| Woodworking Home Page | Index of tips | See Furniture | Plesums Home Page |
This may seem silly or conceited. I am not a huge customer of any lumber outlet. But I get frequent e-mails about where I buy specific types of wood. Hopefully this will provide some answers.
At the risk of being shunned by fine woodworkers, I confess that I do buy some wood from the familiar big orange box (Home Depot) or big blue box (Lowes).
There are several locations where I have bought furniture-grade wood in Austin.
Mason's Mill and Lumber Company Inc.
236 Trademark Drive, Buda 78612 (Reportedly near Cabellas, but I haven't been there in person)
Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
512-295-3000 (toll from Austin), fax 512-295-3001
Current measure (more S3S for your money)
From Austin go south on I35, exit Neiderwald/FM2001 and continue south on the I35 access road. In about a mile, turn right on Trademark drive, and Mason's will be on the right
Mason's mill is a major Houston lumber company that got tired of making deliveries to Austin and San Antonio, so recently opened a lumber yard in Buda, just south of Austin. My initial order included some wood that the other places didn't carry (and it was at a far lower price than expected), plus other wood at a very good price with pleasant service and prompt delivery. The price on sipo (a mahogany substitute) is the best I have seen (they reportedly are the largest importer in the US, and sell to other area lumber yards). They have all the standard woods plus special items such as ipe, quartersawn white oak, antique longleaf pine and pecky cypress. They can get other woods from Houston such as Sinker Cypress (for New Yankee Workshop projects). I never thought I would buy dimensional lumber (S4S) but that is what initially took me to them. They also have "green" plywood, for the environmentally conscious (or those who, like me, prefer the better quality) at attractive prices. I normally make rather than buy my mouldings, but they say they have one of the largest library of profiles in the world.
They have added hardware and accessories such as edge banding and glue. Their prices for Blum hinges are comparable to Bluelinx (which were better than any prices I found on the Internet), and they also carry the less expensive but compatible "Lama" hinge line. The frightfully expensive (think $25 per pair with the mounting clips) soft close undermount Blumotion slides are about the same price as I am used to, with a price break for a 6 pair box, but they also have an off brand for about $8 less per pair. Of course they also have the usual full extension ball bearing side-mount slides.
Sam Damiani handles inside sales, and Wesley Saunders outside sales - you may also recognize Ron Mazzarella, with many years experience selling Austin hardwood (hint), and Alex Pruneda. Their truck driver, Terrell, even wanted to help me store my lumber delivery, not just stack it on sawhorses.
Fine Lumber and Plywood
9407 Brown Lane (Northeast Austin, east of I35 and Cameron, North of 183)
730-5 M-F, until 6 on Thursday, closed weekends.
(512) 836-8990
Current measure
This is a great place to start if you are not experienced in buying hardwood. The folks are really nice and helpful, and will also let you look and plan. Most of their rough cut lumber is skim-planed, so you can get a pretty good idea what the board is like. They also have planed and sanded lumber (expensive), mouldings, hardwood plywood (walnut, cherry, etc., with ply core, MDF core, and lumber core). They have some "tropical/exotic" hardwoods, wood such as quarter-sawn white oak, and even recycled old pine and river recovered southern yellow pine for the New Yankee Workshop projects. You can pick your boards from the racks, then go to the office and a clerk will measure your selections and check you out. The prices for hardwoods are quite competitive, but some of their sheet goods are pretty expensive... for example, their red oak ply was almost as cheap as the big box, but I once paid $54.96 per sheet for 1/4 inch walnut plywood, and subsequently paid as little as $26.15 for the same item from their competitors.
I go there occasionally for small quantities of hardwood, since I can pick boards to meet a specific need. Since everyone can pick their boards, sometimes I have trouble finding sufficient wood of decent quality when I am starting a larger project, even digging through their entire inventory. They have a well-equipped mill on site, if you need special services (but it is not cheap for small volumes). Generally, they do not deliver, but when I asked recently they reluctantly agreed to deliver for a fee.
Fine Lumber does carry hardware (but I don't know how their prices compare).
