Hey everyone,
Does anyone know of any good lumber stores within Austin (or even outside)? I am willing to drive out of town, maybe an hour or so to get some good hardwood lumber. I saw Fine Lumber’s page and believe this is a good option, however wanted to know if there are any more options that I am not seeing that maybe provides more options on lumber.
Thanks Charlie!
There are many people on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace that sell live edge slabs and locally sourced lumber
I have used Austin Fine Lumber for years… in fact since the hackerspace got founded no less. I most often buy the imported furniture-grade 13-ply baltic birch plywood… but they also have a great selection of hardwood lumber of all sorts, and a great selection of veneer as well.
It’s not the cheapest route to go… but their prices are generally fair and average for the material. Imported material is very expensive right now, for obvious reasons. Worth the trip.
If you need smaller pieces of fine quality hardwoods, you also should check out WoodCraft and Rockler.
Yea, the only concerning thing for me is their lack of supply in 2xY lumber for hardwoods. I am figuring they do carry more than their website advertises in the section, probably difficult to predict what suppliers have any given month.
edit: Do you have a rough estimate on their Red Oak prices? I’m sure they are fluctuating, but a ball park number would be great.
For the last two years the only answer I can give you is “Call for pricing” – it’s fluctuating so hard and fast there’s no easy way to ballpark it. At least they now have a good selection of red oak hardwood. Back in October 2021 they had nearly zero inventory due to mills not operating and cutting.
Things have gotten better since then, but demand is still through the roof and supply is short. You’re best waiting until Monday, and calling them as soon as they open. They get super busy during the day and simply don’t pick up the phone.
Yea, it is a shame the situation right now with wood. But it is what we got to deal for the moment. Thank you for the help!
White oak 4/4 plain sawn was about $8/lbf and $9.50/lbf for quartersawn a couple of months ago. I don’t know how that compares to red oak or how it has changed since but it may be an ok ballpark figure.
I don’t recall them ever having pricing online even prior to COVID. Lately there is rarely a sales person available and you have to wait for a call back, which sometimes never comes.
Where do people buy Baltic or China birch ply and at what prices currently?
Dakota in South Austin has import birch for 70 to 85 a sheet. Its not Baltic, but Ive been happy with the quality.
Fine lumber has a non Baltic birch that is about same price as Dakota.
8/4? What dimensions are those in reference too?
Thank you for this price comparison.
It’s referring to “quarters.” 8/4 would be a board about 2" thick. Hardwoods are almost always sold this way as opposed to dimensional lumber that you’ll find at big box stores.
A board foot is 144 cubic inches of wood. So if you have a 8/4 board 8 ft long and 5 inches wide, it would be 6 2/3 board feet, which is what the prices in Mollie’s post are referring to. Typically these boards are sold rough sawn, so you’ll use the jointer/planer/table saw as taught in the woodshop safety class to face and edge your rough boards. It’s also possible to buy S2S or S4S lumber in which case the 8/4 board will actually be a bit thinner than that, but when you have access to a nice jointer and planer it’s usually not really worth the extra cost.
Oh thanks! Where I am from, or at least the lumber store I shopped at just gave us WxH and then we picked the length. Here is there website: Red Oak Lumber
I was the woodshop and machine shop manager back in my University! If you wanna see some pics of me and my beloved machines take a look: Questions regarding Orientation and Facility Tour with Bryan
edit: I am doing the Orientation tomorrow and the Woodshop Safety class the following day, cannot wait to get access and start crafting. I was going to purchase a nice bed frame from pottery barn but prices were through the roof! I decided to just do it myself for a third of the cost and hours of fun
Ugh, sorry to be this person, but I just don’t think my numbers are right. I am looking for a 2x4x96 piece of Red Oak. That would be 768 cubic inches of wood, 768/144 = 5.33 board feet, which equals 5.33 * 4.86 = 25.90? I feel like that price is too low?
That seems right to me and the math is right. Red Oak is common in Texas so it’s cheap as far as hardwoods go. The lumber you were buying before might also have been S2S or S4S and thus more expensive.
I think you are right. I love Texas more and more every day lol.
Thank you to everyone who helped me. Went to Fine Lumber today before my Orientation class and got the most beautiful piece of purple heart I have ever seen alongside a piece of hard maple.
Prices were as follow: Hard Maple (8/4) - $8.40 per BF
Purple Heart (8/4) - $14.00 per BF
This came through the e-mail if anyone’s interested:
Hey there! My name is Jerry. I got your contact info from Blacktail Studio’s database website for woodworkers.
I am writing on behalf of my dad, Hans, who lives in Kerrville. He has quite a large number of mesquite planks for sale. If you are looking for a supply of wood for yourself or others, I think you’d be quite impressed with what he has to offer. The planks have been milled between 7/8”-6” thick. He’s priced them at $10-$14/bd-ft.
If you are interested, please let me know.
Jerry Van Dyke
210-250-0069
