sapling111276 Posted January 5, 2017 Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 So, I still have not acquired a good source for wood. I go to my local home center and pick through tons and tons of (high volume produced) wood which typically looks like large boomerangs. Thing is, the panels of plywood aren't any better. I start pulling sheets off of the shelf and there just isn't any boards that are near flat enough to make me happy. Without a teacher to show me the ropes on good wood selection, I turn to you guys in the community to get feedback on what to do. Some boards are warped length-wise, some from side to side and some warped in both directions. So here is the question, do I look for "close-to-flat" plywood and try to fix the bowing at home? Do I look for another source to get my plywood? What do you guys do when deciding to make cabinets and drawers, or any project for that matter?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted January 5, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 Look for another source. Home centers cater to folks that aren't building fine furniture. Or mediocre furniture. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted January 5, 2017 Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 Agreed. I only go to the home center for home stuff. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandorLush Posted January 5, 2017 Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 2 hours ago, sapling111276 said: So, I still have not acquired a good source for wood. Where are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplemons Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Knowing your location would help us out. Most of us were in your shoes at one time or another before finding a reliable source for wood. I absolutely hate buying anything from the Borgs and only go in if I have to have something right away. Even then, I stay away, far away, from the lumber and plywood. Luckily, I found three great local suppliers in my area. One of them I go to mainly for exotic woods but he doesn't sell ply. The other two I'll peak in and see what they have for lumber. One has high-end ply, the other has good-priced shop-grade ply. If I need ply I have to rent or borrow a truck and pick up the sheets I need for the project -- it's just a pain to store anything I don't need in full sheets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapling111276 Posted January 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 8 hours ago, CandorLush said: Where are you located? Upstate ny. I am very near to a Curtis lumber which my coworker said, has some exotic woods but honestly I feel like a place like that would be sort of down the middle of the line as far as a wood mill type place and a home center Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 20 hours ago, sapling111276 said: Upstate ny. I am very near to a Curtis lumber which my coworker said, has some exotic woods but honestly I feel like a place like that would be sort of down the middle of the line as far as a wood mill type place and a home center Curtis in Balston Spa is a full service, very large, hardware store and home building center with an exotic wood store in another part of the building. They don't have "some" exotics, they have a lot of exotics. I don't know about Curtis at other locations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dknapp34 Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 On 1/6/2017 at 2:41 AM, sapling111276 said: Upstate ny. I am very near to a Curtis lumber which my coworker said, has some exotic woods but honestly I feel like a place like that would be sort of down the middle of the line as far as a wood mill type place and a home center Upstate NY is a big place. I'm in Rochester and the two main selections are Pittsford Lumber and Lakeshore Hardwoods in Victor. Lakeshore Hardwoods' main location is in Pulaki, NY and it is excellent. I stopped by Memphis Hardwood Lumber while passing through the Syracuse area one day. The man working there was very friendly and they had a pretty nice selection of domestics and exotics. I don't know as much about the southern tier area if you are closer to that, but it's only a short drive to PA, where there are many many places to buy lumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapling111276 Posted January 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 Thank you all for the help so far. I will check Curtis lumber out and see how it suits my current needs. To be honest, most of what I am currently doing is practice work and stuff I currently need for my shop (wood bench and such). Once I am more confident, I will need a good supply and asking this stuff at this point is sort of my recon for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin-IT Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 Update NY -> Albany region ? or Lake Placid / Plattsburgh ? Close to Lake Placid: Speciality Wood Product, saw mill, with local hardwood (maple, cherry, butternut, ...) and softwood Close to Plattsburgh: Saranac Hollow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapling111276 Posted January 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 Sorry Martin, just seeing this. I am north of Albany by roughly 20 minutes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin-IT Posted January 21, 2017 Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 Update NY -> Albany region ? or Lake Placid / Plattsburgh ? Close to Lake Placid: Speciality Wood Product, saw mill, with local hardwood (maple, cherry, butternut, ...) and softwood Close to Plattsburgh: Saranac Hollow A few years back, there was someone who owns a sawill in Pittsfield Mass that was posting on craiglist, I am not sure if he is still does it. The email: tooksberry the usual character in an email verizon.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean1982 Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 On 1/6/2017 at 2:41 AM, sapling111276 said: Upstate ny. I am very near to a Curtis lumber which my coworker said, has some exotic woods but honestly I feel like a place like that would be sort of down the middle of the line as far as a wood mill type place and a home center What exactly are you trying to build? If you are trying to make something nice I would go to Lakeshore Hardwoods in Pulaski NY. They have a very long list of local to exotic woods. I have to warn you though in New York exotic lumber is ridiculously expensive, more than most states so make sure if you go there you talk to someone and tell them exactly what you want to build so that they can select and cut the right wood type and correct size. Also if you are serious about getting into woodworking and want to learn the basics there is an association called "sawdust and chips" in Syracuse New York. They teach classes and will give you advice on damn near everything. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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