Reclaimed Wood - Where to Best Find?

[stevan]

I just looked at Rob's latest trivet where he used reclaimed rimu.  I'm not exactly interested in recycling packing pallets but where are some other sources of reclaimed wood?

[kmmcrafts]

If you have a sawmill near by that might be a good source of wood.. My brother has owned a sawmill business since the the mid 1970's.. all wood that is shorter than 4ft goes to the chipper...or as of recent he has been making sawdust out of it because it has been in more demand and higher priced than chips.. He cuts more scrap in one day than I could cut in a month or more.. only problem is.. it needs to be stickered ( dried ) before I can use it.. and it's rough cut.. great for a hobbyist I suppose.. but for me.. it's more cost effective to buy planed and ready to use lumber.. unless I had a high end planer and a small kiln drier.. LOL

That all being said.. he does have his guys pull off to the side unique pieces and dries them for me such as birdseye maple, spalted maple, etc etc.. Oh.. also forgot to mention that I can typically have all the scraps I can use.. but.. I am the one that has to stand there and pull what I want off the line before it heads into the chipper.. which is not my idea of saving money standing there for a half day pulling a truckload pieces of green rough cut lumber that I have to sticker and plane before it's of any use to me.. He has a kiln but it's typically full and used 24-7 so I am out of luck on getting it dried..

 

Kevin

[WayneMahler]

You can always check out Craigslist. I have found a few listings where they were tearing down and old house or barn. We also have a place called Construction Junction that recycles all sorts of building materials. 

[Scrappile]

My nephew has brought me quit a bit of wood over the years, in the form of old headboards from beds, shelving, some cabinets. all things he has found very cheap or free at yard sales.  I still have some beautiful mahogany from one bookshelf he brought to me.  Also check Habitat for Humanity stores.  Not free wood but very cheap.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Scrappile

[poupster2]

I have a local furniture maker that puts all his off-cuts in a bin outside for people to pic. Over the past year I've collected more wood for me to last at least 10 years. 

[bobscroll]

Dumpsters, Old furniture draws and cabinets, Also any woodworking company's Kevin,

Bob 

 

[hawkeye10]

Most towns of any size have companies that sell reclaimed wood, like bard wood. I have found it to be costly. I buy my lumber from a place that sells lumber mostly to cabinet makers. Most everything is around $2 a board foot plus or minus. I have to buy at least $200 worth or they won't sell to you. I do have to plane it but it's better than going to a big box store. Do a Google search.

[amazingkevin]

Poor me can't find a better deal than free around here.i kicked my self for not picking up a very nice maple table.When i went back to the dumpster it was gone.UGH!

[stevan]

Thanks Mates.  Good info as always.

[heppnerguy]

If you have any cabinet shops near you, go there and ask of some throw away scrap wood, They throw out a lot of nice  wood that is too small for their use but perfect for yours. Also you might check Craigslist under the 'free' category and you should find all kinds of furniture there. If you have a planer,you are in business

Dick

heppnerguy