I’m not sure if there is already a thread that covers this topic, but after a short search I came up empty handed.
I’m going to help a college make a sign for their house and so far I have only been working with materials that I can easily source from the hardware store, like sheet materials (MDF, plywood…). For this sign I want to use a large nice piece of wood, maybe even a more exotic wood type. I see nice signs and carvings all the time here on the forums that are made on nice pieces of wood that are not so processed (maybe uncut edges or similar). I think it makes for a very nice effect on a more rustic looking sign.
Do you guys have an tips on where you can find pieces of wood for these sorts of projects. I know it is probably different depending on region, so for reference I live in Sweden, but any help or insight would be much appreciated.
At least here in the US (I suppose I can’t speak for everywhere in the US, but here in CO and a lot of other places), there are stores targeting woodworkers (Rockler, and woodcraft, I search woodworking in google), and those are going to be smaller, easy to use, but expensive pieces of wood. Also, there are places that are either mills (Like, they mill their own wood), or lumber yards. The lumber yards can tend to focus on either woodworkers, or on professional, large scale construction. I haven’t found any chains in these stores, but Denver has about 5 of them that I’ve been to, and their stock is usually a little varied. I can find them, and a bunch of hardwood floor vendors by searching “lumber yard” in google.
The lumber yards will sell surfaced 4 sides (S4S) wood, which is ready to use, or they will sell rough cut lumber. The rough cut stuff will not be flat on any sides, and it the sides will not be square, so there are some tools commonly used to get a usable piece of wood out of a rough sawn board. But the S4S stuff can be many times more expensive, and when you’re talking about something that costs $100+/board, it can make a real difference. They will also sell better quality flat work, like baltic birch sheets, or fancy special order sheets.
The lumber yards around me have always answered my direct questions, but they aren’t generally friendly to us amateurs. They seem to focus on professionals, or semi-professionals, so hopefully you can find a friendly one to explain what stuff costs, or what kind of work it will take to use it.
A lot of larger towns in the US have hardwood lumber stores that deal in rough-cut sawmill wood.
I just got back from there this morning with a 10 foot Hard maple board and a 5 foot piece of purple heart.
I’d do a google search for your area for hardwood lumber or sawmills and see if that gets you anywhere. Second option would be to go to the hardware store and see if they can custom order wood for you. I know both Lowe’s and Home Depot can order some different hardwoods locally. They’re usually pretty expensive for that, though.
Thanks you @jeffeb3 for a very in-depth answer! There seems to be two lumber yards and maybe one smaller saw mill close to me. Best tactic is maybe just to go there and talk to them on site.
I have found some online wood working stores here in Sweden, but it seems very price as you said.
Thank you @niget2002 for the great answer! How much did that Hard maple and purple heart set you back? Sounds expensive
Should maybe check with my hardware stores as well, but I’m thinking that the small quantities I want to buy to price will be very high. Hopefully local lumber mills will have some cut offs or scraps that they don’t want that I can by for cheap.
The hard maple was $5.75/board foot for 8/4 and the purple heart was $10/board foot, but she only charged me for half the purple heart because I picked out a board that was only 4" wide. I walked out spending $103
I don’t know whether there is a Swedish version, but in many cities in the US there are stores that reclaim and resell cabinets, appliances, and building materials. These may be things that are removed during renovations or demolitions of homes or businesses. Our local version of this is the Habitat for Humanity re-Store, an element of the non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity.
At our local Habitat for Humanity re-Store they also sell rough-sawn, live-edged wood planks milled from trees that have been harvested in/by the city. I’ve seen ash, oak, walnut, cherry, aspen, all at different times. While the stock varies wildly, it would be one of the first places I would look for the kind of project you’re describing.
Hey Tom, thank you for the answer! I’m not sure we have those exact ones, I mean we have second hand stores and similar. But it sounds like exactly what I would needed so I’ll do a bit of research to see if we have anything similar!
Just as an FYI, those type if store are called, at least here in the states, architectural salvage. Some, like habitat for humanity, are inexpensive while others, can be quite costly depending on what you’re buying.
Thanks, thats great! When putting it into google it gives me a swedish word: “Byggnadsvård”. Not sure it is exactly the same but it gives me a few places close to me that I can have a look at.
Haha well I realize that it doesn’t really convey any meaning for you, but maybe some other Swedes are reading the forums and could be helped by it. Maybe… Or maybe I’m just rambling for my self