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American Wood Suppliers


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Despite living in a fairly metropolitan area, about 10 minutes East of St. Louis, the nearest place that has anything more than construction grade lumber is 45-60 minutes away. Gas there & back would be about the same as UPS shipping. So... as much as I don't want to, I'm going to have to get my wood shipped to me. I'd REALLY rather pick it out personally, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

For the Americans here, what suggestions do you have for reputable suppliers?

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Gilmer woods, Gallery Hardwoods, RC Tonewoods....the list goes on, and sort of depends on what you are looking to build/buy. Frankly, going to lumber yards is worth it when you come away with several full boards of wood (which is how they sell it, not by the body blank) and will save you quite a bit over having it shipped. Plus, it's fun.

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I completely agree that going to the yard would be a LOT of fun. It'd be better overall to inspect the wood personally before it's bought. With the nearest good yard being an hour away, it's just not reasonable.

Here's what I'm looking for:

I'm going to be doing a lot of small woodworking besides guitars: picture frames, boxes, inlaid mantle pieces, etc. The only thing available around here in 1/8" - 1" craft boards is oak, poplar, and pine. I need not only thick guitar woods like mahogany, maple, ash, and basswood, but thin craft stock like walnut, mahogany, maple, and all the exotic imported (ie: cool looking) woods. I need just about available in both thick & thin boards mainly because nobody around here can re-saw the wood.

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Dont laugh

Dumpster Dive your local cabinet makers shop.

They work with lots of different types of woods, and scrap tons of it.

Actually I drive 3 hours each way to get my wood in Dallas.

So I usually call ahead and check on what kind of supply they have in stock.

Lucky for me I have friends and family in Dallas anyway, so I can always pop in for a visit as justification for going.

Edited by JohnRossitter
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It sounds like you are looking for a fair bit of wood. In that case it is worth the drive(IMO). Is it cheaper to drive? maybe or maybe not... Depends on how much you buy. Is it much more cost effective in terms of getting just what you want(picking the most useful boards), absolutely, and you will probably save a good deal of money this way given most woods are expensive. I personally have driven 3 hours to simply pick up a load of wood (900lbs worth ofwood is not cheap to ship even a relatively short distance). If you want basic woods, buy enough to make the trip worth it. If you want to pick up a bit here and there, use a supplier that can give you can have just what you need shipped(that is not a lumber yard). Some of the companies mentioned are good for this (Gilmer, Gallery Hardwoods and so forth).

Peace,Rich

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John: I think you'll find that very much depends on the supplier. There are a few out there I trust pretty much blindly to pick out something fantastic if that's what I ask for, among them Larry Davis at Gallery Hardwoods.

I agree 100% with Mattia. There are some very good dealers out there that really know their stuff, and are very good at selecting great cuts. The three that he mentioned, Larry Davis, Marc at Gilmer, or Bob at RC Tonewoods are all top notch.

Peace,Rich

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I'm not saying that suppliers send out crap wood, just that when you have someone else pick wood out for you, you loose the benifit of looking at all of the options and selecting the best grain for what you are doing. Each blank of wood is different, and if you are looking for a certain thing, someone taking orders over the phone can only interpret that so far.

I have ordered lots of stuff online and over the phone.

Each time I got great woods.

But when I bother to fill the old gas tank and make the trip to Dallas and actually go to my favorite supplier I'm only happier because I get to look at the whole selection and mix and match various woods to my taste.

Edited by JohnRossitter
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