Where is the best place to buy wood for a furniture project ?

Question

I'm trying to build a crib for my sister but i want a dark wood like walnut or Madrone but i don't know where to get it???

Answer 1

Go to a wood working store, they'll have a better selection of wood than a home center like Lowes or Home Depot.  Most of them also will plane your wood to the required thickness, if you don't have a thickness planer, or will re saw, if you don't have a band saw.  Charges for having your wood resawn or planed will vary from location and how much you have done....usually the more you have machined, the lower the cost.  I get almost all of my wood for furniture projects from a wood working store.  I get the rough sawn stock, and I can get pieces that match color and grain.  I joint and plane all of my wood, so I know that I have flat stock and uniform thickness for my project(s).   Good luck on your project, and have fun!

Answer 2

You might check a hardwood dealer who buys large quantities of lumber to cut and sell. They may have scraps that you could get & save you money.

Answer 3

      Your trying to be an apprentice but am not ? are you a "journeyman" this is where you start and, it takes years plus experience.

       The type of wood your looking for is expensive, from a specialty lumber yard and, you'll have to have  a shop full of tools for the work.

        I am a retired contractor/carpenter, 47 years, with a shop full of wood-working tools and, I still run short of something.

        A crib is a pretty heavy thing to start with. The plans should have told you what to expect, you do have plans, don't you ?

        If you go to Home Depot and look through their magazine section for something like this, you may find plans for a crib and what type of wood to use.

Answer 4

First question to ask yourself before starting this project is what is your skill level with woodworking? The materials that you are looking at are very expensive. Do you even possess the tools required to perform the work yourself?