[banctecbobn]

What would a fair price be for rough cut green/wet red oak and popular?

Would like to purchase 1000 board foot, or more, of random sizes (mainly 1"). I would then stack in dry basement to dry for a year or so before using.

Would the wood dry enough in one year?

Have a great day,
Bob

[diecutter]

I needed some oak for a pickup truck bed and ended up going directly to a sawmill for it. They used the oak mainly to build pallets and did not think of it as an expensive wood. Can't remember the price, but it was dirt cheap compared to a regular store. It was green and rough cut. You are right; let it dry , then have a lumber yard it run through a planer.

[low_48]

Lots of things to consider Bob. Taking wet lumber off the log into a closed space like a basement will cause the lumber to mold. You need enough dry movement to prevent this. Then consider the humidity level in the summer, and the wood won't loose much moisture at all. You also have to consider the chance that powder post beetle will infest the wood. They love wet wood, especially any sapwood. The wood has to be held above 130 deg. F for a time to kill the eggs that may have been laid under the bark of the log. One year in a basement is not long enough, and not warm enough. The only successful air drying I have done, is taking the stock to my garage attic in the summer. That is after it has air dried for a year under cover, outside. I have had powder post beetle problems in the past. The best home system is an insulated kiln that uses a dehumidifier and heat source. This can be a home dehumidifier, but the acids in oak are really hard on them. Google for a home system like that. Also, I wouldn't mix two species in the kiln at the same time. The poplar is going to dry much quicker and easier than the oak. White oak is really a ***** to dry, stick to red oak if you can. Good Luck.

[todd71]

Lots of things to consider Bob. Taking wet lumber off the log into a closed space like a basement will cause the lumber to mold. You need enough dry movement to prevent this. Then consider the humidity level in the summer, and the wood won't loose much moisture at all. You also have to consider the chance that powder post beetle will infest the wood. They love wet wood, especially any sapwood. The wood has to be held above 130 deg. F for a time to kill the eggs that may have been laid under the bark of the log. One year in a basement is not long enough, and not warm enough. The only successful air drying I have done, is taking the stock to my garage attic in the summer. That is after it has air dried for a year under cover, outside. I have had powder post beetle problems in the past. The best home system is an insulated kiln that uses a dehumidifier and heat source. This can be a home dehumidifier, but the acids in oak are really hard on them. Google for a home system like that. Also, I wouldn't mix two species in the kiln at the same time. The poplar is going to dry much quicker and easier than the oak. White oak is really a ***** to dry, stick to red oak if you can. Good Luck.

Great points of consideration! Excellent post!! Here's some info that might help.
http://www.woodweb.com/KnowledgeBase...ingLumber.html

[banctecbobn]

Thank you for all the good information, but I was hoping to get a price on green red oak. I figured most of you woodworkers would have your sources. Wood in the lumber yards make woodworking unaffordable.

What sources do you use for your wood supplies? Looking for red oak supplies.

Have a great day,
Bob

[ger21]

If I recall, from what I've read, drying only adds .10 to .20 per bd/ft. Paying for it to be dried is well worth it. Where you'd be saving money would be buying it directly from a sawmill.

And, to dry wood properly, you need to let it dry outside for a year, to get rid of the majority of moisture, than inside for another year or so. Bringing it inside may dry it too fast, causing lots of splitting and warping. It'll also introduce a tremendous amount of moisture into your house, which is probably not a good thing.

[banctecbobn]

Drying for 10 to 20 cents would be more than well worth it.

I didn't know if saw mills would bother with a 1000 or so board foot.

[advt001]

Bob if you are looking for 1000bf of lumber find a broker.Your wood will be dry and the cheapest price.

[banctecbobn]

Where and how would I find a wood broker?

I live in the Indianapolis area.

[advt001]

Windsor Woods in New Windsor Il. may be able to help you.I guess I may have spoke too soon after finding out your location.I have dealt with a broker/wholesaler out of B/ham for many years most of his stock comes out of the Carolinas and China.

[low_48]

If you live in the Indianapolis area, contact Wood-mizer sawmills. They have a contact list of sawmill owners, and some of them have their own kilns. Also you can save a considerable amount if you can purchase lower grade stock(#1 or #2 common), or shorts (4' or 5' long boards). #1 common has some knots, #2 common has more knots. You can almost always get 2' clear pieces in #2 common, maybe 3' clear on #1 common.
I am on a forestry forum site. I know of a guy near Bloomington that may be able to help. He also does biodiesel and this is his biodiesel web site for contact info. http://www.rwtbiodiesel.com/3001.html

[banctecbobn]

Surprised that I haven't recieved some kind of a price from you guys on the oak or popular. Being that every single woodworker must use wood it seems someone, if not many of you, would have prices. I tried contacting the only saw mill I'm aware of and they didn't return my phone calls. I even hear they are hurting because of the economy. Go figure......maybe it's not the economy after all. lol

I'll give Woodmizer a call. I've heard of them before.

[low_48]

Sorry for no pricing, but I haven't bought a board in years. I bought a manual bandsaw mill years ago, and filled up every space I had, plus half my Mom's garage. I then sold the mill for $300 more than I paid for it as a demonstrator machine at a show. Probably the best deal I ever made, except I barely have room in my shop to build anything. At 57 years old, I'm thinking there might be a fair amount of my stock on an estate sale some day! Sorry, almost no poplar or oak either. I cut from an urban dump site, and maple seems to be the national tree around here.

[pauljohnstone]

Surprised that I haven't recieved some kind of a price from you guys on the oak or popular. .

Check the materials section of Craigs list too. A lot of guys with small sawmills will advertise there.

I've bought air dried Red oak for around $1 board foot. It was maybe a step below FAS grade. I can get kiln dried red oak for around 1.70 bdft in FAS grade if I buy 500 bdft or more (Free delivery too).

You should post at least your state and maybe someone will share their source.

[banctecbobn]

pauljohnstone,

Thanks for the reply, I'm in the Indianapolis area.

I finally found a source and green red oak is going for $1.00 per board ft. Dry is $2.00 board foot. I'm not sure of the grade but as long as it's under 12 foot and 2" thick it's the same price per board ft.

I had a pretty tough time getting even a ball park price for wood from anyone. I called Woodxxxxx and they only produced two numbers. One number disconnected and the other never returned my call. The Woodxxxxx sales wouldn't even give me an idea of pricing. He said he didn't have any idea, go figure. If I remember right, I think it's part of their sales pitch. lol I called a sawmill, they never returned my call.