I'm currently in the middle of buying lumber for a couple of projects and find it difficult to find the quality I'm after.  I'm buying 4/4 and 8/4 Cherry and Walnut.  It's always a long process going to multiple suppliers to find what I'm looking for and get frustrated trying to match the hue of the wood.  I live in Southern California and find that most places have lighter colored walnut with lots of sap wood and knots especially in 4/4.  The cherry I find looks lighter and more pink as well.  I have found that 8/4 boards tend to be of better quality for both species but it comes at an increased price which stops me from wanting to resaw it into 4/4 which I've had to do in the past.  Have you guys found this true in your neck of the woods as well?  Is it just the nature of the beast?  If you're in Southern California, in particular, close to the Inland Empire, where do you go to buy lumber? 

Manny

Manny

You may want to get in touch with John Morris. He lives in southern Ca. he is also the site owner here. But he makes runs at times and I believe the one place was called Peterman's. He did a blog on it that was very interesting. You can read his blog here: Peterman's and that may help you out. As for the lumber I get here, I don't have many problems getting quality lumber around here. But living in Pennsylvania there are a lot of lumber mills with in a decent drive.

 

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.

Manny,

 

I live in the city of Corona and John Morris is over in San Jacinto. I get all of my lumber through Reel Lumber over on Chicago Street in Riverside. If they don't have what I need in stock they can get it for me from their other yards down in the OC. I have never been to Peterman Lumber but I have heard nothing but good things about them. John has bought through Peterman so I am sure that he will chime in. I have never had to buy that size of of walnut or cherry so I can't speak of quality that Reel carries in those species in that size.

Manny, I buy and sell figured lumber. I know John lives much closer to you then I do.

Here is a fellow that does a great job with trees and lumber.

http://www.tulepeaktimber.com/site/main?page=Home

Rob is a great guy and honest as the day is long.

Getting to your point on lumber stock, I see by your pictures you make some fine stuff. You might look into buying logs and having them sawn to your specs. I know in California, they have a lot of claro walnut. Not sure if that is what you want to use, but it is some awful pretty stuff. The best cherry comes from Pennsylvania. A lot of what you are buying out there is steamed to drive the color into the sap wood.They do that with both cherry and walnut.So you get blah looking wood. Try contacting Rob  above and see what he has. Good luck in your search. It is hard to find good lumber. bob

 

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Bob Kloes
www.bobkloes.com

Wayne, I envy you guys that live in a lumber rich part of  the country.

Bob, I will look deeper into Tule Peak but they are a ways out there.  I don't know what the cost of buying a log is, but i like the idea.  I wonder how much more expensive that would be?

Allen, Thanks for the feedback.  Unfortunately I went to Peterman and Reel (where I have bought before) along with Ganahl and Atlas for good measure with no luck.

I was able to find some Cherry but struck out when it came to the Walnut.  Sadly, nobody allows you to sort through their inventory in the back anymore.  You have to go through what is on the floor and it seems that has been picked through pretty good by now.  I was told at one location that those piles aren't replenished that often because that lumber is expensive and doesn't sell that quickly.  I will go out on another mission tomorrow and stop by Mckillican (formerly Lane Stanton Vance) and a place that someone I ran into while at one of the lumber yards called Kelly Wright.  Hopefully I'll have good luck.

By tomorrow  I will have scoured some of the southern California lumber yards, so if anyone locally would like a report on the prices and quality I found (and it's not against the site rules) I would be happy to share. 

Take Care.

Manny