I love my local wood dealer.


Denette

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I got walnut for $4.75 a board foot.  B)

It's staffed by a bunch of retired guys who work there from 9-noon two days a week.  So glad they're open, because without them I'd be driving a whole lot farther and paying a whole lot more!  Anyone else on here in central Arkansas?  Check him out!  

http://www.steenhardwoods.com

I'd driven right past it a thousand times and never even knew he was there until about a year ago.  

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11 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

Looks like a nice place. Too bad its a 3+ hour drive for me. Local supply here is mostly the "Uncle Cletus" variety, as we have a hardwood flooring factory in town that sucks up all the good stuff.

Who needs an uncle cletus when you can just cletus it on your own like I do? 

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21 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

we have a hardwood flooring factory in town that sucks up all the good stuff.

I hate those guys ;).  Whenever I don't feel like driving an hour to my regular supplier I go to the local yard.  It is an annex to the primary yard in Anaheim and now seems to get only the dregs of the species used in their flooring products.  I actually can't remember the last time I went there for just this reason.

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Honestly those prices are a little on the high side, especially the cherry.  But if you like the place and the product and it's convenient for you, that's all that matters.  $4.75/bf for 4/4 walnut commons is about right, but it's definitely not a bargain.  Their prices on FAS walnut are about on par with ours, they're slightly higher.  Should be a fair comparison given the geography. 

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1 hour ago, gee-dub said:

I hate those guys ;).  Whenever I don't feel like driving an hour to my regular supplier I go to the local yard.  It is an annex to the primary yard in Anaheim and now seems to get only the dregs of the species used in their flooring products.  I actually can't remember the last time I went there for just this reason.

What is your go to spot? 

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Honestly those prices are a little on the high side, especially the cherry.  But if you like the place and the product and it's convenient for you, that's all that matters.  $4.75/bf for 4/4 walnut commons is about right, but it's definitely not a bargain.  Their prices on FAS walnut are about on par with ours, they're slightly higher.  Should be a fair comparison given the geography. 

Well it is good quality lumber and it is the least expensive option out here. I don't shop anywhere else anymore, unless I need exotics.

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Backyard (or back water) mill with sketchy drying procedures. 

This. There's one of these guys 5 minutes from my house, but the wood is so completely unpredictable that I rarely go there. He runs a tree service and dries and sells what he cuts, which is a great thing to do, but he doesn't really have the hang of the drying process yet it seems. I'll give him another chance in a year or so and see if he has improved.

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On August 1, 2016 at 8:35 AM, Eric. said:

Honestly those prices are a little on the high side, especially the cherry.  But if you like the place and the product and it's convenient for you, that's all that matters.  $4.75/bf for 4/4 walnut commons is about right, but it's definitely not a bargain.  Their prices on FAS walnut are about on par with ours, they're slightly higher.  Should be a fair comparison given the geography. 

Lol. The walnut I can get around me goes for $9-14/ bf and cherry goes for $6-10/bf . So I guess it's all relative. Half the time bell forest is cheaper even with shipping it back to CT.

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On the left coast, walnut that I want is becoming difficult to find.  The dealer (who is a great guy and often sets material aside for me that he knows I'll want) claims that it is being bought by the container load, sight unseen by folks off-shore and the price is getting out of control.  I don't know if this is just sour grapes or what.  All I know is that if I ever want to get a rise out of the guy, all I have to do is bring up walnut.  The involuntary pained expression on his face is priceless :D.

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22 minutes ago, popper said:

Lol. The walnut I can get around me goes for $9-14/ bf and cherry goes for $6-10/bf . So I guess it's all relative. Half the time bell forest is cheaper even with shipping it back to CT.

Where do you go for lumber in New Hartford?  I was going to suggest Downes & Reader in Milford since they have good deals sometimes (I got a bunch of walnut shorts there for $4-5 a bf last month), then I looked at where you are on the map...  where do you go?  Berkshire Products?  That place in/near Enfield?

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1 minute ago, -MattK- said:

Where do you go for lumber in New Hartford?  I was going to suggest Downes & Reader in Milford since they have good deals sometimes (I got a bunch of walnut shorts there for $4-5 a bf last month), then I looked at where you are on the map...  where do you go?  Berkshire Products?  That place in/near Enfield?

CWG in Enfield and Parkerville in Manchester.  Both are about 40-60 minutes from me.

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1 hour ago, popper said:

Lol. The walnut I can get around me goes for $9-14/ bf and cherry goes for $6-10/bf . So I guess it's all relative. Half the time bell forest is cheaper even with shipping it back to CT.

Like I said, it should be a fair comparison given the geography.  Costs vary based on location.  Alder, claro walnut, bigleaf maple...all way more expensive in the midwest than they are out west.  Why cherry is so high on the east coast...no idea.  Perhaps you'd be better off renting a U-haul and taking a road trip once or twice a year and stocking up.

Also be sure that you're comparing apples to apples.  I can't tell you how many people come into the yard and scoff at our prices:

"Psh!  I pay $1.50/bf for that!"

Then come to find out he's talking about some dirty rough air-dried commons while ours is kiln-dried FAS S3S.  Not quite the same thing.

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2 hours ago, popper said:

Lol. The walnut I can get around me goes for $9-14/ bf and cherry goes for $6-10/bf . So I guess it's all relative. Half the time bell forest is cheaper even with shipping it back to CT.

Yesterday I picked up 8/4 Cherry Rough Select & Better for $3.25 bf (roughly 10" wide x 10' long boards) & 4/4 Cherry Select & Better SLR1E for $2.96 bf locally. Even letting them pick it for me so I could load and leave quickly, it was really good stuff.

-E

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