Brazos Forest Products, a division of Baillie Lumber Company, formerly
Hogan Hardwood which was formerly
Paxton's wood source
600 Industrial Blvd (South of Ben White, between Congress and I35)
(512) 443-0777
Dry measure
This is where I learned about industrial or wholesale purchasing. You place the order with a salesman, by phone or in the office, and get wood in the order it comes off the bundle. Good and bad, but the stacks haven't been picked over by every woodworker ahead of you. Rough cut lumber has generally not been skim planed, so you will have to do some basic planing before you can select boards for a project. You don't need to be special to buy this way, but you do need to act like a wholesale customer. They expect to take your good-size order, fill it quickly, and move on, not meditate on each board. They will deliver larger orders.
On my first order after Paxton became Hogan, they let me down - couldn't deliver what they promised. On the next order they messed up billing by about $100, and took a month (and many phone calls to the accountants at corporate headquarters) to fix it. I haven't dealt with them, nor their successor, since, but many woodworkers like them.
Hogan's Woodcrafter's Store
Current measure
This was the retail outlet next door to the (Wholesale) Hogan Hardwood Source in Austin. The wood displayed in the retail store was eliminated with the change to Brazos, and the people who ran this outlet have retired, but some of my friends report that the store still provides retail service to smaller customers.
BlueLinx Hardwoods
formerly Austin Hardwoods Inc.
Dry measure
Austin store now closed
On May 23, 2009 I received a letter saying they had moved to their southeast San Antonio location on May 21st. It was only a few months ago that they closed their Dallas store and moved it to Austin. Guess the purchase by BlueLinx didn't work! They say they will be making deliveries to Austin, but I haven't determined how often or with what conditions (I saw a BlueLinx trailer truck in Austin, rather than the smaller trucks that "fit" on my cul-de-sac, and I had to admit that I didn't have a fork lift to help them unload.) They were also the best source of hardware (hinges and slides) in Austin. I will miss them. Someone who went to San Antonio said they gave him a price break because of making the trip from Austin.
McKillican America - F1rst Wood
29 Cypress Blvd,, Round Rock TX 78664
512-828-5800, 866-742-5800, fax 512-828-5801
Green tally (allows their prices to appear lower)
From Austin go north on I35, exit 257 onto Chandler Road. Go east (right) to the third street on the right, Cypress Boulevard.
I have visited, but not bought from them yet. They are a wholesale-only lumber yard, where you place your order in person or by phone, they pull the wood, and either deliver it to you, or you can pick up the bundle they have prepared. You may look at the lumber in their warehouse, but there is no option for selecting boards. They do sell hardware at attractive prices.
Walnut is one of my favorite furniture woods. But in 15 years I have never found a good source in Texas. Only one routine order and one special order in all those years pleased me, and the "good" routine order would have been considered only average quality up north. When I have been able to pick through boards at a lumber yard, it is hard to find enough to do a good size project. As a result, I have brought walnut back from Minnesota/Iowa a couple times when visiting my wife's family. And I have bought several hundred board feet from Wall Lumber in North Carolina.
Old growth walnut with wide boards, straight grain, no knots, and no sapwood is ancient history - basically not available except from someone who has a stash hidden in their barn. The 150 year old trees that wood comes from have been harvested long ago, and the 50 year old trees aren't that large. In some areas, walnut is steamed (high temperature at the beginning of kiln drying, not something that can be done later) which darkens the sapwood some, but also lightens and takes out some of the character of the heartwood. I would love to get steamed wood, rather than what is considered good here... the high percentage of sapwood on at least one side of each board. For fancy walnut projects, I now think of walnut veneer, sometimes even on walnut substrate (hide the ugly walnut, but get the other advantages of walnut).
Why do I tell this story? Because I have seen several people look for walnut at a lumber yard, and when they see what is sold in Texas as walnut, they rate the lumber yard bad and leave. My bad luck with walnut in Texas applies across all the lumber yards I have bought from, so it must be a problem with the lumber sources that Texas lumber yards buy from. Or the fact that Texans have come to accept this walnut as "normal" - a quality that many of us Yankees would consider "bad."
