SmallTownUSA Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 Hi All, Well, I finally need to order some rough sawn cherry (all select or better), included some figured. The only place for me to obtain cherry here in Northeast Texas is Phillips Lumber in DeKalb, TX. Got about 70 bf a couple of weeks ago and it was CRAP. It was so white that at first I thought it was ash! So, I guess I will need to order some. My question: What sawmill should I order from? I don't need a huge amout (about 100 bf). Will need mostly 4/4 to mill down to 3/4" and some 5/4 to mill to 1". Any suggestions? Years ago when I needed from 8/4 I order some for NC (I think) but has since lost the company's name. I have searched the Internet and there are some mills, but I have no idea their quality. I don't mind paying a proper price if the wood is good. thanks for your help, Harold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 Hello Harold, Did you order your wood in 8 foot lengths or were the boards shorter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallTownUSA Posted December 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 I prefer 8' lengths, but could order shorter if the shipping cost is significantly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 Was it all sapwood? Or was it just light colored heartwood? Light colored heartwood will turn darker red with age. Also, the color of rough sawn lumber is not indicative of the color of lumber itself. those fuzzies can turn all kinds of colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallTownUSA Posted December 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 No, it was not sapwood...just the lightest cherry I have ever seen (been using cherry for more than 30 years.) The cherry I got from them was skip planed so I could see the actual color of the wood. I bought it because: 1. I needed it ASAP and 2. I could use it on internal parts of the stepback cupboard I was building (drawer sides, back and a couple of shelves.) If I would have had to use it for the exterior I would have not purchased it! So, I am now looking for quality reddish colored cherry. As I mentioned before, the supplier in DeKalb is not in play any longer and my other source in Ruston, LA has gone out of business. So... I need to order it from afar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 There are also different species of cherry. Most hardwood sellers do no differentiate (that I have noticed) but all the locally grown cherry where I am at in Maryland is "black cherry" and tends to be a little darker then the cherry I buy at places like woodcraft. At any rate, I checked woodfinder.net for places nearish to you and came up with this list: http://www.mckinneyhardwoods.com/ http://www.woodworldtx.com/ http://brazosfp.com/ http://www.hlcdallas.com/index.php These all have websites and retail stores, and they all sell cherry. I would call around for prices if these are within driving distance. For a lumber run where it may save me a few hundred dollars I don't mind driving a couple of hours, but your feelings may be different. You may also want to check craigslist of all places. Small time sawyers will advertise on there as their primary means of getting customers. There are many ways to build a kiln to dry wood after all. The sawyer I see on a regular basis uses an old steel shipping container (the kind on container ships). He has a wood stove in there and an electric fan and dries all his wood in a week or 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 As far as I know, you will not get lumber volume from any cherry species but black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 7 minutes ago, minorhero said: There are also different species of cherry. Most hardwood sellers do no differentiate (that I have noticed) but all the locally grown cherry where I am at in Maryland is "black cherry" and tends to be a little darker then the cherry I buy at places like woodcraft. No, the only cherry that grows large enough to yield lumber is prunus serotina. You might get a random choke cherry (prunus virginiana) that is large enough to harvest, but it is safe to say that 99% of stuff you see marketed as cherry is prunus serotina. Age of tree and growing conditions likely contribute to the color of the lumber, but they are all the same species. "Black Cherry" is just a regional term for prunus serotina. Sometimes cherry is steamed. Just like walnut, this will lighten the heartwood and darken the sapwood. But steaming is not nearly as common in cherry. My guess is woodcraft just gets the bottom of the bin.... after all the good cherry has been selected by veneer manufacturers, and cabinet and millwork people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallTownUSA Posted December 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 Many thanks for the references. Living in Northeast Texas, most of the places are over 300 miles away so I suspect shipping will be about the same as if I ordered it for the original source. Basically, there is no quality cherry (as far as I know) here in Texas. However, If I do travel to one of the sources you mentioned, I can at least see and sort through the wood. Thanks again, Harold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 Central hardwoods in Dallas is where I get all my wood. You can't pick out boards though they just get it and load it I've been to wood world and they have a decent selection and you can pick your boards but they are almost all S3S so they charge more per BF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted December 4, 2016 Report Share Posted December 4, 2016 minorhero beat me to recommending Woodfinder. I know TX is a big place but it' worth checking to see if there's a place within driving distance. Shipping lumber is tough because of the weight. If you're willing to pay shipping, check out Bell Forest Products http://www.bellforestproducts.com/ ... I recall getting a quote from them for shipping lumber for a bench - and although I don't like paying that much for shipping, it wasn't terrible and knowing it'd be quality lumber made it very tempting. (and no - I didn't order and still have not built the bench....) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog Posted December 4, 2016 Report Share Posted December 4, 2016 11 hours ago, SmallTownUSA said: So, I am now looking for quality reddish colored cherry. As I mentioned before, the supplier in DeKalb is not in play any longer and my other source in Ruston, LA has gone out of business. So... I need to order it from afar. When Hogan Hardwoods was still in business, I lived less than a half mile away. Of course, I wasn't into woodworking at that time. I'm still looking for a good place to buy lumber. I ordered cherry from Bell Forest products when I built my Roubo. Shipping was high, but they sent some nice stuff. I have bought some cherry from Stephan Manufacturing in Monroe, LA. Prices seem really good, but you have to call and see what they have in. It's not a lumber yard, but they will sell lumber if they have some left over from a molding job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallTownUSA Posted December 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2016 Thanks all for your responses. I will be checking out each of your suggestions. Will be building a Shaker Tall Clock soon and only need about 32 bf 4/4 and 4 bf 5/4 so the order will be quite small (as opposed to the Shaker Stepback Cupboard I just finished that required over 200 bf cherry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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