Wood Butcher's New Cedar Hive.

[jdmidwest]

True. So that makes two things. I have a small hardwood dealer right around the corner. He stocks all the domestic usuals and a decent variety of exotics. I do some work for him and we barter quite a bit. Good lumber is expensive.

If you get out of the city and find a nice sawmill that does something other than pallets, you may find some nice cherry, walnut, sassafras, hickory, cedar, or oak. That dump truck load of cedar we just bought was scrap he sold for building fence. Stripped out, we have a stack that is 8' wide by 3' tall, mostly 2" rough cut boards 12 to 16 foot long for about the cost of 2 12" western cedar at Maynards.

I don't know where you would find the maple, its pretty small around here.

[eric1978]

For fine furniture, it's not really wise to use lumber that hasn't been properly kiln dried. Unless you know that your lumber has been properly air dried for a VERY long time. Otherwise you're just asking for wood movement problems. So I tend to buy from dealers who sell high-quality, properly kiln dried stock.

I don't really work with softwoods like cedar, cypress or pine. Plenty of woodworkers do, I just personally don't like it much. My dealer has cherry, maple and walnut for relatively cheap, and those are the three domestics I use most often. Other specialized domestics like curly or bird's eye maple, or quarter sawn white oak are more expensive, and the exotics are even more. But beauty comes with a price tag. If I'm going to spend 40, 50, 100 hours on a project, I don't mind the extra expense for the high-end material. But to each his own...cedar is perfect for those hives...rot-resistant and cheap. Just wouldn't want to build a coffee table out of it...not for my living room anyway.

[ness]

Hey, all the concealed carry ads have been replaced with Lumber Liquidators!

[Mitch f]

Eric, is your buddy the St Charles hardwoods guy that used to be at 94 and Ofallon Rd?

[eric1978]

Eric, is your buddy the St Charles hardwoods guy that used to be at 94 and Ofallon Rd?

No, StC Hardwoods is run by a bunch of pricks. If you're not a contractor buying a pallet per visit you're not worth their time. Plus their prices are high and lumber mediocre. My guy just has a small indoor yard off Central School Rd.

[Flysmallie]

For fine furniture, it's not really wise to use lumber that hasn't been properly kiln dried. Unless you know that your lumber has been properly air dried for a VERY long time. Otherwise you're just asking for wood movement problems. So I tend to buy from dealers who sell high-quality, properly kiln dried stock.

I don't really work with softwoods like cedar, cypress or pine. Plenty of woodworkers do, I just personally don't like it much. My dealer has cherry, maple and walnut for relatively cheap, and those are the three domestics I use most often. Other specialized domestics like curly or bird's eye maple, or quarter sawn white oak are more expensive, and the exotics are even more. But beauty comes with a price tag. If I'm going to spend 40, 50, 100 hours on a project, I don't mind the extra expense for the high-end material. But to each his own...cedar is perfect for those hives...rot-resistant and cheap. Just wouldn't want to build a coffee table out of it...not for my living room anyway.

Geez what's the big deal? It's just a piece of wood. It's not rocket science.

[jdmidwest]

I like working with the red cedar and sassafras. They make my buggers smell good with the after scent in nose from the sawdust.

The Eastern Red Cedar is not really a soft wood like the western stuff. It is pretty hard and tight. I have made tying benches, gun racks, lawn furniture out of it.

I checked Grandpa's old barn today and found stacks of boards stripped and air dried from back in the 70's in the loft. Cherry, Walnut, and white oak boards of different widths and thickness. Still in good shape from some old growth bottomland trees he had cut. It has been kept dry and has good air circulation. Looking forward to making stuff from some of that.

[fishinwrench]

Here's a project for ya...

http://makeprojects.com/Project/Wooden+Outboard+Motor+Powered+by+a+Cordless+Drill/1195/1#.UNjkCpNZ44w

Ya just gotta ignore the fact that for the cost of a decent cordless drill you could just .....BUY A FREAKING TROLLING MOTOR! LMAO

[jdmidwest]

Hey, all the concealed carry ads have been replaced with Lumber Liquidators!

Ness, you need to get a better browser and install an Ad Blocker. I don't see any adds. But my message bar in Firefox in the lower left shows that Google Analytics is watching our every move.

[eric1978]

The Eastern Red Cedar is not really a soft wood like the western stuff. It is pretty hard and tight. I have made tying benches, gun racks, lawn furniture out of it.

"Softwoods" aren't necessarily soft woods. All cone bearing trees are softwoods. Some are harder than others. Southern yellow pine is pretty hard stuff, but it's a softwood. You know how soft and light balsa is, but it's a hardwood. Cedar is great for fences, outdoor furniture and blanket chests. And it would fit your decor if you lived in a rustic lodge on the river somewhere. It's all about taste...I just don't care for the look of most softwoods for fine furniture, and I don't really enjoy working with it either.

The cherry, walnut and white oak you have would probably be great stock to use if it's truly been drying in a barn for 30-40 years. Good air dried lumber is a joy to work with, especially if you're a heavy hand tool user.