Barn Sale find

[Locutus]

So yesterday, on the way to my parent's to visit, I see a "barn sale" sign. This house is about a 1/2 mile up the road from me, on my street. The house sits way back and you can't see it from the road, and they had the house up for sale a few years ago for 1.5million, so I figured the barn sale would be a good excuse to check out what was back there. :)

So after driving about a MILE (no kidding) down the driveway, I come to this house (very nice) with a few barns. I get out and take a look in the barn, the stuff for sale was all knickknacks and other junk, nothing of interest. But then I notice on the other side of the barn is WOOD, lots of it, rough cut lumber with a large wood working shop in the back. So I went in to take a look, none of the tools were for sale, but the amount of wood was amazing. Oak, Maple, Ash and some I am not sure what it was. So I go back outside and ask the lady running the barn sale if any of the wood was for sale, and she informed that it was for sale, that her husband had a saw mill there (pointing my attention to the other side of the property where there was another barn surrounded by huge downed trees), and that he sold the wood all of the time as a side job, and all of the wood in that barn had been air dried for over a year and was ready to go.

I live out in the country, and the nearest place I can get hardwood is Paxton lumber, 25 miles away. So this was a great find for me, and the prices are cheaper than the lumber store as well. :)

[papadoo1]

########################## So. . . .did you buy any wood ? Prices ?

Smitty

[darkon]

If you're talking about Paxton Lumber in Cincinnati, the side of the store that sold individual boards to hobbyists closed a few months ago. They now only want to sell to people who will buy large quantities, not people who come in looking for one board. One of the guys there was talking about re-opening elsewhere, but he didn't know when, where, or even if they'd be able to reopen.

And if you really are talking about a place near Cincinnati, do you mind sharing the location of this place?

[Locutus]

Yes, I am talking about the Paxton Lumber in Madeira. I wasn't aware that they closed the public store?!? That really stinks, because I will still need a place to get hardwood ply (any auggestions?). :(

The place I found is in Williamsburg. I am going to stop by there later this week and I will get a phone number for you.

[Jon]

Same thing happened to me about 3 years ago. My wife finally took me to an estate sale out in the middle of nowhere. Elderly woman selling all the items from the house, when I spotted a rough out building. I asked her if anything was for sale in there. She said she did not know but I could look. So I walked out there, and inside the building was rough cut lumber stacked at least 8 feet high with barely enough room to walk. I asked her how much and she told me that if I could finish her husbands last project in her barn I could have all the wood for $10. Well 3 car trailer loads later I had it all stashed in my barn. I finished the cabinet for her and went to deliver it to her later that month, unfortunately she passed as well a couple of days before I got there. I left a note on the front door of the house but I did not receive a call from anyone. I felt pretty bad, then her grandson called me about 2 months after that, and I gave him the piece of furniture, and he asked if I was interested in any of his grandfather's wood tools, he said he was going to try woodworking but gave up, and the family was selling the house. I looked in the barn and there was a woodwhop that would make Norm's jaw dropped. I asked him about the prices and he offered everything to me for next to nothing, so I bought the entire shop, 7 trailer loads of power tools, hand tools, jigs, bits, every tool manual, etc. A complete shop, everything was in pristine condition, except for the few months of dust. So everytime I am out there working with wood I think of the guy who had all these tools and what he must have been like. I have visited their grave a couple of times over the years just to thank them and hope they know I am taking good care of the tools.

Jon

"darkon" wrote in message news:Xns9984B322DE898dkwwashere@216.168.3.30...

[Locutus]

Nah, my Bimmer doesn't hold a lot of wood. I am going to go back later this week and pick up a peices and get more concrete pricing info (the guy was picking beans when I was there so the info I got was from his wife).

[B A R R Y]

That's cool.

Not a gloat, but a responsibility.

[alindsey]

To my knowledge the Paxton Woodcrafter's Store in Madeira is still open. I've called there several times, most recently about a month ago. What I was told is that they made the decision to keep the business open to sell to woodworkers but they would no longer sell wood cut down, i.e. you buy the whole board or the whole sheet of plywood.

Not sure which direction you are "into the country" but I've always had good luck buying from Wilhelm Lumber in St. Leon, IN. It's about a

30-40 minute drive from Cincinnati.