Cost of Cherry

[Jerry]

I'm in San Diego and the cost of cherry seems to range from $8.90 bf to $9.20. A sheet of 3/4" cherry ply is $135.00. I just bought a 1/4 sheet of 1/4" cherry for $27.

I also noticed that African Mahogany from the same supplier looks to be $7.50 or there about per bf.

Why would domestic cherry be that much more expensive than imported mahogany?

Do these prices seem high?

I'm redoing a couple bathrooms (in cherry) and am building new doors/drawers. It would be cheaper (but not as much fun) to buy pre-built, unfinished cherry doors and drawer fronts from commercial suppliers than to build?

[Duane Bozarth]

Quite, at least to me...

Cherry seems to be in vogue these days and SD is a "high rent" district anyway.

If it's surfaced FAS stock in relatively small quantities that's probably not to bad from a retailer.

I normally buy only 1C or 2C and will go ahead and buy at least 2-300 bdft at a time from my distributor in order to get reasonable (not the cheapest) pricing. Last I checked 1C 4/4 cherry was roughly in the $4 range. FAS would have been probably closer to $6 than $9, though I didn't price it.

[Mutt]

check out mail order sources, one good one is

affiliation, just a satisfied customer. Cherry for $5 a bd ft., 3/4 cherry ply for $80. If you add in the shipping you're still better off.

Mutt

[fredfighter]

Probably labor costs, the availability of large trees that are the most cost-effective for conversion to timber or ply, and transportation costs.

It probably costs more to truck Cherry overland from the Eastern US to California than it does to send Mahogany by boat from Central America.

Oh, you said African Mahogany. Hmm, may still be cheaper to ship.

Isn't real Mahogany about half that?

[SonomaProducts.com]

Prices really vary depending on location with shipping being such a huge component of the cost of wood. However, $9+ seems a bit steep. Here in No. CA it was up tp $7+ last year but has com back down into the high $5-low $6.

The $9 doesn't sound quite like retail but getting close. Where are you buying?

BW

[Leon]

Like real estate the 3 most important factors in determining the LOCAL cost of wood is Location, Location, Location.

[Doug]

I was able to buy about 40 bft. rough sawn for $2 a bf. last week from a local old-timer who definitely gave me a deal. Needless to say, I was pretty happy about it, and I plan to go back and get some more very soon.

Jerry wrote:

[Rick Cook]

The African Mahogany price is about what I'd pay here in Phoenix, but the Cherry price is about $1-$1.50 higher.

I suspect the difference is that shipping is essentially the same to San Diego and Phoenix on the African Mahogany and the shipping cost is higher for the cherry. But that's a guess.

--RC

[Phisherman]

It's all about supply and demand. Kiln-dried cherry around here is about $3-6 per board foot. I got a lot of free cherry from fallen trees, but it takes a year or two to air-dry it. I suggest selecting a wood with less demand. What about oak or maple? In S.California, hardwoods must be shipped there.

[J T]

Wed, Feb 16, 2005, 2:07pm (EST-3) [e-mail] (Jerry) asks: Do these prices seem high?

To me, yes. But, I thought everything in Califphoney costs more than in the real world.

JOAT Intellectual brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong.

- David Fasold

[Jerry]

Oak does not give the look I need and maple would require a tinted lacquer spray finish that I cannot do. I could have picked mahogany and gotten a look like I wanted at a lower cost.

Phisherman wrote:

[Steven and Gail Peterson]

Cherry (1)#375$8.49 bdft 4/4 (S2S,FAS) Cherry (2)#385$7.45 bdft 5/4 (S2S,FAS) Cherry (3)#376$11.00 bdft 8/4 (S2S,FAS) Cherry (4)#12241$10.00 bdft 12/4 (Rough) (S2S,FAS)

Raleigh, NC Pricey stuff

Steve

[Deborah Buerfeind]

WOW!! Where in SandyEggo are you shopping for wood??? Last time I bought cherry was about a year ago and I paid $4.20/bf. Try Hardwood & Hardware in the Miramar area or Lane Stanton Vance in San Marcos.

The other Jerry from San Diego.

[AAvK]

I hate to give something of a "nothing reply" but there is an exotic lumber place in Carlsbad (or near there) that does not* (ding!) list cherry wood on the site. You could call and ask, and it is a resource of most other lumbers.

[Rob Mitchell]

A&M Wood in Cambridge Ontario (CANADA) lists 10"W cherry for 11.75 CDN/BF. Their quality is generally top notch.

I also know of lower quality (narrower, only 4-6' between knots or other imperfections) in the $4 range. None of it is planed/jointed. Quite a range because of quality, and demand

Cherry is in very high demand right now. There are lots of other beautiful woods out there that aren't so expensive.

[Richard Clements]

how about birch with cherry stain, good solid wood at less than 1/2 the price and a lot more common, just a thought

[Nate Perkins]

"Jerry" wrote in news:1108591620.699330.302220 @c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

...

Higher than what I pay here in Colorado. I can get select and better rough

4/4 cherry for $6.10 a bf. It's been going up and down a bit in price (mostly up by about 15% over the last year or year and a half. My big problem with cherry is that it's darned hard for me to find good quality cherry, period.

I buy either from a hardwood lumber yard or from an out-of-state supplier who trucks in once a month. The fellow who trucks in is having a devil of a time finding cherry for his mill.

Here, African mahogany is just a little cheaper than cherry but the quality of the African is very high (wide, flat, clear boards). On the other hand, Honduran mahogany is pushing $8 a bf for me.

[Will]

the locater drop down to check your type of wood. Multiply by .9 to get close to $USD

Looks like Select 4/4 is about $6.40 USD

Jerry wrote:

[Unisaw A100]

AAvK wrote:

don't remember seeing cherry there but it's worth the trip none the less.

UA100

[B a r r y]

We hit $9 here in CT last year, but prices have now slid to the $6-$7 range for FAS Cherry.

Location...

Barry