It's time to build another bed. My (adult) daughter would like something like this:
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I think it would be really cool to make it out of reclaimed wood, but I don't know anything about obtaining it. I can cut it to size (rip and crosscut), but I don't have a planer or jointer, so the wood would need to milled to my specs.
I called a local reclaimed wood supplier and they said that their typical minimum is $1000, but they might go lower. Obviously they need a cut list before they can give me a quote. They don't stock any boards, everything is milled to order.
I'm looking to the experts here for the pros and cons of building this bed with reclaimed lumber and also for some suggestions on sourcing the material.
Here, there seems to have always been old sheds, barns, houses that "needed " demolishing. Long ago, I would go around and ask the owners about their (abandoned) structures and about 1 in 10 would give me the building.
Later on, I discovered the city would have a list of houses to be demolishe d. I salvaged a few of those, also.
Doing that sort of demolishing/gathering, yourself, may not be an option fo r you. I don't search that way, any more, these days. If you're not prep ared to salvage a building from the city, ask their Code office who/what co ntractor has the contract to demolish a structure, then ask the contractor about obtaining some lumber... as they are doing the demolishing. You can usually select what you need, rather than buying a bulk load. Sometimes, these contrators don't salvage any lumber, i.e., their job is to demolish the building, not salvage it.
Check your local Craigslistings ("Material" category) for someone having sa lvaged lumber. Also, rather than running through a category, do the searc h option, using different wordings (for specifics, like salvaged lumber, ma ybe?).
One thing to consider when buying salvaged lumber, especially siding and th e like: If it has old paint, it likely contains lead, so factor in any lea d based paint removal in your (lesser) cost for purchasing it.
Also, consider any evidence of termite, powder post beetle, or other bug in festation. You can spray/fumigate or cut away any bug damage, but that's your time/cost, so (negotiate) deduct any of those potential cost related i ssues in your purchasing.
As for as that supplier you've contacted, $1K might buy more lumber than yo u need. Do you have a buddy than might need some, also? Share the cost of the bulk buy.
As for as not having a planer or jointer, is there a local cabinet or other firm, that might/can/would do the job. For my walnut table, a local firm planed my wide boards (charged $30, but I gave him $50 because he hit a na il) and another guy jointed/surfaced, then planed, other boards ($40). For the recent cypress table, a local guy ripped/jointed one edge (table top b oards), straight, for me ($40).
When using salvaged lumber, sometimes all your mill work (edges, surfaces) don't have to be perfect.... it's salvaged lumber, so maintaining that "sal vage defect" is not out of character of/for the whole project. Isn't that why you might be using salvaged lumber, in the first place? Just make sur e your "important" joints are solid/secure, to compensate for other (possib le) "deficiencies", elsewhere. Make sure certain edges and surfaces (and/o r jointery) are perfect, not necessarily all of edges and surfaces. Hand s anding a wavy/unflat surface smooth (enough), of salvaged lumber, to me, is sometimes a better look/result, than planing the surface perfectly flat... . or both sides coplanor. Allow the boards dictate some of the design/aes thetics, that way, and work with it, not against it.....
*You get me started on salvage lumber, etal., and I don't know when to stop !
What are they "reclaiming" and do you care what species it is you use?
Depending upon the source for their material, what you get _may_ be far nicer stock than just run-of-the-mill newly cut timber, but then again, maybe not...
I reclaim/repurpose a lot of old construction SYP around the farm here, most of which is roughly 100 yr old now and it generally is much finer old growth grain as opposed to current commercially-grown tree-farm construction lumber.
If you go exotic like they're reclaiming old chestnut logs or the like, then it's basically the only source but you'll be investing a lot of cash...
for you. I don't search that way, any more, these days. If you're not pr epared to salvage a building from the city, ask their Code office who/what contractor has the contract to demolish a structure, then ask the contracto r about obtaining some lumber... as they are doing the demolishing. You c an usually select what you need, rather than buying a bulk load. ....
to demolish the building, not salvage it.
If you run into a contractor who doesn't salvage the lumber, they likely wi ll give you (free) what you can haul off. They won't have to pay for that quantity of/for landfill fee.
