Where To Buy Wood / Timber / Lumber

[@crashkg]

My local hardwood dealers have an offcut bin that is fantastic. Many pieces of exotic wood at rock bottom prices, some of the pieces may even inspire you to make a new project. Bonus, you also start to kindle a relationship with them and they may give you discounts on wood or alert you if something good just came in.

[@jamesw7223]

We in the UK use a weird hybrid of metric and imperial - I was taught how to work with both in school and from my grandfather. I like it :)

[@Mattydeee93]

4:50 the waves and lines in the oak are called Medullary Rays. Interestinly they are very important for making casks to mature whisky in

[@figrollin]

Huh. That is interesting. Can you elaborate on why?

[@Mattydeee93]

@@figrollin they allow the wood to be springy enough to bend and distort into the shape of a cask, rather than splitting or breaking, and give the casks strength. The staves that make up casks can be up to an inch thick so you can imagine the stress put on the wood when it's bent

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Interesting

[@Mattydeee93]

@@RagnBoneBrown living in spayside, and working at a distillery I'm around oak everyday. We can buy pallets of staves and cask ends for around £35 a tonne

[@figrollin]

@@Mattydeee93 whuuuuuuut.... So cheap. Where from?

[@StuffInMyStudio]

New woodworker just outside of Norwich on the 146 here, this video was super helpful, thanks!

[@cjhification]

I love going to timber merchants, 20 sheets of OSB, fork lift gets me 10 at a time on the top of the car, and I just make a couple of runs. So much easier than picking sheets at Wick's/B&Q/Focus, and having to move them through store and on to car. Robins Timber in Bristol is great on price and quality and always C24+. I do see a place for the superstores; it's Sunday afternoon at 3pm when I realise I should have measured that 6 by 2, 3 times! We also have the Bristol Wood Project, which is a social enterprise, that does exactly what you described.

[@Khalagata]

Back when Wood magazine first started they ran a series of articles or rare species of wood. One I particularly remember was Pink Ivory, which the article said was the rarest wood in the world. It's the only wood regularly sold by weight and is often used in jewelry. Found only in two small areas, estimates are that less than 50 trees exist. In one of those areas only the chief can harvest a tree and then only to make a spear for his son when he comes of age.

[@woodworkingandepoxy643]

Wonder if it could grow in a greenhouse. If so that would be some good genetics to start

[@BrightNightDesigns]

quite a common wood to be found in hobby turning shops now a days, funny how things change

[@markharrison1884]

I'm fortunate to have the Bristol Wood Project near me. They have all sorts of reclaimed material and are very friendly and helpful to a novice like me.

[@Ikerix]

If it's on this year come October Ickworth house near Bury St Edmunds have a woodfest. Combined country fair and timber sales. Slabbed timber from the estate. Picked up a nice piece of Sycamore last year, may need some atorage though but a nice afternoon out.

[@rayboish]

1965 may be the 'official' date for metric measurements but I have worked in construction since mid 70's and from memory we were still having Imperial measurements on working drawings well into the 80's. !! in fact ply is still sold in imperial measurements.

[@Rooster---ooo]

I've been seriously woodworking for about a year & a half & so far the only wood I've purchased is a couple of MDF sheets. The rest I've aquired from a couple of shop fitting jobs I helped with (a lot of teak doors & old teak & oak furniature), skips (a good haul of chunky mahogany), the local tip charity shop (small cost & for charity - lots of old oak furniature) and Freecycle (lots of pine & oak, especially old beds & bookshelves + 500 teak blocks from old parquet floor). If you're willing to rummage & have space to store it, you can build up quite a large stock of materials for next to nothing. Just set up a Facebook marketplace account, though the prices people are asking for seems a bit steep. Similar stuff being given away on Freecycle.

[@1959ticktock]

SH Somerscales in north Lincolnshire are fantastic for oak, ash, sapele, beech, walnut and so on. Either sawn edge or 'live' edged. Both local or imported. All sold per cubic foot. You can pick which boards you want to buy from huge stacks. Bit intimidating first time you get there, but they're friendly and helpful.

[@SeanBZA]

Important thing about builders merchants and DIY stores is they often will cut your wood to size, provided you make a sane cut pattern for them, that is only straight lines and no interrupted cuts. 5mm kerf pretty much on all cuts, so remember that in your plan, and I always take the offcuts as well, along with any spare scrap wood offcuts they have from others if possible, because that can be part of the next project. Yes stay away from MDF and shyteboard, the modern low VOC stuff is rubbish, though you can get fair quality if you ask (and pay through the nose too) for the marine versions, as those are still formaldehyde resin bonded wood, so are less likely to delaminate and do not get eaten. If possible use shutterply instead, slightly thicker, a lot heavier and generally has one fairly good surface, though you will get a lot of voids, so worth if possible looking through the stack to find the best one, as many shops keep a small stock vertical in a cage to pull from for single orders or part sheets.

[@chandraasutube]

Hi Keith, just came across your channel for the first time. Excellent videos. Going to digest them slowly, and one by one. Regarding getting good quality timber - I go to my local door-replacement company. They regularly remove hardwood doors, which they replace with uPVC. They are glad for someone to take them away, as otherwise, they throw them away into a skip. You can get really good hardwood with interesting grain pattern.

[@rogerbean393]

'Looking for wood in backstreet alleys ' blimey !

[@hythewoodworkdesigns]

Hi Keith. If I remember correctly, because I'm an old git, decimalisation actually came into force in Feb 1971, not 1965

[@traceyprescott8347]

Lol yesi noticed that, sorry Keith 😁 no offence intended.

