local rough sawn supplier

[jimmykx250]

I found a local guy who is a seller of hardwoods on the side as a part time gig. The material is rough sawn and sold at approx 1/2 the price my local hardwood dealer is charging. For example walnut is 3$ BF VS 7$ at my local guy. I went and bought my first stash and after i got the stuff home im seeing alot of surface splits and twisting. I know its not going to rival my other guy who @ 7 BF is s2s but i have a considerable amout of unusable stock. Roughly i would say 15% will be unusable- am i being too picky? I dont mind putting in the effort to joint and plane it. I was looking at a stack of cherry that was really nice so i will definately be back- just wondering what the norm is for the rough sawn market. Thanks,

[Beechwood Chip]

Have you checked out Marc's video on buying lumber? (It's got the best Nicole sequence ever!) You can't just compare the BF prices, you also have to check the quality: Firsts and Seconds, Select & Better, No. 1 Common, or No. 2 Common. It may be that your local guy will also sell you Walnut No 1 Common for $3 BF, but usually sells you FAS for $7 BF.

Unfortunately, every explanation of lumber grades that I've seen has had different descriptions for the grades, and sometimes different grades. But at least it gives you a starting point. Here's an example.

[harryangel69]

You are wasting 15% and saving over 50%.

Yes, you are being too picky.

Rough lumber is more about how much your time is worth. I hate paying somebody else to do anything. Especially when I have the time and tools.

[Vic]

OK, Buying lumber from any dealer is highly subjective for pricing. If a sawyer/dealer thinks the piece is easier to sell, the price is higher and the reverse holds true. In this example, I bought the Elm boards for just about $2.50/bd ft. ($50/board) The Maple was $7.50/bd ft. ($80/board) He obviously saw the Maple as the better board. I'm extremely happy with the price of each. But, that is how it works, all subjective. You can also see that these are just off the bandsaw. Sometimes he'll skip plane them to show the figure. You just have to get to know your distributor/sawyer. I love that mine is a very small (one man) operation. It makes it much easier to establish a relationship. He knows every time I show up, I'm gonna drop at least $300 on him. So, he's always happy to see me.