Habitat For Humanity operates Re-Store outlets. I have about 5 within an hours drive. They differ somewhat in what they have in stock ; and it's always changing - hit & miss - but you might find some interesting materials. I've recently learned that they advertise on Kijiji
In NYC there's a place called "M. Fine Lumber" that has an acre or two of piles of old structural lumber. I went in there once and they told me they could give it to you pretty much however you want. Rough, planed all four sides, ripped, etc. And they apparently get all sorts of orders that essentially add up to a thick coffee table top.
Let me add one note to what Sonny wrote: I've had good luck getting barn wo od from ads on CL. For a couple of my projects, I used my jointer and lunc hbox planer to prepare stock for glue up into panels then took the panels t o one of my local sources to run through their wide belt sander. Interesti ng that the closest of my two local sources, a retail lumber yard, wouldn't touch reclaimed wood for fear of hitting a nail. The other guy didn't car e.
Larry
ed" demolishing. Long ago, I would go around and ask the owners about the ir (abandoned) structures and about 1 in 10 would give me the building.
hed. I salvaged a few of those, also.
for you. I don't search that way, any more, these days. If you're not pr epared to salvage a building from the city, ask their Code office who/what contractor has the contract to demolish a structure, then ask the contracto r about obtaining some lumber... as they are doing the demolishing. You c an usually select what you need, rather than buying a bulk load. Sometime s, these contrators don't salvage any lumber, i.e., their job is to demolis h the building, not salvage it.
salvaged lumber. Also, rather than running through a category, do the sea rch option, using different wordings (for specifics, like salvaged lumber, maybe?).
the like: If it has old paint, it likely contains lead, so factor in any l ead based paint removal in your (lesser) cost for purchasing it.
infestation. You can spray/fumigate or cut away any bug damage, but that' s your time/cost, so (negotiate) deduct any of those potential cost related issues in your purchasing.
you need. Do you have a buddy than might need some, also? Share the cos t of the bulk buy.
er firm, that might/can/would do the job. For my walnut table, a local fi rm planed my wide boards (charged $30, but I gave him $50 because he hit a nail) and another guy jointed/surfaced, then planed, other boards ($40). F or the recent cypress table, a local guy ripped/jointed one edge (table top boards), straight, for me ($40).
) don't have to be perfect.... it's salvaged lumber, so maintaining that "s alvage defect" is not out of character of/for the whole project. Isn't tha t why you might be using salvaged lumber, in the first place? Just make s ure your "important" joints are solid/secure, to compensate for other (poss ible) "deficiencies", elsewhere. Make sure certain edges and surfaces (and /or jointery) are perfect, not necessarily all of edges and surfaces. Hand sanding a wavy/unflat surface smooth (enough), of salvaged lumber, to me, is sometimes a better look/result, than planing the surface perfectly flat. ... or both sides coplanor. Allow the boards dictate some of the design/a esthetics, that way, and work with it, not against it.....
That is basically what the place I called told me. They can give it to me pretty much however I want it, all I have to do is pay them. The problem is that the set-up costs for such a small order is what jacks up the price.
"Gramps' shop" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
Speaking of hitting nails... A metal detector will help you find them. It won't find all of them, you'll have to look closely to see if there are any small particles from broken fasteners. (Staples and the like.) I got about 98% of the nails in some reclaimed model railroad benchwork, and made sure to keep an eye on the surface as each pass came out of the planer.
Having no idea what your capabilities are, why do you need someone to do a special setup? No more material than is in that bed, assuming you can find your source of stock (depending on where you live, CL is an excellent sour ce),cutting it to size and planing it down should be very straight forward. A lot of planing(machine and hand) but nothing too extreme.
a special setup? No more material than is in that bed, assuming you can fi nd your source of stock (depending on where you live, CL is an excellent so urce),cutting it to size and planing it down should be very straight forwar d. A lot of planing(machine and hand) but nothing too extreme.
Exactly! That "setup cost" jargon, to me, is bogus, for what basic-boards you need. Ask him if you can bring your circular saw, for cutting, to re lative length, the items you need.... that's about all the setup required. For salvaged lumber, not all of your shop's (subsequent/further milling) work has to be perfect, for your (rustic-like?, assembly requirements?) pro ject.
