tesla77 Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 So I was perusing through thewoodwhisperer.com videos and decided I would like to try the popular cutting board project. Watched the videos and then clicked on the link to buy material for the project via bellforestproducts.com. I was shocked at the price for such a small project. $40 for a few bits of wood? Really? I am fairly new at woodworking so please keep the flaming to a minimum. I am just curious if this is the norm and what alternatives I have for cutting board wood that won't break the bank. Thanks, all! Jeremy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Yup - really. Wood ain't cheap. Well, good wood anyways. I dont know how good their prices are, but don't forget - you might be paying for some of the convenience of online shopping and delivery. You definitely should look around for a good local hardwood dealer and either check out their website for prices, or take a trip and check them out - see what species they have, sizes, "deals" (off cuts, etc) and see if they are helpful with a relative newbie. Some wood yards can be a little intimidating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areynoldsre Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Wood working isn't a cheap hobby and you don't make things cheaper than you can buy them - I could go out and buy a manufactured cutting board for $10. Remember why you're doing the project - the fun and satisfaction of building something yourself just the way you want it. and $40 for an on-line order sounds about right. I did a Murphy bed project this year and ended up paying almost $40 per sheet of good plywood (not hardwood ply). At first I thought about using cherry or oak plywood for the project but those were $80 to $120 per full sheet - I needed 4. Over budget before I started. Shop around, you might find it cheaper locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 If you have a Woodcraft or Rockler store in your area, go there and look at the turning blanks (out here, Woodcraft has far better selection of those than Rockler). Basically it is a block of wood perhaps 10" long with a square 2"x2" end (there are many sizes; that's the one I'm thinking of). Both stores often have blanks on sale (all or certain varieties). They'll be cheaper for what you want although their moisture content is typically higher than regular stock. You'll need to prep the blank for use in cutting board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 look around and find a small one man miller in the area he will often be able to give you some of his scrap boards for free or pretty cheap....my experience is they usually save boards that they don't have enough of to sell and they end up filling up there storage sheds. (ask cabinet makers, tree trimmers, fire wood sellers, carpenters etc they can tell you if there is any) plus he can sell you some stuff that he needs to get rid of in order to make room for something he sells easer. don't forget to ask anyplace you order wood from if you can get it rough cut that means they have not planed it down to be smooth and 3/4 thick. if you have a plane you can clean it up yourself quickly and get the thicknesses that you want and it is usually cheaper by about 1/3 of a big box stores prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I'm assuming the Bell Forest kit included maple and purple heart since that's what Marc used on his cutting board. It's the purple heart that makes it so expensive...exotics are ridiculously high. Pick two contrasting domestic species, buy them at your local hardwood dealer and you'll cut that cost in half at least. Ask them if they have a box of "shorts" laying around, and it'll be cheaper still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 If you have a Woodcraft or Rockler store in your area, go there and look at the turning blanks (out here, Woodcraft has far better selection of those than Rockler). Basically it is a block of wood perhaps 10" long with a square 2"x2" end (there are many sizes; that's the one I'm thinking of). Both stores often have blanks on sale (all or certain varieties). They'll be cheaper for what you want although their moisture content is typically higher than regular stock. You'll need to prep the blank for use in cutting board. Paul, Sorry, but I cannot agree with you on this one. A turning blank, is wax coated for a reason. That is to stop/slow down the drying of the blank. A turning blank that is wax covered is likely over 20% moisture content. If you remove the wax, and allow it to come to EMC a 2" blank will take at least 2 years to do this. Stick with kiln dried and processed wood for your cutting board. You will have much better luck and no worries. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmason Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 So I was perusing through thewoodwhisperer.com videos and decided I would like to try the popular cutting board project. Watched the videos and then clicked on the link to buy material for the project via bellforestproducts.com. I was shocked at the price for such a small project. $40 for a few bits of wood? Really? I am fairly new at woodworking so please keep the flaming to a minimum. I am just curious if this is the norm and what alternatives I have for cutting board wood that won't break the bank. Thanks, all! Jeremy Actually that is pretty reasonable. I just bought some Honduran Mahogany for a small mantle clock, $136 bucks, quality materials are not cheap. There is a kind of a sticker shock when you go from buying lumber at the home center to buying cabinet grade hardwoods. You could cheapen it up quite a bit by substituting cherry for the purple heart. Just depends on the look you want versus what your wallet can endure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 It's going to be cheaper if you can source locally too. I just checked the Bell webpage and they're charging $9/bf. for Purpleheart, that's a whole lot more than I've paid at a local lumber dealer, not to mention I can pick my own stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 One way to deal with the sticker shock is to divide the price of the wood by the hours and hours of fun you'll have cutting it up and making something out of it. If you work really slow, you'll find that it's darn cheap entertainment. Way cheaper than cigarettes and whiskey and wild, wild women. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch02 Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 There are several factors going into making this specific order look pricy: 1) It is surfaced wood - Hard to tell if it is just one jointed edge or S3S, both of which will always be more expensive than rough sawn stock 2) It is a small order - 5.3 board feet really isn't much, plus the board you'll be getting are short, which means the supplier is cutting them from longer stock (time = overhead = higher price) 3) It is thick (8/4 pre-surfacing) - thicker stock is almost always more expesive than thinner stock 4) It is project specific - These boards have been chosen so you can make this specific cutting board A quick look up of prices at my local lumber supplier shows this project pack would cost ~$30, but those boards would be rough, might have defects, and won't have one edge jointed. So for the extra $10, I'd be getting specifically sized & selected boards that are clear. When you break it down like that, I don't think Bell Forest's price are terribly out of line - and certainly not so for an internet supplier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I bought a some ziricote a while back. Anyone want to guess the price per board foot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 For this sort of stuff and little projects find all your local cabinet shops. Most have a bin for the jump saw cut off's and give them away or charge very little. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 tesla if you look around you will find free wood all over the place....I took apart a pallet today that was walnut and cherry. while not the best wood it works great for the handles i made and the clock bases. it was a great find. best part of found wood is you have to work creativly to get the wood to work so you aften get very unique projects that you could not get from the best select lumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwood Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Jeremy, put your location in your profile. If you are close to a member, they may be able to lead you to a good deal or two. As others have said, you can buy anything you can build cheaper. But you can build special sizes, that fit your needs. Not the generic sizes the factory's think you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlawyer Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 I find wood is least expensive at local mills. Local mills support the local cabinet shops, so they tend to be there, behind the scenes. I used woodfinder.com to scout them initially and now I have a few that I know the "miller" and I get better pricing than ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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