Texas hardwood prices and sellers

[Isaac]

Hi all, 

Long-time no catch up. Hope you are all doing well.

My family will be relocating to Houston (from greater Chicago-land) over the summer. I've got a decent stash of hardwoods, mostly walnut, cherry, and maple that I likely won't use up before moving.

I'm trying to decide if I should move the material or offload it to a local here and buy new in Houston. 

This is the local supplier I buy from in Wisconsin, with prices:

African Mahogany thru Ebony - Kettle Moraine Hardwoods, Inc. (kmhardwoods.com)

Hard Maple thru Red Elm - Kettle Moraine Hardwoods, Inc. (kmhardwoods.com)

Redheart thru Ziricote - Kettle Moraine Hardwoods, Inc. (kmhardwoods.com)

Anyone here in greater Houston have some thoughts on how these prices compare to what you are seeing down there? Also, any suggestions on where to buy from, for a hobbyist level woodworker?

Also, I know Houston is more humid than Chicago, do you think it will be a big enough difference to matter? All my material is either kiln dried or very-long term air dried. 

[Chet]

Good to here from you again Isaac.  @Coop is in Houston and on here a lot he should be able to give you some help.

[Isaac]

That would be really helpful. I've also been hoping I might find a stronger woodworking community in Houston than my current location. What do you say @Coop?

[Coop]

Hey Isaac! Glad to hear that Houston is getting another woodworker! You’ll find that the weather here offers year round access to your hobby. I read that you are moving here this summer so you may not agree to that statement.  But at least you won’t have to shovel snow in the winter to get to your ts! 

I have three sources for my hardwoods and went to their web sites to check their prices and unfortunately neither publish a price sheet. The last rough 4/4 lumber that I purchased was cherry from Clark’s (the highest priced of the 3) and it was $5.20 bf in December. But you can get a quote over the phone from all three to give you an idea.

1) https://www.clarkshardwood.com/ - near downtown, great selection but probably 10% higher than #2 below. Real friendly folks.

2) https://houstonhardwoods.com/about-houston-hardwoods/ - northwest of downtown about 15 miles. Their selection is mediocre to good & prices are ok. In the summer heat, you won’t find the sales guys in the office getting up from their air conditioned desks which is a little irritating. Both this place and Clark’s is self service and they will help you if asked.

3) https://masonsmillandlumber.com/rough-lumber/ - about 15-20 miles west of downtown. Great selection and about 10-15% cheaper than Clark’s. Their method of operation is a little different. You go to the office with a list of what you want, type, thickness and lengths and they give you a list of what you tell them. Take the list to the warehouse and give it to a picker and he will bring you a pallet of the wood you requested and you sort thru it. If you don’t find the right board, he will bring another pallet out to you. He will then give you a sheet of what you picked and you take it back to the office and pay for it. You then take your receipt back to the warehouse and you are then allowed to load it. 

Probably more info than you needed but hope it helps. You mentioned that you are thinking of selling your stock before you move. You may want to do the same with your cold weather clothing! There are a few rare occasions but our coldest day here this winter was a week ago when it got down to 34*. 

Good luck on your move and when you get here, if you have questions, even about great places to eat, give me a pm.