I have in mind some projects whose size does not exceed One cubic foot. I have noticed that several kits I have purchased have wood of 3/8 of an inch or less in thickness. When I hit the area lumber yard, Such stock is not in immediate evidence. I would like to use the smaller size, as a drawer of cigar box size with 3/4 inch sides is a bit over whelming.
I have heard of resawing Lumber. I do have knowledge of planers. Is this how you get thin stock, or Should I be trying a corner of a lumeryard, perhaps another lumber yard?
There are a bunch of options. A good lumberyard should have a limited selection of 1/2" stock in a couple of species. Around here I can get oak and pine in 1/2" at my local yard. If the yards around you don't stock it, they might have thickness planing capabilities in their yard and could provide whatever thickness you need. Again, in only a limited number of species.
You can also look in the yellow pages for wood molding and millwork. Some of the bigger lumber yards have a wood molding division catering to higher end home builders whose clients are satisfied with the selection at Home Depot and Lowes. A millwork shop will be able to provide you with anything you can dream up, but it won't necessarily be cheap, and there most likely will be minimum size orders.
If you're looking for something besides the eight or ten species most lumber yards are conversant in, look in the yellow pages for hardwood wood suppliers. They may or may not be lumped in with the regular lumberyards. Ask the regular lumberyard if you can't find them in the book - they'll know if there are any in your area. They'll have a whole host of wood on hand and it's worth a trip down to the yard, even if it's a hike, because you'll learn a lot, will be able to select exactly the wood you need and have them dimension the wood to your specifications. You'll probably be drooling if you like wood at all. Bring money. A credit card can be dangerous.
A lot of the wood suppliers are now online as the wood prices are high enough that shipping costs are outweighed by the convenience and selection. It's a little like buying a pig in a poke buying stuff online, but unless you have some very specific needs it'll probably be fine for your needs.
I've bought some such stuff through eBay. The shipping costs can make or break the deal, so pay attention to what the Seller is charging. If they don't specifically state the charges in the listing, and don't have a shipping calculator, ask before you bid.
I wouldn't expect a timberyard to have such stock on hand. I would expect a good one to be able to make it on demand.
Thin stock doesn't store well. It needs to be well-dried before resawing to these thicknesses, otherwise you lose a lot to cupping and flattening it again afterwards. It's best to dry it at about 2" thick, then resaw it. Most timberyards can't afford to have stock around for long enough to dry to these levels, so they don't hold onto it. Some specialists, like musical instrument suppliers, do keep stock this thin (and you pay for it).
IMHE, I only resaw to this sort of thickness on stock that's I've personally air dried for a few years beforehand.
3/8" thick stock usually comes at a premium price. Typically if you buy
3/8" thick stock you are actually paying for the 3/4" it was milled from. Basically it is at least double the price for what you are getting. Alternatively you can resaw with a Bandsaw but may have to follow up with a planer to smooth out the pieces to a uniform thickness. Or simply plane
3/4" stock down to 3/8". Take a look here for the "easiest" solution.
First thing, find a hardwood yard that will provide lumber to you "S2S" for a reasonable price. Home Depot is not such a yard--generally in the US such a yard will have a several varieties of oak, hard maple, walnut, cherry, and more than a few other species. Look in the phone book and find yards that list those and call around. They'll stock it rough-sawn and then plane it to order.
Now, planing to 3/8 wastes a lot of stock--if you're doing a one-off small job and won't be doing it again that's the way to go though, the other option is to resaw and by the time you're set up to do that you don't have a whole lot left of a thousand dollar bill. You'll get a lot of other capability by going that route though, so you may want to consider it regardless.
One of my usual suppliers, catering primarily to the building trades, stocks 1/2" x 12" red oak. It kind of surprised me that they stocked it, but they do.
I have seen "thin" pieces of select woods (oak, maple, etc) at Lowe's. If you can't find it, ask. If you don't have access to a Lowe's, you might try Home Depot. If neither, ask for Birch plywood at your lumber yard. Baltic Birch plywood is excellent drawer material.
It may not be what you are looking for, but Baltic Birch comes in many different thicknesses and is what I make all my drawers of. Tough as there is. It's common and available at any good lumber supplier.
Both Home Depot and Lowes in my area carry "Hobby Boards" that are 1/2" thick. I've seen Oak, Poplar and Pine. I've only bought a few of these boards once, and I had to go thru the entire stack to find a few flat ones - just like any other lumber at HD/Lowes.
A thickness planer or surface sander. Drawer sides are typically
1/2". Smaller drawers can use thinner stock. You can use ply and cover the edges with solid hardwood. I have not had good luck finding thin solid wood. Another option is to have a cabinet shop surface plan your stock. Surface planers are around $400.
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