I need to know how to get wood.

[phucheneh]

I mean, obviously, I should use the internet, right?



...I've taken up carving shit as a bit of a hobby. Like a lot of things that I do, I actually think my own idiocy has helped develop my skills. As in, rather than buy proper woods, I'll just hack up any random thing to make something out of. I have one firearm wearing maple grips and now another with oak, LOL.

Believe you me, oak is a motherfucker to work with. It does look kinda neat for a totally non-exotic wood, though.

But I'm gonna start dropping some cash on some serious stuff. I have more guns that need grips. But would also like to make other miscellaneous trinkets.

Where can I get neato specimens of wood? There's a lot on eBay, but often not large enough. And I have no idea how fair prices are, and what's actually workable.

The burls are definitely the most awesome. But I'm guessing they're a total PITA to work with. Also, I have no idea what 'stabilized' and other nomenclature means. I.e:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stabilized-...05&prg=10335&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=390919722362&rt=nc

...that's some nice wood, right there. I could oil that wood up and rub on it all day. :awe:

 

[Red Squirrel]

Home depot actually has a half decent selection, they don't have tons of exotic woods but they do have oak. Not cheap though.

You could also go for a trip in a place where they have oak trees and get your own for free. Can you bring a chainsaw on an airplane? I guess as long as you don't recline your seat?

 

[Pulsar]

Find a local wood working shop, and see if they can spare some scraps cheap. Things like Walnut and Cherry and Mahogoney aren't cheap at ALL, but if you can get some one-offs it'll save you some cash.

Hell, you can't even get some thicknesses of teak anymore because there aren't any trees that size that are still alive.

 

[Captante]

I mean, obviously, I should use the internet, right?

I could oil that wood up and rub on it all day. :awe:

Problem solved! :whiste:

 

[JEDIYoda]

I could oil that wood up and rub on it all day.

For a minute I thought I read you said-- I could oil that woody up and rub on it all day...rofl...

 

[John Connor]

I used to carve my own Rapala fishing lures.

 

[Grooveriding]

I'd start with some of the celeb nudes and branch out from there if they don't do the trick.

 

[sandorski]

"Wood"

hehe hehe hehehehehehehe hehe hehe

 

[vi edit]

Yeah oak sucks to work with. Particularly red oak. It's so...strandy? It doesn't particularly cut well and is a bitch to do anything smooth with it on end grains.

As far as where, most recognizable is WoodCraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/

Most big cities have one. If they don't have a species you want on hand, they'll order it. It's usually decent quality but you'll pay for the convenience.

 

[Paratus]

Yeah oak sucks to work with. Particularly red oak. It's so...strandy? It doesn't particularly cut well and is a bitch to do anything smooth with it on end grains.

As far as where, most recognizable is WoodCraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/

Most big cities have one. If they don't have a species you want on hand, they'll order it. It's usually decent quality but you'll pay for the convenience.

Woodcraft?

Is that the new Blizzard game?

 

[vi edit]

Woodcraft?

Is that the new Blizzard game?

No, it's the hippy version of Minecraft.

 

[highland145]

Yeah oak sucks to work with. Particularly red oak. It's so...strandy? It doesn't particularly cut well and is a bitch to do anything smooth with it on end grains.

As far as where, most recognizable is WoodCraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/

Most big cities have one. If they don't have a species you want on hand, they'll order it. It's usually decent quality but you'll pay for the convenience.

This. They do frown on you drooling on their exotics...

 

[Puppies04]

I mean, obviously, I should use the internet, right?



...I've taken up carving shit as a bit of a hobby. Like a lot of things that I do, I actually think my own idiocy has helped develop my skills. As in, rather than buy proper woods, I'll just hack up any random thing to make something out of. I have one firearm wearing maple grips and now another with oak, LOL.

Believe you me, oak is a motherfucker to work with. It does look kinda neat for a totally non-exotic wood, though.

But I'm gonna start dropping some cash on some serious stuff. I have more guns that need grips. But would also like to make other miscellaneous trinkets.

Where can I get neato specimens of wood? There's a lot on eBay, but often not large enough. And I have no idea how fair prices are, and what's actually workable.