Other than supplying you with lumber, is his idea for setup to include maki ng your required(?) mortise & tenons cuts, other jointery/specialty cuts, i .e., complete prep for assembly, etc., etc.?
If his shop's basic setup, in all departments, is not already in working or der, then that may not be the company you should be doing business with.
o a special setup? No more material than is in that bed, assuming you can find your source of stock (depending on where you live, CL is an excellent source),cutting it to size and planing it down should be very straight forw ard. A lot of planing(machine and hand) but nothing too extreme.
ds you need. Ask him if you can bring your circular saw, for cutting, to relative length, the items you need.... that's about all the setup required . For salvaged lumber, not all of your shop's (subsequent/further milling ) work has to be perfect, for your (rustic-like?, assembly requirements?) p roject.
Unless the purchased boards are already completely prepared (in finished co ndition) to be worked on, in your shop....
Buy your basic boards, first. Don't worry about or consider any further or refined cutting or milling, at the place of purchase. In your shop, clean up the boards, do some basic cutting or trimming, if need be.
Do a rough assembly or layout of/for panels, and the like. With a rough a ssembly, then you decide what all needs further refined cutting, planing, j ointing, etc.... like I have done, here:
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Do some initial cutting-to-basic-length and fitting to size, etc.
Once some idea of what all needs to be planed, jointed, etc., and why, then bring the prepped boards to that guy (or someone else) for further finishe d planing, jointing.
It may not be practical to do any planing or jointing, at the place of purc hase, before you have the bed's construction plans to guide you, with the a ctual boards to be used. Example: Your preliminary bed plans may call fo r, say, 6" wide panel boards, but after the seller joints the boards, they may end up 5.75" wide. Does that idea, that consideration, make sense?
I seem to remember being quoted $300 for enough wood for a sofa table with a thick top, so their minimum cost was less than what you were quoted. I'm curious though, if you were to have them plane all the stock on four sides, would there be any point in getting reclaimed wood? I've been wondering that for awhile. Isn't the "aging" confined to a pretty thin layer?
Nonsense. Whatever the material, there's some labor and effort required to process an order; this isn't charity, the shop is fully justified (and actually requires) in making whatever charges are needed to pay their expenses beyond simply the material. On a per job basis, it's undoubtedly more expensive for smaller work.
We have no klew from what OP's said what it is they're salvaging here...I asked, got no response; haven't seen it mentioned by OP at all just what it is he's getting...or if he knows.
a special setup? No more material than is in that bed, assuming you can find your source of stock (depending on where you live, CL is an excellent source),cutting it t o size and planing it down should be very straight forward. A lot of plani ng(machine and hand) but nothing too extreme.
It's not a matter of capabilities, it's a matter of equipment.
If you read my original post, the reason I need someone to do a special set up will become apparent.
Exactly what am I missing? When I go buy any lumber, anywhere, I pay for the lumber and any taxes, only. All the services, up to that point, is al ready factored into the cost. It doesn't matter what kind of lumber is bei ng bought.
Beyond that, if I want additional milling to be done, there is usually a se t rate for the kind of additional work, type of work. I'd pay the rate plu s taxes. There is no additional itemized fees, beyond that, to cover setu p.... it's already factored into the planing and jointing rate.
The company's planer (tool) and jointer (tool) should already be ready to d o the work... just set each's depth of cut, align the lumber, flip the swit ch and it gets planed/jointed.
So what the heck is the guy setting up, as for as planing and/or jointing?
The only "anomaly", in "factoring", is a small amount of lumber vs a large amount. *72 bd ft lumber @ $8(?) bd ft, plus $0.25 bd ft jointing & plani ng = ~~ $600. Buy the boards and have them planed & jointed by someone else.
dbp, we both may be right, but also a bit wrong....
??? I suspect, maybe, the miller's thinking, re: setup, is along the lines of making molding type or other profile cuts, hence special/additional setu ps are required for/with the different cutters'/shapers' heads and machines .
I suspect Derby's cut list (being limited to planing and jointing?) would help the miller revise(?) the quote for the work.
You said you could/would rip and crosscut. You also said "obviously they would need a cut list before they can give me quote". If you are doing the ripping/crosscutting all they need to know is how many board feet and the thickness; I don't see any special setup, what were you thinking required such?
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