Mail order is expensive because of shipping costs. Several places offer a "UPS bundle," about 70 pounds of wood, no long boards - basically a much as they can ship by UPS at the "normal" rates without jumping to the higher freight rates charged for large packages or heavy shipments. Sometimes the wood is especially good. Top grade wood must be fairly long, but long boards cannot be shipped in a normal UPS package. One company explained that if they have a board that is very good on one end, but bad on the other, they cut the bad end off and put the good end in the UPS bundle (since the shorter board can no longer be considered top grade by the official grading specifications). A UPS bundle (or two) may be enough for a small project, but certainly not for an entertainment center or bedroom set. For a regular order (not a UPS bundle), the estimate for shipping 100 board feet from North Carolina to Austin (pick up at the terminal, not even delivered) was over $100. When I bought 300 board feet it cost $222 for shipping. Even a full truckload (6,000 to 8,000 board feet) costs about $2 per loaded mile to ship.
The other risk of shipping is the quality of the wood. No wood is perfect - as they love to say, when you buy a steak you pay for the bone, too. But just how good will it be? The reputation of the vendor is critical.
Steve H Wall Lumber Company in Mayodan North Carolina has been selling through fine woodworking magazines and on the Internet "forever." Steve personally called me back instantly when I e-mailed a question. They have been very responsive to me, their deals look good, and they have a long term reputation on the Internet as good people to deal with. Freight costs have killed most potential purchases, but I did take advantage of UPS bundle for some exotic wood, and another time took advantage of a special on Walnut. The extra cost of the freight made the special not so special, but the wood was good. Dry measure
Curly Woods in McKinney Texas, that I really liked and recommended for "curly" hardwoods, has gone out of business.
Hartzell Wood Stock in Lime Springs in Northeast Iowa is run by Jim and Jana Hartzell. Jim was a wood buyer and lumberman processing thousands of trees per week until he had a lumbering accident that left him paraplegic. He found a new career using his knowledge of wood in a small-town lumber yard. They are great people to deal with. If they don't have what you need in stock (they are small), Jim can probably get it for you. I couldn't leave without loading up my minivan with some odd size pieces of very nice walnut that Jim gave me at a great price. A good friend bought a large quantity for the trim and cabinets in the house he was building and was very pleased. Another woodworker we know in the area recommends them highly. Much of their wood is local wood that they had milled and dried by people they hired, not just bought by the carload for resale. Their published prices are attractive. Regular freight for small orders is expensive, as for everyone, but they have a "friend" who takes loads to various parts of the country periodically (it sounded like Jim could be competitive with Austin prices at about 300 board feet and up, and would probably deliver a premium quality.) Their lumber seemed worth checking out. They also sell Amish-built furniture (from selected craftsmen that meet their high standards for quality and finish).
When should you buy lumber at a store that isn't a lumber yard? When Woodcraft is having a sale! Woodcraft is a great place to buy tools, but their lumber selection is limited. They often feature one wood at a very competitive price. If that is a wood you need, "go for it." As I originally wrote this, I was planning on stocking up on 5/4 Lyptus from them. But I knew Hogan (Brazos) carried it (and I hear Fine Lumber now carries it) if I need more after the sale is over.
One of the importers of ipe, the Brazilian ironwood, is located in Austin. Everwood Decking Partners, just east of Austin, is a good source of this wood and it's close Brazilian relatives.
Premium Mesquite is co-located with Everwood Decking Partners, the importer of Ipe. Their web site claims it is local Mesquite, but a friend who works exclusively with Mesquite reported "they have a whole warehouse full of excellent Argentenian mesquite... not a stick of Texas. The South American ... more of a grey color. By itself, it would be fine... but it won't mix with Texas honey mesquite."
My other web site, www.solowoodworker.com, includes a page on "how to buy hardwood" that you may find useful.
Back to the woodworking home page at www.plesums.com/wood
Back to the woodworking tips at www.plesums.com/wood/tips
Back to the home page at www.plesums.com
Send e-mail comments to Charlie@Plesums.com
©2005, 2008 by Charles A. Plesums, Austin, Texas USA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.