Why we buy sawmills instead of shopping at the big box stores.

[marcnaz]

I was at a Home Depot today. Lumber prices are a little higher in Arizona simply because most of the wood has to travel a bit further to get here, but saw 4 beams in the middle of an isle on sale. If you can't read the tag the price is $345.45 each. Good thing they were marked down... original price was $473.53 each. Fir, appeared to be 10"x6" and 16ft long. A few at that price would pay for a mill pretty quick! Not something I've seen at an HD before. Must have been a special order that canceled. Works out to about $5.93 bf I think.



 


 

[Dave Shepard]

The one on the right doesn't even look remotely straight, unless it's just the camera angle. 

[marcnaz]

They were all checked and cracked pretty bad too. The were four of the big beams. The one on top is a 6x6 I think... there was no tag on it, but yes it was really warped.

[Southside]

No surprise, look at the top beam, maybe 3 rings from the pith at most, and it's off center to boot.  

[donbj]

Someone must have goofed up pricing this, that's insane!

[Don P]

I've seen slabs from urban trees priced at $30/bf so everything is relative. It is part of why I bought a sawmill though. The wood likely left the mill green and went to AZ which didn't help with the checking but it and the warp are to be expected going from green to dry. That is part of why I advocate using dry timbers if at all possible. When that happens to a client, which it will if you are using green materials, their reaction is understandably just the same as whoever bailed on this special order. These are natural drying defects but it didn't match what was in their mind when they placed the order. If you sell green material they need to be on board. I doubt the salesperson at home dopey knew enough to explain things to the customer and I suspect now nobody is happy.

[Southside]

I would not say nobody, the mill is probably pretty happy, I am sure they got paid.