then I will leave it alone. Thanks

[lawrence]

Agree with Al, but please don't take that as a discouragement to make your service available, just understand that this place is not full of potential clients... we're pretty cheap ;)

I will however, try to answer your questions for ya,

I get oak short for close to the price of high-grade pine (from a lumberyard, not a big box). Old growth or tightgrained pine is actually more... Maple is a little higher around here, but that's because New England is a loooong way away from me :) I think most folks use clear pine when they can for carving

I rarely need narrower than 6" - the wider the better... but it HAS to be properly cured. A super-wide but twisted board, though useful to those of us here with the tools or ability to flatten, is only asking for trouble for those that would try to use a twisted board in their machines. If you can flatten, let acclimate, and then reflatten wide boards- this would be a service I could see folks using.

I love air dried walnut. For those out there that haven't used it, it is like carving into dark chocolate...It'll spoil you so that you never want to again use the steamed/kiln dried stuff

My suggestion for this enterprise is that you create a small webpage advertising some flat rate boxes of already flattened wide boards or glue ups - these "game boxes" are great in that you can fit quite a bit of wood in them
https://store.usps.com/store/browse/productDetailSingleSku.jsp?categoryNav=false&navAction=jump&navCount=45&productId=P_GB_FRB&categoryId=subcatMSS_B_Free
With a little care, you can get over 7 bf of wood into one of these boxes and ship it anywhere in the US for $14.45 (buying postage online)

Most folks can get red oak and pine- it's pretty universal. Some though have never carved into maple, walnut, cherry, or mahogany... these are my favorite woods to carve and are usually how I market products to my customers
(do you want light wood (maple), light-medium which will darken over time (cherry), medium (mahogany) or dark (walnut)... of course sometimes the build construction is a factor in my wood choices too. If you offered up flat rate boxes
of these woods, pre flattened and milled, I could see where you may get buyers at the right price. Heck, while I'm on my RV trip next year, I could see me getting some from you.

I suggest you put a link to your website on the bottom of your sigline and leave it at that- as you continue to become a part of our community, folks will naturally find your site and if they or someone they know needs some wood, if your reputation
is high enough folks will point to your link.

Just my .02 - I'll take that as a .02 refund on my first order next year ;)

Lawrence

[dehrlich]

Rather than get upset about any negative comments on this subject, I am just going to say that I was just trying to find out where the market was. It's not like I intended to post this big ad every week to get people to buy. I sell plenty of lumber locally, this isn't going to make or break me. I will just say I sell lumber on my website. In a few weeks there will be a page that will allow you to buy what you want in small quantities. If you want to buy it, please do. If you don't that's fine. I don't want to become "that a**hole that's trying to make money off us" here on the forum. I enjoy being a part of this community and want it to stay that way. I appologize to anyone that feels I have wasted thier time with my postings. I will be removing the threads I have started relating to this subject this evening. Thank you for those of you that have posted useful information. Darren

[fwharris]

Rather than get upset about any negative comments on this subject, I am just going to say that I was just trying to find out where the market was. It's not like I intended to post this big ad every week to get people to buy. I sell plenty of lumber locally, this isn't going to make or break me. I will just say I sell lumber on my website. In a few weeks there will be a page that will allow you to buy what you want in small quantities. If you want to buy it, please do. If you don't that's fine. I don't want to become "that a**hole that's trying to make money off us" here on the forum. I enjoy being a part of this community and want it to stay that way. I appologize to anyone that feels I have wasted thier time with my postings. I will be removing the threads I have started relating to this subject this evening. Thank you for those of you that have posted useful information. Darren

Don't delete your threads on this topic. Some good information for all and I don't think anyone was trying to shut you down from selling the wood listing here.

[badbert]

You can run a big a$$ ad every post! Put it in your signature! I am waiting to see your pricing. I have a Master woodworker/Lumber Lord about 10 minutes from my house, he sells me rough sawn maple and air dried walnut for cheap! I usually buy $100 at a time, and need a hi-lo to load it all! Most I ever paid for a board was a planed 4 sides 15.5" wide 7' long piece of highly figured spalted hackberry for $35! Hackberry is so rare around these parts, he wasn't sure what it was! LOL

[dehrlich]

You can run a big a$$ ad every post! Put it in your signature! I am waiting to see your pricing. I have a Master woodworker/Lumber Lord about 10 minutes from my house, he sells me rough sawn maple and air dried walnut for cheap! I usually buy $100 at a time, and need a hi-lo to load it all! Most I ever paid for a board was a planed 4 sides 15.5" wide 7' long piece of highly figured spalted hackberry for $35! Hackberry is so rare around these parts, he wasn't sure what it was! LOL

I put the prices in the other thread "sign blanks revisited" if you want to check that out. As for hackberry, it's pretty cheap around here. I sell it all day long for $3.25 per BF. There are sometimes some pretty big boards, I built a blanket chest all from one board that was 22" wide and 12 ft long. I got some splated quartersawn sycamore in my racks right now that I want to see how it carves, that's pretty reasonable stuff too. Anyway, page will but up soon. Thanks for the support!

[Digitalwoodshop]

And don't forget about Sawmill Creek Forum too..... All you need to do is make a Contribution to be able to post in the buy and sell section. Wood is often sold on that thread.

AL

[dehrlich]

I'm getting close, having trouble getting the buttons to work, won't add shipping for some reason. I'm sure everyone would love free shipping LOL. Stock is due this week. I'm trying having it milled by a dual head planer so it takes care of any twist etc... comes out flat and smooth just like the box stores (and saves my back!).

Thanks Al, I will check out the Sawmill Creek site.