Commodity lumber

[Don P]

I just got off the phone with another contractor. Prices just went out of sight here. He had a job cancel, I'm sitting on the siding. We had cleared and prepped his site for the job following that, they are thinking and not in a good way. I said we might want to think about sawing framing and board sheathing, some of the goods jumped 50-75% over the past 2 weeks. I imagine its a short term supply chain hiccup and some gouging but it might be worth checking around you and thinking about it. All we need is to kill another sector right now  :

[btulloh]

Interesting and potentially ominous. Perhaps an opportunity. Good report in any case. 

I'll check around here tomorrow and see what's going on with prices.

It'll be interesting to see what other FF members are seeing around the country. 

[Larry]

After the second Gulf war osb prices went into the stratosphere.  4/4 cottonwood became easy to sell.  I always thought it superior to osb anyhow.

[Don P]

We were having that conversation, it was crap at $5, it purely stinks at 20. The labor difference is significant but it's worth seeing if we've crossed that pain point.

[Southside]

Got a call the other day that locally 2x4's can't be sourced.  The composite price for SYP has been going up every week all summer for what that's worth.  

[YellowHammer]

Oddly enough, I had a big local house building outfit call today wanting to buy me out of my SYP 3"x3" furniture leg stock.  They use them to build hollow core mantles and lost their supplier.  I said "Sure, come and get them."

We will see if they do, my prices aren't cheap.  

[longtime lurker]

Oddly enough, I had a big local house building outfit call today wanting to buy me out of my SYP 3"x3" furniture leg stock.  They use them to build hollow core mantles and lost their supplier.  I said "Sure, come and get them."

We will see if they do, my prices aren't cheap.  

Yup, but I'll bet your quality is high. Factor in a bit better dimensional accuracy and lower defect losses and with a higher utilisation ratio and some time saving because of it... expensive works out not so expensive after all.

[moodnacreek]

And the most expensive guy around is often the last man standing when things get really bad.

[teakwood]

Oddly enough, I had a big local house building outfit call today wanting to buy me out of my SYP 3"x3" furniture leg stock.  They use them to build hollow core mantles and lost their supplier.  I said "Sure, come and get them."

We will see if they do, my prices aren't cheap.  

Yup, but I'll bet your quality is high. Factor in a bit better dimensional accuracy and lower defect losses and with a higher utilisation ratio and some time saving because of it... expensive works out not so expensive after all.

that's my fame in the area, "if you go to the swiss have a good stand on both feet when he names his price! it will cost you an arm and a leg, but the quality is impeccable" 

[mudfarmer]

Was talking to a long time local logger last night, he is working double time because every small mill in the area is buying up any logs they can due to customers not being able to get what they need at the box stores. Sounds good to me for everyone but the box stores ???

[Stephen1]

We are waiting 10-12 weeks for dimensional lumber here. Trusses that used to come in 10 days or 6-8 weeks out. My thoughts are it is the bubble from the shutdown and hopefully it will ease by winter.

[esteadle]

Talked to 2 contractors in Southwestern PA and all their wood orders are backordered 6-8 weeks. It's a weird experience to walk down completely empty aisles of products. Pressure treated is the real hard to find stuff. You can get it but you have to wait. Prices haven't moved as much as other areas. Maybe 10%? 

This weekend I cut cherry at 5/8" to sheath my kiln (long story). But now I'm thinking I'll check on the price of a load of poplar. 

[Don P]

Going from memory of last night's conversation he had priced 16' pt decking at around $15 a stick, when he went in to order it was $25. I wouldn't saw on spec but it might be worth filling some of the short term need. We have a new temp building official (yes I did the happy dance for a solid week 8) :D) I haven't had the grading conversation with him but that should factor into any decision someone might make as far as sawing structural lumber, technically even sheathing, but it would take a rel piece of work to require it there.

[JRWoodchuck]

One of the building stores I deal with here in Oregon had a supplier wanting to get $24 a sheet for 7/16ths OSB on Monday. Earlier in the the year they were retailing at $6.50. 

[Stephen1]

We are waiting 10-12 weeks for dimensional lumber here. Trusses that used to come in 10 days or 6-8 weeks out. My thoughts are it is the bubble from the shutdown and hopefully it will ease by winter, but prices are rising.

[mike_belben]

but prices are rising.

Well.. Perhaps the money is just falling.  
;)

[btulloh]

Cruised a HD yesterday just to check out lumber prices.  $3.96 for 2x4x8ft spf.  Not real good looking 2x4's either.  Looked like young stuff, maybe from a chip-n-saw operation.  Lot of wane and pin knots.  

OSB prices were just like what everyone else is seeing.  Treated lumber in stock, but very high. 

I was going to talk to the guys at the pro desk and see what their real inventory was like, but it was too busy with customers.

Seemed to be plenty of sacrete on hand outside, FWIW.

[Don P]

Transit mix is running $155/yd here.

[K-Guy]

My contractor informed me that in the Bangor area dimensional is in stock but PT is like gold. He had trouble getting enough for 2 small decks and my steps. We are getting composite deck boards and need the PT for the frame and supports.

[Magicman]

Customers are getting lumber yard sticker shock and I am sawing wide open with no end in sight. 

[Resonator]

Hopefully this will mean more business for the one-man-band sawmill operations.

[mike_belben]

I hauled a lot of PT lumber from the treater in stony point NC, back to the greater knoxville area home depots until i quit in may.  When the 'rona first hit most receivers were complaining they had too much, with no where to put the wood and no idea why the management kept ordering more.  I guess that has changed.  

I hauled OSB out of arauco and idaho timber from hendersonville few times also.

[moodnacreek]

Hopefully this will mean more business for the one-man-band sawmill operations.

What about me, one man circle?

[Banjo picker]

My plan for shutting down in the heat of summer has went by the way side.  Price of box store lumber is at least part of it.  

 That's 11 foot popular with a pine or two mixed in on the left.  Been cutting 16 foot two bys the last two days.  Tim

[mike_belben]

When are u gonna show us that old needle nose in the background?