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can someone make this clear

Hardwood is to be sold by net tally meaning if it measure 5.5 thats what you are to be charge for not 6" that is per Wt & Measure boys. At least that is what I was told when I was buying it by the truck loads. The hardwood lumber scale was the best investment I made that is the legal measure of hardwood.
 
its funny, cause the contractor/boat restorer I purchased most of my wood from told me when I purchase hardwoods the dealer wont charge me for fractions over the cut. I guess his dealers only round down.

When I purchased all the sycamore and spalted maple from the guy up near Albany, he measured it and charged by exactly what the board measurements were.
IF the board was 14.5 by 106, thats how he figured it out.
I liked his method, the same way I figured it.

Im really stuck here now trying to get hondurian mahogany.
All the reputable dealers around here are over 8.00 a bf, but before I purchase, I will ask them if they round up or down, then measure each board myself and bring along my own calculator.

Im sure they are gonna love me then, or at least not make any new friends.

Ive been searching around, to find better prices, but with shipping, isnt worth it, and then I cant see the lumber first.
I tried locating dealers within driving distance, but the cost of tolls and gasoline today also make a trip not worth it.
 
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im lucky...i get my wood from a Amish hardwood co.very reasonable....they round down also......they will run it through the 36" planer both sides for free....just picked up $500.00 of soft maple....$2.50 b/f...dried to 6%....
 
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Ok since we are throwing out $. Red oak and all the other trash. (Yea I know, they call it trash.) Never more than $2 bd ft. walnut and Cherry, $4 bd ft. Truth known, I have bought some of our own trees back. We had all our woods logged couple years ago.
 
I am not listening to this thread anymore. You guys are killing me.

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I also would be real ticked if someone was to try to charge me for a 6" board when it's only 5.5". Around my parts hardwood is always rounded down and when you buy it as run it gets priced according to grade. There are only a few woods where I get charged by the fractions, Birdseye maple and other highly figured woods. This makes perfect sense to me because there is a lot of value in those fractions and I wouldn't want the seller to be cheated out of his value.

The local guys I deal with have been very generous with their tally and they get my business and recommendations. I have driven a lot of business to one such friend and he is ever thankful.

Where I hale from that is how you stay in business.
 
My favorite wood pusher always measures correctly, and sells some woods by the pound. I will only give a seller one chance to get it right, once you burn me that is the last time I go near them for wood. (You know who your are Woodcraft and Rockler...)

Glen
 
steve southwood-if I get in my car and travel a few hours north or west, to more rural areas, where the price to run a business is alot less for rent, taxes and overall overhead, I can get great prices also.
Sometimes, its all about convenience.
Having said that, I dont mind paying a bit extra for lumber, but I expect the dealer to count accurately.

Paul downes-business operation is the same here, and Im sure anywhere else.
The guys that do cruddy stuff arent around too long.
 
At least at the place here in town where I bought some wood locally last time, the boards were grouped by length, the widths were measured accurately and charged accordingly. The prices are nowhere near you eastern dudes, but it was fair, and they were friendly. :thumb:
 
Allen, that is the point i was trying to make. We are hostages to our hobby. Our location, dictates out ransom. If I had a different type of hobby, it might be more expensive for me, if I had to travel to an area to get supplies.
 
Because this thread is related to a conversation I had last week I would like to broach an idea.

I have a friend who owns a sawmill and several kilns. I talked to him about an idea I had a while back that I noticed was put into play on another forum.

Basically, a web site would be set up and lumber prices posted with available board footage by species. For more figured wood individual pictures with a tag # for each board could be posted. The idea would be to offer lumber for sale in a group buy way where once a certain quantity was ordered for a given area a shipment would be arraigned.

I was prompted to this idea from my cousin who lives in the St. Louis, Missouri area and told me he bought most of his lumber from the big box stores at what I thought were exorbitant prices.

We are a ways away from making this all happen but the idea is to offer a good value to forum members so we can all enjoy our passion without breaking the bank.

I hope this post isn't in violation of forum rules, ( Moderators, let me know) I just was wondering if it sounds like a good idea to forum members.
 
Allen i am so with your line of thinking here.

My local lumber guy would in my view sell me way more lumber if i could look at a board and do the calculation myself and come out where he does when he does it.

