Poplar boards... what the hell...

[Iguanadon]

I just made a run to Lowe's for my usual purchase of poplar boards and seeing something I've never run into before... piecing together boards to make a 12" wide??? In my short 5 years of doing this, never seen this before... anyone else run into it?  6' long board cost has gone from $33 to $45 and now doing this?

[dgman]

Looks like you need to find a hardwood dealer!

[WayneMahler]

I've seen that with the oak they sell too. Not sure who their supplier is but this is not right. 

[FrankEV]

My Lowes also has glued up 12" wide Poplar boards.  

I cut up Poplar boards into 1 3/4" wide sticks that I make my frames from.  Although expensive, 12" wide boards make the frames rather economical.  But cant use the glued up boards as the uneven grain doe not work well for stained frames.  I've settled on cutting up 8" wide 6' long boards into 4 sticks with little waste.

 

[new2woodwrk]

I've had our supplier join boards for us, but that is just god awful!

You really need to find a miller someplace - I haven't been bought boards from box stores in months and have saved a fortune!

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, new2woodwrk said:

I've had our supplier join boards for us, but that is just god awful!

You really need to find a miller someplace - I haven't been bought boards from box stores in months and have saved a fortune!

No mills in my area. All they build here is high density housing. With no parking. It's a sad situation.

[BadBob]

I've seen those glue-up boards. They showed up a few months back. I haven't purchased any.

[don in brooklin on]

I used to buy 12 inch pine shelving at home depot cheap.  There were some big knots but I used to pick thru the pile and end up with some good clear pine.

I went the other day and it was laminated and about a lot more money.  I could not find anything that I could rip down to come up with what I wanted.  It laminate strips are small and different colours.

I did buy one as I am going to paint a project so the laminate hopefully won't show. 

I ended up buying clear pine.  

[new2woodwrk]

15 hours ago, octoolguy said:

No mills in my area. All they build here is high density housing. With no parking. It's a sad situation.

Have you tried any of these?

https://www.ganahllumber.com/

http://www.joneslumber.com/

This one looks promising:

Miter Craft Supply

2950 Airway Ave Ste D8

Costa Mesa, CA 92626-6006Map

(714) 556-2600 Millwork,Lumber

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

Have you tried any of these?

https://www.ganahllumber.com/

http://www.joneslumber.com/

This one looks promising:

Miter Craft Supply

2950 Airway Ave Ste D8

Costa Mesa, CA 92626-6006Map

(714) 556-2600 Millwork,Lumber

Those aren't mills. They are stores. Sort of like H/D, Lowes, etc. They buy their wood from suppliers. As a side note to your suggestion, I do have Cherokee Wood Products within an hour's drive of me. And that's at our high traffic situation. I was just out there last week and bout some BB plywood. As usual, I came away with more than I paid for. They always give me a box of two of pieces that they can't sell. This time, I got a box loaded with purple heart. Great folks out there. I strongly recommend any of you folks West of the Mississippi give them a try. They really do try hard to keep the shipping costs down and their prices for scroll saw wood are very good. Talk to Chris.

After checking out the link you included for Jones Lumber, I have to apologize. I have never heard of them but after looking up their website, they appear to be a mill in the true sense of the word. I'll have to make a trip over there as they are closer to me than even Cherokee. Thanks and again, my apologies. Another great place is Austin Hardwood center but again, they don't mill onsite.

Here is another place near me that I had forgotten all about. They are also great to deal with. The owner has a quasi WWII/Vietnam war museum onsite and loves to show it off. Been there one time.

http://www.aitwood.com/default.asp

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by octoolguy

[Woodmaster1]

Sorry to hear of your troubles.  I am glad I have several good sources for poplar. The price range is $2.00 to 4.50 a board foot. My woodworking club shop is the least expensive but they are running low. We haven’t had a sawmill day in over a year. The solar kiln is loaded with 1000 bdft of walnut right now. I help load the kiln looks like good stuff. Some boards were 12” wide. Should be out in October. Pictures of the woodworking club shop supply barn.

Edited August 22, 2021 by Woodmaster1

[Woodmaster1]

On 8/21/2021 at 2:41 PM, Iguanadon said:

I just made a run to Lowe's for my usual purchase of poplar boards and seeing something I've never run into before... piecing together boards to make a 12" wide??? In my short 5 years of doing this, never seen this before... anyone else run into it?  6' long board cost has gone from $33 to $45 and now doing this?

I can’t believe you can’t find a better supplier in your state. There should be some sawmills close enough to pickup some poplar cheaper than HD or Lowe’s. Here’s a cut off piece of poplar I got the poplar form my woodworking club shop for $2 a bdft.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Woodmaster1

[lawson56]

I have seen it at Lowes as well, wasn't looking for that type of wood, just happened to see it. I was shocked.

[kmmcrafts]

That's not a glued up panel, this is the effects of global warming making the trees grow. inside out.

 

I mentioned years ago to Scott about buying lumber from a actual lumber yard or mill, he likes his specific 12" x 6 ft. boards. I pay $12.60+tax for the same board at my local lumber supplier.. and that isn't direct mill price this is planned to the same size as what the box stores get. Actually I pay less than that.. as they have a rewards points thing and the more you spend the larger discount % off.. at the local mill buying green rough cut is probably about $6-8 for the same size board maybe less, I get mine free from them because I get the scrap pieces ( whatever doesn't meet the 30" minimum for them goes into scrap bin to be ground into wood chips. ) Problem is it's green and rough cut.. gotta wait a year plus to dry out good and then run through the planner..

