looking for "less than premium" lumber.

pyotr filipivich · 2021-03-26T20:50:01+00:00

Weird question. I'm looking to throw up a shack. A temporary building, notintended to last more than a couple years. Yet every lumber yard I've found advertises "premium quality"lumber. Where can one go for "Good enough" lumber for those projectswhich just have to be "done"? Somewhere above the stuff used by"B.A.R.F. Construction" ('cost a whole lot less, looks just a good.),though. Or am I stuck with having to contact a mill somewhere for thegrade 4 boards (every board guaranteed to have a knot, bark, cup, bow,or for not more money a combination of two or more.)? {Company I worked at used that stuff for shipping commercialcountertops. The counter tops were first rate, the 'crates' - not somuch B-) }

Mar 26, 2021 Last reply: 5 years ago 47 Replies

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krw 5 years ago

Bzzzzt!

You want cheaper than the "finest premium lumber" from the BORG at some fraction of whatever else they sell. Sorry but that's *ALL* they sell - cheaper than the finest premium lumber. You can't buy what they sell for some fraction of what they sell. It doesn't work that way.

Evidently you're older than my father (who died in 1965).

I'm supposed to know why?

Well, Woodcraft sells some pretty nice stuff, as does Rockler, and Highland. If you didn't come from oil money, I'm sure there are premium wood outlets within 500mi of you.

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krw 5 years ago

How about PT? You can often water out of that stuff with just your hands.

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DerbyDad03 5 years ago

I hate the wet mush that PT leaves on saw blades. Never mind the splashing when you hit it with a hammer.

Hey...wait! That's the answer!

The OP (pf) should advertise "free deck dismantling ". Find someone who wants his beat up deck removed. Take it apart, take what he needs to build his [not so much "shed" as "add-on extension" or "lean to" ] and leave the rest neatly stacked at the deck-owner's curb.

Free "less than premium" lumber.

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krw 5 years ago

He can have my decking. I'm replacing it with Trex soon (have it in my garage).

"leave the rest neatly stacked at the deck-owner's curb"

As long as you mean the "deck-owner" is pyotr. I'm giving him the whole thing. Same deal as the RAS "safety kit" for my crapsman saw. If you want the kit (still in its box), ya gotta take the saw too.

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Clare Snyder 5 years ago

The new bale was dry - wrapped in typar and it was straight when I got it home and used it. The open bale had been open for a few months or so and had been rained on and sun baked - I try not to buy wood that is not kiln dried

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Clare Snyder 5 years ago

hin a couple days. A number of years back on the May 24 weekend I was up at the church camp putting in and re-building the docks. When I started cutting the new lumber there was a plume of water, more than sawdust from the saw. I'm SURE that would have turned into pretzels if it hadn't been nailed and screwed to the dock

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DerbyDad03 5 years ago

I once heard a rumor that some places actually *water* their bales to keep the outside boards from drying out. That way they don't "spring" (shape pun intended) to life when unbaled.

Nothing I ever bothered to verify, but I wouldn't be surprised.

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pyotr filipivich 5 years ago

DerbyDad03 snipped-for-privacy@eznet.net on Mon, 29 Mar 2021 10:40:36 -0700 (PDT) typed in rec.woodworking the following:

I recall ripping a 2x4 with a circular saw. As I completed the cut I looked back and lo, two parts have bowed outwards leaving a one inch or more gap at the middle, while the ends were touching. I used those boards for a bench, made it "springy".

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