It may be ok in the industry to go up an down but i like to know what i am in for before the goods are at the counter. Especially with something like lumber. The idea that you get to the counter and pay a variable rate based on ???? what i dunno puts me totally off.

Paul i personally think you have a brilliant idea there and should persue it.

If you know anyone in the long haul business or can find some sort of truckers forum, i would bet there is even the opportunity to be creative with the freight side by looking to use guys going back to the destination of the wood where they have come to your part of the country with a load and are perhaps returning empty. I know this is not frequent but who knows until one explores it. This is about getting wood to peopl at viable rates as opposed to time based.

Allen i am glad to see someone else has experienced this issue.

Hey lets for a minute imagine you go fill up with gas and the guy says well i say that was 5 gallons when in fact it was 4.8 gallons. I dont want to rip him off and i dont want him ripping me off. I dont care if it is one cent.
 
Paul Downes said:
Because this thread is related to a conversation I had last week I would like to broach an idea.

I have a friend who owns a sawmill and several kilns. I talked to him about an idea I had a while back that I noticed was put into play on another forum.

Basically, a web site would be set up and lumber prices posted with available board footage by species. For more figured wood individual pictures with a tag # for each board could be posted. The idea would be to offer lumber for sale in a group buy way where once a certain quantity was ordered for a given area a shipment would be arraigned.

I was prompted to this idea from my cousin who lives in the St. Louis, Missouri area and told me he bought most of his lumber from the big box stores at what I thought were exorbitant prices.

We are a ways away from making this all happen but the idea is to offer a good value to forum members so we can all enjoy our passion without breaking the bank.

I hope this post isn't in violation of forum rules, ( Moderators, let me know) I just was wondering if it sounds like a good idea to forum members.
Click to expand...


Paul, let's explore this a bit more.
I'm in central USA.
So, I buy a batch of Cherry (as an example) from my local Amish sawmill, who is dirt cheap.
I then photo and measure each board, and post that info to a website.
Guys from all over the USA commit themselves to boards, and I flag them as "taken" on the website.
Then, when enough have been purchased buy people in the Las Vegas area (example), I strap up the boards, and ship away. The shipping is split buy the buyers.

Is that the drill as you see it?
 
Ive ordered lumber from 3 places I found online that shipped.
Advantage lumber in Buffalo NY, the measurements were exact, the lumber was what I expected and paid for. I went there eventually and bought a truckload and transported it myself
I bought odd boards off and on before I owned a planer/jointer from Baird Brothers. Although not cheap, the wood was beautiful and delivered in perfect condition. No complaints, I paid a pretty price, but got what was promised.
Then the last guy, and I wont knock anyone here, because I guess part of it was my fault for not making sure I wasnt getting any green lumber and he did credit me for the short.

Know your dealer, and beware when purchasing from someone you dont know or didnt come recommended.
I threw the dice, the outcome wasnt a disaster, but at similar prices I might have done ok someone else.
 
When I used to go pick out rough lumber I could figure it out in my head as fast as it was pulled and measured. I used a method of my own that was based off of the fact that a 12" 4/4 board has as many Bd Ft as it is long, and then I did the math in my head from that base. I could not explain how I do it but when I doubt myself and check I am always right.

I don't buy lumber that way any more, but I still figure my billing that way as I pull the stock.

Tomorrow I am going to run a sawmill, so we will see if I can do it as I saw.:D
 
Sue, the details of pricing would have to be worked out, but basically it would run something like that. One of the advantages I could offer is unusual lumber like spalted, ambrosia, curley, and birdseye maple, elm, q-sawn oak, and other lumber not normally offered by many of the mills. I do sell this kind of lumber currently to a few local guys. They will put in a request for something and I will go looking for the trees. For instance I sold some 20-24" wide x 18ft. 6/4 beech planks to a friend who makes architectural pieces for expensive homes. His request (from the homeowner) was for a light colored wood that would be hard for the "Jones's" to get. :D I sold him 3 planks and he has given notice for the 11 remaining planks. One is in an architects office as a table with wrought iron legs. He usually buys all the elm lumber I can find. I think I charged him $1.50 per brd ft. + drying cost.

The plan is to build a pole building to house the wood and keep it orderly. So when we get more organized I will look into setting something up. I'm pretty sure we could offer discounts to forum members.

We also have a Amish population around and they are quite competitive. Most of them stick to wood species normal to the market.
 
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