[Bill WIlson]

That board should be considered paint grade only.  Finger jointed door jambs & trim, engineered framing lumber, etc are becoming more & more common.  Wood is a renewable resource, but it takes many years to grow a tree suitable for a lot of woodworking/construction applications where wide, long, straight and stable are necessary qualities for lumber, often over appearance.  Bottom line is that the big box stores are not an ideal source for wood that is suitable for our hobby.  It's a shame, really, but they cater to different market.

[CharleyL]

Are you still buying lumber from Lowes and Home Depot? You will save in price and increased quality by going to a local hardwood source. A local sawyer or a hardwood lumber yard will give you much better quality wood, probably at a much better price too. I think we had this conversation before.

Charley

[ike]

I get my wood from Paxton  Woods in the Cincinnati ares at about 1/2 of what I would pat at Loews or HD. The only difference the the thickness is 7/8 not 3/4 and the edges are not finished and either one makes any difference in puzzles, I do have to drive 15 miles to get it 

IKE

[Woodmaster1]

34 minutes ago, ike said:

I get my wood from Paxton  Woods in the Cincinnati ares at about 1/2 of what I would pat at Loews or HD. The only difference the the thickness is 7/8 not 3/4 and the edges are not finished and either one makes any difference in puzzles, I do have to drive 15 miles to get it 

IKE

I use to buy my hardwood from Paxton lumber when I taught woodworking until I found a local source. Not being from the area when I looked there was several places locally I started using.

[BadBob]

Some of us do not have a local hardwood dealer. Unless you consider a 200 mile drive local.

[Scrappile]

3 hours ago, BadBob said:

Some of us do not have a local hardwood dealer. Unless you consider a 200 mile drive local.

Not local, but a nice day trip... I drove 220 miles oneway, one time to buy some marine plywood... but that was when gas was a lot cheaper... and, well, I was a lot younger also..

Edited August 25, 2021 by Scrappile

[edward]

I  buy 1/4"  1/2" x5 1/2" Popular boards at Lowes and have no problem they come in 2' and 4' lengths also the same with Oak boards.

[kmmcrafts]

4 hours ago, BadBob said:

Some of us do not have a local hardwood dealer. Unless you consider a 200 mile drive local.

Could be well worth the effort and drive IF you're in the business as Scott is to have a storage shed and go make a 200 mile trip to buy 200 board foot as I do.. Though my local source is only 35 ish miles away. It's nice having stocked up lumber.. also nice to get bulk pricing. I only have to make this trip once a year.. 200 board foot cost me around $400.. at Lowes prices that same 200 board foot is costing him nearly $1500... and then you get this glued up junk? I get to sort through the lumber stack at the lumber yard and can pick through what I want or don't want. They'll plane it down to whatever thickness I want for a little extra if I don't want the 7/8 inch thick ( considered 1" ) Most times I run my puzzles at 5/8 thick.. I resaw those boards so I get one at 5/8" and one at 3/16 - 1/4 to use for ornaments etc.. But if you don't have the equipment to do that the 7/8" for puzzles etc. works fine too, or have them take it down to the 3/4" The money you save in lumber could buy you the planer and bandsaw to resaw if you like.. within a year or two.. of doing this.  

Edit to add: The road trip miles can also be deducted ($0.54 a mile) and your meals etc. can also be deducted for the road trip, plan a mini vacation with tax deductions, LOL My wife and daughter have a thrift store ( actually 3 of them ) that they like to go to so we all go to the mini vacation when I make that trip..  

Edited August 25, 2021 by kmmcrafts

[OCtoolguy]

26 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Could be well worth the effort and drive IF you're in the business as Scott is to have a storage shed and go make a 200 mile trip to buy 200 board foot as I do.. Though my local source is only 35 ish miles away. It's nice having stocked up lumber.. also nice to get bulk pricing. I only have to make this trip once a year.. 200 board foot cost me around $400.. at Lowes prices that same 200 board foot is costing him nearly $1500... and then you get this glued up junk? I get to sort through the lumber stack at the lumber yard and can pick through what I want or don't want. They'll plane it down to whatever thickness I want for a little extra if I don't want the 7/8 inch thick ( considered 1" ) Most times I run my puzzles at 5/8 thick.. I resaw those boards so I get one at 5/8" and one at 3/16 - 1/4 to use for ornaments etc.. But if you don't have the equipment to do that the 7/8" for puzzles etc. works fine too, or have them take it down to the 3/4" The money you save in lumber could buy you the planer and bandsaw to resaw if you like.. within a year or two.. of doing this.  

Edit to add: The road trip miles can also be deducted ($0.54 a mile) and your meals etc. can also be deducted for the road trip, plan a mini vacation with tax deductions, LOL My wife and daughter have a thrift store ( actually 3 of them ) that they like to go to so we all go to the mini vacation when I make that trip..  

Kevin I agree with everything you said. BUT, where I live driving anywhere will never be a mini vacation. Driving here is a nightmare anytime of the day or night. I drove to Cherokee the other day. I tried to time it to miss the rush hour times both morning & afternoon. About 35 miles each way. Counting the half hour at the yard it was a 4 hour round trip in very heavy traffic on worn out freeways among drivers from every country on Earth. Not a vacation in any sense of the word.

[Woodmaster1]

Kevin it's getting close to Johnson's wood expo 16 days away. Hopefully there will be some good deals. The 90 mile drive is worth it. Sorry Ray my 90 mile drive takes less than 90 minutes.

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Woodmaster1 said:

Kevin it's getting close to Johnson's wood expo 16 days away. Hopefully there will be some good deals. The 90 mile drive is worth it. Sorry Ray my 90 mile drive takes less than 90 minutes.

And I'll bet your roads are better too.