AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: seventhdevil on March 30, 2018, 10:44:30 PM
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just a curious question to see why people buy the timber that they either use quickly or the stuff that gets stuck in the workshop for years or decades.
firstly apart from being a wood turner i am most definitely a lover of timber species and their variety from all corners of the globe. i often buy from ebay, woodlots or facebook and go for unusual species that are either rare or not common in the size given and like to get a bargain so i won't pay too much for the wood i buy.
good examples of this are 33 blanks bubinga, purple heart, redgum, coolibah burr, york gum burr, jarrah burr and black walnut from 9x4" up to 16"x3" and only paying £13 per blank or the amazing luck when i bought a board of genuine mahogany that was 33" wide by 142" long by 1" thick for £75 delivered. i am also happy to pay market value if they are rarely seen items too.
i'm turning into a wood collector...
so why do you buy wood?
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my current collection of timber in a 20' container.
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I bought a pack of offcuts from a timber yard, about 14 cubic foot for £200 some years ago. All sorts of wood at lengths of 4' and various widths and thicknesses. This enabled me to not worry about wood when I needed to practice or play with an idea.
It has also well paid for itself in things I've made and sold.
Since then I've bought what I need for a job either at a timber yard, or had it delivered.
A couple of friendly tree surgeons also let me know if they have anything interesting, but as I don't have a lot of storage, I have to be careful about how much I can accept.
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my current collection of timber in a 20' container.
Wow that's impressive, The wife made me get rid of my log store (it held 3 ton) I now have my workshop and a brick coal shed to store all the wood that I collect and I do collect quite a bit to the wife's horror. ;)
I just had this yew delivered and a few large bits of ash but it's nothing like what you have in your container.
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Steve sometimes I will buy a piece of wood just because it is a nice piece and I know the results will be good. I am mainly do production turning in small batches for joinery companies so I either buy in the wood from a timber yard or the company supplies whereupon if I am careful I get to keep the spares. I am friendly with a couple of foresters and ocasionally get a gem, for instance 18" diameter Box!!
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Buy wood I just nick it off of Walnut Les ;D ;D ;D
I can't remember the last time I brought wood for turning as all of mine now is mainly English woods. Collected from people who are taking down trees. Even though I did say jokingly about nicking off of Les I have been given some from him.
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I buy what I think is interesting, i too love a bargain. I get a bit of free stuff now that people know I have started turning. I also get some from ebay. Best of all I get free timber from a local kitchen maker. Normal oak and walnut with a few exotics thrown in.
I never say no to free wood. Just need another garage !!
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my current collection of timber in a 20' container.
:o :o :o ;D respect , thats some stock
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Buy wood I just nick it off of Walnut Les ;D ;D ;D
I can't remember the last time I brought wood for turning as all of mine now is mainly English woods. Collected from people who are taking down trees. Even though I did say jokingly about nicking off of Les I have been given some from him.
I only loaned you that wood Derek once it's dry and you have turned it, you have to give it back ;D Les
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The last time I actually bought wood was from you, Steve. A car full for £150. And to be honest, my current stock is probably about the same as yours. I make use of people who cut down trees and need to get rid of them. Recently a friend of ours did some work in their garden and I got hold of an entire holly tree about 14" diameter and 12' long, obviously tapering towards the top. Our gardener donated a cherry trunk, 12" diameter and 8ft long. I have some large logs leylandii logs from distant family, and crab apples from clearing bridle paths. And then there's the folks who clear out workshops when their husbands and/or fathers have passed away or they need to downsize. I do pay some money for that, but not anywhere near the amount you'd pay at a timber supplier.
Nowadays I only buy timber when I have a commission and it needs something I don't have.
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i used to get loads of free stuff to bu no longe can accept what i'm offered as i can no longer store or process it. the last thing i got given was a huge rarity though, pagoda tree... doubt i'll ever see that again.
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As with most professional turners, I take whatever I can get for free. I have an excellent contact with the local heritage railway and get access to far more timber that I ever could wish for. A few weeks ago I bucked 3 large flowering cherry trees that they had felled; it's now in 1 meter lengths in my drying shed. I've just got back from a railway cutting where the trackside crew have been clear felling , and there's over 200 trunks waiting to be shifted, but at this time of year, with the railway busy, there's too much other work for them to even think of shifting logs, so I'll be given access to a diesel shunter and a few flat-bed trucks. In a few weeks time a gang of us will move in on a day when the railway is closed to the public and we'll haul tons of logs out from there. I'll bag all the interesting stuff and the rest will go for firewood.....and I get to drive a train for the day.
Having said all that, I still buy timber occasionally. Either off local tree surgeons when there's interesting stuff being felled in some of the big country house gardens. I also keep my eye on ebay for the occasional sale of hobby-turners stock. My last purchase was well in excess of 100 bowl blanks for £300, with nothing smaller than 8"x2", and at least a half of the stock was 16" wide, 8" thick cherry and yew half logs....not bad at £3 a piece.
Les
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Down in Suffolk i can't seem to locate any decent wood, so i gues i will have to get it on line
Tony
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Have you tried your local tree surgeons or landscape gardeners? I contacted about a dozen or so about 4 years ago, made a good friend and a steady supply of all sorts of interesting timber. You will need some storage space and time, though. And a chainsaw.
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Even boot sales cn yiel;d decent wood, oftwn old stuff like parana pine, old mahogany, even lignum loccasionally.
Pete
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I rarely buy timber but earlier this year I had the incredible good luck to win some exotic timber in the last raffle organised by the Tool Post. The picture shows me in my workshop with the prize.
(http://Img_5369sc.jpg)
All the wood came from Catapu (forestry concession belonging to TCT Dalmann), Sofala Province, central Mozambique, South Africa. These were new to me and comprised:
Leadwood Combretum imberbe, also know in the local Sena language as Nangali and often referred to as Monzo.
Wild Mango Cordylia Africana, also known and marketed using its Sena (local Language) name, Mutondo.
Chamfuta Afzelia quanzensis, also known as Pod Mahogany.
Panga Panga Milletia stuhlmannii
Xylia Xylia torreana, known locally as N'cala and regionally in English as Sand ash.
Am really enjoying working and revealing the qualities of these and I am grateful to the Toolpost for giving me the opportunity of working with wood which I never knew existed.
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you should come to my container tim, i've tons of timber in there that you will have never heard of.
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Tim, you have some great timbers there. We have been using Dalmann's timber at Cheam Woodturners and our twin club, Central Oklahoma Woodturners, since 2014. Lovely range of timber and as always our thanks to Rob for all his help.
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Many thanks for that info David. Can't believe my good fortune and as you say it is really beautiful timber.
Tim