Finding Local Woodworking Resources
So you have purchased a few tools, completed a couple of projects, and are ready to get started on a new project but you have a problem. You are stuck, unsure of where to buy lumber. Maybe that’s not a hurdle, but your plan requires a tool you don’t have, nor do you have the budget for it. So what do you do?
Well do I have a solution for you, in this article I will teach you how to find woodworking resources in your area.
There are three categories I will cover, lumber suppliers, knowledge centers, and industrial tools.
Lumber Suppliers
Finding lumber suppliers is easy, go to Google Maps but do not search for lumber, search for hardwood dealer. Your search will yield quite a few results, here’s how to pick the location for your furniture projects, weeding out the construction focused or hardwood flooring places.
There are four types of places highlighted on the map. Home centers, construction lumberyards (including flooring), hardwood dealers, and saw mills.
Home Centers
Stay away from the home center. Poplar at my local Home Depot is sold by the foot for $4.86 per linear foot for a Surfaced 4 Sides (S4S) 5.5 inch wide board. At my local hardwood dealer I can get S3S boards for around $5 per board foot. While that may come off as a similar figure, linear feet and board feet are very different. An 8 foot board at Home Depot would cost $38.88 while at the hardwood dealer the same board would be $18.33. Not to mention, the lumber quality and selection are lacking at the home center.
Construction Lumber Yards
Construction lumber yards have building materials. Things like 2x4s and pressure treated materials. Stay away unless you are building a deck.
Hardwood Dealers
Hardwood dealers are a great option for furniture. These businesses import wood from all around the world, meaning they have a huge selection ranging from your typical domestic species to exotics. Generally, these are giant indoor warehouses which also carry high quality plywood. They come in different sizes, some specialize in supplying big cabinet shops and only sell to professionals. Others are smaller, catering to small shops and hobbyists. If you are unsure if it’s the right place for you simply give them a call and ask. If anything, they will tell you where to go instead.
The good thing about these places is you’ll get wood that’s pretty ready to use. In fact, you can buy S3S lumber that’s ready to head right into a project. It’s a little more expensive since they have to process it, but it saves you time and the need to have a jointer and planer, but you will still need a table saw.
Saw Mills
Do you like live edge projects? Then a saw mill is for you. These range from large, industrial operations to small, one man shows. Find the small ones. They generally have a saw, a barn, and a passion for saving trees from the landfill. My local sawyer, Milwaukie Hardwoods, mills urban trees and kiln dries them himself and has a large supply of locally sourced woods.
His prices are lower than a hardwood dealer, he doesn’t have to pay to have boards shipped in from Africa, but there is a cost. You have more work to do.
These boards are rough. They require a planer to process, at the very least.
The trade off is you’ll find wide planks and virtually any thickness you need. For you turners, they will likely have bowl blanks. But they will be constrained to your local trees, meaning you won’t find a stack of purple heart or cocobolo laying around.
Knowledge Centers
There are three knowledge centers readily available in your local city. Head back to Google and search for one of these; community colleges, guilds, and furniture shops.
You may have noticed I did not include online resources on this list. Of course there are plenty of ways to learn online. Blogs, videos, articles, you name it. There is a wealth of knowledge, but that can only take you so far. Eventually you need to get your hands on some tools, hence these local resources for in person experiences.
Community Colleges
Most community colleges offer woodworking courses, you just have to look. The question is, how relevant are these courses to your needs. They may be basic, they may be construction oriented, or they may be fine woodworking. I suggest checking it out and asking the teacher about their class. You may get lucky and find a turner who would love to teach you the art of lathe work and bowl making in a one on one, hands on setting.
Guilds
These are rarer, but do exist. Here in Oregon we have the Guild of Oregon Woodworkers which meets regularly, offers classes, and has a full shop with all the major tools available to members. A guild is a great way to meet and learn from fellow craftsmen and try out tools before you buy them.
Furniture Shops
Not all shops will do this, but I bet a few in your area would be willing to show you around and maybe, with the right liability release forms signed, let you use a tool. All you have to do is show your interest and ask. I find people in the woodworking trade are very willing to share knowledge whenever they can.
Industrial Tools
A little trickier to find but life savers when you need one. Industrial tools, such as large CNCs, 48 inch wide planers, and other such massive, production style tools can be life savers for specific types of projects.
Giant tools mean big budgets to own and maintain and are found in large furniture and cabinet shops. So talking to those furniture shops in the previous section can open you up to their resources.
Don’t forget to check out Craigslist. You may be surprised to find folks out there with CNC machines willing to help you out with your project for a small fee. I recently found a sawmill near me with a CNC large enough to mill a walnut slab that’s too wide for the local guild’s wide belt sander.
Speaking of guilds, that’s another way to get access to tools you may not have. The Oregon guild has a slew of industrial grade tools.
If you do not have a guild, a local maker space may have some tools available to you. These places typically rent out time and space and are a great option for those living in apartments where running power tools is frowned upon.
I hope this guide helps you find resources you are looking for. If you know of others in your area I have not listed, please feel free to drop them in the comments to add to this resource.