I replaced a dead refrigerator with a new one just a little (1/8") too tall to slide under the cabinet above it. I removed the cabinet and want to replace it with a sliding shelf trimmed to match the walnut faced cabinets in my kitchen.  I thought I'd just go to my local Menards to pick up some walnut.  They sell shrink wrapped hardwood boards all planed and ripped to a consistent width for what is usually 1.5 or 2x the price of what a lumberyard 40 miles away sells hardwood for.  I was shocked to see a 1x6 (.75" x 5.5") 4' long piece of walnut selling for  $116.79.  To my aging math mind that looked like $58 per board foot.   Yes, they have their 11% off on everything sale going but that still leaves the price $104ish if you don't mind waiting for the rebate coupon to come. 

 

I'll likely drive to the hardwood source 40 miles away to pick out a board or two. I know their prices are also up but even at $20/bd.ft. I'd be ahead.  My electric car should make the trip for an inexpensive sip of electricity. 

 

How much is walnut selling for where you live?

4D

This is about as local as it gets for me, between 9-17/bft.  This is rough cut.

 

 

Around here, everyone burns it for firewood.

WOW!  I was talking to an urban harvester/sawyer and he told me he was selling upward to $25.00/bd ft and I thought that was outrageous.  

Danl

Did you try Metro Hardwoods in Independence, MO?

Found a local place for 5-6 /BF. Looks like maybe 4 to 5 foot lengths. More is barn wood planks 17 x 82 $120 or 30" long $35. Usually can get domestic hardwoods much cheaper down here, just don't look for maple.

Sometimes shorter pieces offer better grades as they want to move them.

Maybe I can't afford to build anything out of Walnut.

True story.....

 

Last year I decide to sell my bar rail.. Roughly about 50 ft on Marketplace. Guy contacted my but only wanted 10 ft. I said $140.. Guy didn't contact me back. If he had bought the 10 foot I would have given him the other 40 feet just to get it out of the shop. If he asked how much for all of it I probably would have said $150. A guy on Marketplace from a lumber company sells it for the same. It was $14 when I wanted to buy it 10 years ago.. What's it worth now with current prices?

Not sure why walnut is so high.  I just checked Menards price for Cherry and Hickory.  $24.40 for cherry 1x6x48 and $15.60 for the Hickory 1x6x48.  Still higher than what my hardwood source 40 miles away sells it for but reasonable for the local convenience. I've used hickory with a walnut stain in the past and might do that here.  I doubt anyone buying my house after I'm done with it would notice any different if I take some time to do a good color match to the existing walnut cabinet faces. 

My business price for walnut is just north of $9 a bf.  I buy exclusively from Frank Miller Lumber and their walnut has had 6 price increases this year.  Even they will admit that the quality is down.  Lots of sap wood on it.

For something viewed on edge (eg, shelf), would walnut edging and a walnut stain for the rest of the shelf, on a cheaper wood, work as well?

I've done several additions to maple room furniture, using pine and adjusting a dye mix to end up with the right color.  To the casual eye, it works.

My intent is to trim frame the front of the shelf to look like the bottom 3" or so of the cabinet frames next to it.  The 3" vertical side will hide the drawer slides and miter back to the rear of the shelf then wrap over to the other side.  Rear wall to keep stuff from sliding off the back of the shelf. Hopefully to look like the shelf was the original piece installed when the house was built. Fortunately when I removed the cabinet above the fridge the wall to the left and back had wallpaper as if the wall behind all the cabinets was wallpapered before the cabinets were installed. So the area is finished as if no cabinet was ever there.  It's an empty space which took a step stool to reach before so I figured replacing the cabinet with a nice shelf that could slide out to make reaching what was on it easier. 

4D

You might check your local CL, Materials and Farm & Garden listing 4D. I often see walnut listed in ours...varying prices depending on rough, 2s, 4s, air or kiln dried. Some only want to sell 100 b/f or more. Others will sell by board. Every so often, someone's cleaning out grandpa's barn loft and has some priced very reasonable.

Edited September 20, 20223 yr by Grandpadave52

Never ever looked at craigslist before but on your advice checked it a few moment before writing this.  One source (30 miles away) has stickered stacks of assorted rough cut hardwoods including 1" walnut, elm, hickory, sycamore, and 2" oak.  All for $2/bd.ft.   Can't tell by the photo but it appears the walnut (darkest wood) is on the bottom of the stack. The description doesn't mention if he'll sell me just a few bd.ft.  All is air dried for the last 1-2 years. 

4D

2 hours ago, 4DThinker said:

Never ever looked at craigslist before but on your advice checked it a few moment before writing this.  One source (30 miles away) has stickered stacks of assorted rough cut hardwoods including 1" walnut, elm, hickory, sycamore, and 2" oak.  All for $2/bd.ft.   Can't tell by the photo but it appears the walnut (darkest wood) is on the bottom of the stack. The description doesn't mention if he'll sell me just a few bd.ft.  All is air dried for the last 1-2 years. 

4D

Fairly fortunate in our area with native red, white oak, walnut, hickory, poplar, soft & hard maple, cherry and sycamore being available. Southern portion of the state there are a number of independent mills and logging companies. Not nearly as many around here as there used to be but a few are still in business.

 

I've even found a few boards at some fleas markets from time to time. Hope your find works out 4D.