The burls are definitely the most awesome. But I'm guessing they're a total PITA to work with. Also, I have no idea what 'stabilized' and other nomenclature means. I.e:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stabilized-...05&prg=10335&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=390919722362&rt=nc

...that's some nice wood, right there. I could oil that wood up and rub on it all day. :awe:

I saw part of a tv show (one where they buy and sell crap at flea markets or something) and these guys just went down to a local lumber merchant/furniture maker and bought 3 or 4 decent exotic woods that were too small to be used in house for like $30. Go have a scout around and see what you can find.

 

[PottedMeat]

As far as where, most recognizable is WoodCraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/

Most big cities have one. If they don't have a species you want on hand, they'll order it. It's usually decent quality but you'll pay for the convenience.

yeah the one here has a rack in the back with a bunch of pieces to look through - that whole store though $$$$$$$$$

 

[Exterous]

Our area has a reuse center with a fairly large wood section with everything from planks to beams to trunks. I don't think I've ever seen anything I would consider exotic but it has a nice selection of the more common woods like oak, walnut, cherry and maple. The prices were quite low too. I don't remember how much it was but my friend got an old beam to use for a mantle for 1/4 of the prices he found elsewhere

 

[Leros]

Woodcraft is expensive but often the only place to get really exotic woods.

You can probably find domestics at a hardwood lumber dealer for quite a bit cheaper. Check out http://www.woodfinder.com/

 

[Tiamat]

Home depot for hard maple, poplar, red oak. Woodcraft or a lumber specialist for cocobolo, padauk, mahagony, walnut, good quality plywood like Baltic birch, and any other exotics you can imagine. So far, woodcraft has been enough for me. Check out rockler as well (online website). They all also have turning stock that might be in the size range you desire. Pepper mill stock, rifle stock, baseball bat stock and pen stock sized appropriately for lathe turning and carving.

I practice on home depot wood and when I'm satisfied with my process and learned lessons, I repeat using the $$$ wood.

 

[Greenman]

Rockler will have what you need.

http://www.rockler.com/wood/exotic-lumber

 

[Slacker]

I have tried, but can not find the "I need to know how to get weed" parody thread

 

[Kadarin]

I've taken up carving shit as a bit of a hobby.

I could think of more than a few slightly less disgusting hobbies...

 

[BurnItDwn]

If you do not have axe, punch tree.

If that does not yield results, then go along with evrerybodys recomendations and visit the local lumber yard.

google maps "lumber yard near whatever the fark your zip code is" .. then go there. Or, go to more expensive place if you want to make somethiing fancy

 

[mikeford]

Find your local wood group, a place like Rocklers will know about them, and basically they meet periodically and part of it is swapping wood as most acquired wood is a single variety in larger amounts than you need.

 

[Pulsar]

I could think of more than a few slightly less disgusting hobbies...

Mythbusters proved you can polish a turd. So who knows...

 

[Imaginer]

Yeah oak sucks to work with. Particularly red oak. It's so...strandy? It doesn't particularly cut well and is a bitch to do anything smooth with it on end grains.

As far as where, most recognizable is WoodCraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/

Most big cities have one. If they don't have a species you want on hand, they'll order it. It's usually decent quality but you'll pay for the convenience.

The other retail physical presence store, would be Rockler.

http://www.rockler.com

They too also have carving and turning blanks one would use in carving, and more of a selection than construction/cabinent grade/type of wood in Lowes or Home Depot. Per board foot however, they are not exactly cheap compared to directly finding a local hardwood lumber dealer, but the blanks both Rockler and Woodcraft sell are much more manageable in smaller projects than the stock in those lumber warehouses (that you would need a truck for or your own tools/shop to get them down to size).

 

[Imaginer]

Also, when I went online to find a local lumber yard, Google/any Internet search is not exactly fully helpful. Most results come up in flooring sales around the local areas or any cabinetry places.

Keywords to use would be hardwood lumber minus flooring, remodeling, or cabinentry. You would also have to understand they price their various stock in board-foot (i.e. price per 1 inch x 1 feet x 1 feet) compared to stated milled dimensions of Home Depot or Lowes. They are dimensioned in various boards and depending on what you select, is what you pay for that board in that pricing.