[@geoffpriestley7001]

Metric was usedwhen iwas a collage 1970 we touched on it at school in the late 60s

[@detroutspinners9933]

That was just with money wasn't it? Weights and measures was 1965 though?

[@hythewoodworkdesigns]

@@detroutspinners9933Ok, here goes. Did you know that metrication was oiginally discussed back in the early 1800's. A formal government policy to support metrication was ONLY AGREED in 1965, it never came into force then. The treaty of accession to the EEC (which it was then known), which the United Kingdom joined in 1973, obliged the United Kingdom to incorporate into domestic law all EEC directives, including the use of a prescribed SI-based set of units for many purposes within five years. By 1980 most pre-packaged goods were sold using the prescribed units. Mandatory use of prescribed units for retail sales took effect in 1995 for packaged goods and in 2000 for goods sold loose by weight. So the question still remains, when did it come into force? It certainly wasn't 1965.

[@mickjay2579]

@@hythewoodworkdesigns I think the construction industry went metric in 1970. When I say metric I obviously mean they converted the numbers from inches to mm rather than actually changing the sizes, the exceptions being bricks and reinforcement. I believe all drawings for new projects after a specific date in 1970 had to be produced in metric.

[@hughtattersall7583]

Just had Arnold Laver open in Milton Keynes, will be going there when I'm allowed out!

[@Grovesrussell]

Glad i saw your comment. I didnt even know we had 1 in MK. Will have to go have a wonder around when i can

[@vjosullivan]

I also live out in the sticks. Facebook marketplace was a real eye opener! 👍

[@michaelwillson6847]

I believe looking for these wood recycling centres there is one in Glasgow Edinburgh and Newcastle. The reclamation yard is somewhere I look can usually pick up good bargains. Beems and barrels are something I've picked up there before. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

[@bobspeller2225]

Very useful information and a good insight for us not in the know to buying wood. Thank you. Cheers Bob

[@kaoskrew8577]

I have wondered why local councils don't offer proper recycling services for wood (and other materials). I could cry at the sight of some of the wood which gets dumped in the skips at our local tip. Sawmills are good for offcuts too. They're often hidden away and unknown like the recycling centres.

[@johnmusgrave3179]

they just sell it to chipboard manufacturers which is why such boards often have fragments of metal in them. any wood with an odd hinge etc just get ground up as they are and made into chipboard.

[@ca1obrien]

I'd recommend dwf (direct wood flooring) you can request for 4 free samples and depending on what you choose samples can be as long as 30cm for example their oak herringbone flooring they ship for free and you can request for the samples as many times as you want I've requested about 50 samples since I've found them

[@Aaron-P]

Always enjoy when you show your sense of humor in your videos! 😎👍

[@Kosh42EFG]

Oxford wood recycling is good. Yandels in Somerset and Surrey Timbers are both excellent for small or large projects. Both fine with people coming in for one or two small bits.

[@ventonbros]

Finally! A video local to me! I live 4 miles south of the border (well the Norfolk border anyway...)

[@rikkifarrant295]

Your videos are spot on and to the point I have watched lots of them as I have changed my profession towards woodwork. I really enjoy making and seeing people’s reactions to what I made but the toughest part is getting good material at a fair cost to turn a profit. I was always worried about looking for and even asking if I could have that (ones man junk is another mans treasure) but your videos inspire me.

[@simonstone4763]

Tufts in Bradenham has a decent offcut section you can browse Keith

[@mattgreen8962]

That was fantastically useful. Thanks so much for putting that together!

[@stevemortimer1950]

'solid oak' newel posts: look at the ends of these - I acquired a few of these foc because they had started to come apart. These are made from 4 narrow planks of oak glued around a core of 40mm (+/-) cut offs. Handy for me as I can use the 'planks' in short sections. I would be very unhappy if I'd paid for them as solid... Another source is kitchen refits. I've managed to reuse some of our old units several times! Original cupboards relocated to utility room, then (after I'd got new stuff for there) modified and reused in garage/workshop. Leftover doors have been cut down to short strips of hardwood. Old solid wood worktops can be used for loads of jobs, but watch out for glue failure and be careful if trying to rip lengthways - nowhere near as strong. I've also seen these ' solid hardwood' worktops being constructed like cheapo doors ie cardboard eggbox core with a veneer carcass. I keep a close eye on wood/timber on FB - prices are rocketing!

[@gkinlen]

I use Freecycle 'wants' for any old furniture. Often oak, mahogany and teak which is dry and stable.

[@p9917j]

The 'fleck' you mention in oak are called medullary rays and are only really found in quarter sawn oak ( no happy/sad curve to the end grain) this means the most common method of milling timber only produces 1 or 2 planks with these ray's showing (the planks closest to the centre). It's tricky to work because the rays can cause shails like delamination from the main grain structure (think split but orientated 90°). They are also very desirable for both looks and uniform expansion and contraction (it won't cup because the grain is straight from 1 face to the other) see the house of commons centre panels, they are all quarter sawn oak. This wood would've been milled traditional way to maximise these desirable properties (looking at the end of the log, think of a union jack being the cut lines rather than simply sliced from top to bottom) it's not used that often now because it's a more wasteful way of processing a log.

[@thepeginator2556]

Where in Norfolk are you? I live in Watton. Tufts of Bradenham are a top local timber yard / builders merchant. Perfectly happy serving DIYers, and they’ll do quotes by email if you need prices. They’re ruddy good on value, I usually compare prices using selco or build base and they’re almost always cheaper. Well worth a visit, they have all sorts!

[@Grovesrussell]

I found a timber yard who makes doors and windows from alot of hardwoods. Managed to take a large amount of offcuts from them for a very low price compaired to how much it would normally cost for offcuts at a dedicated place

[@phildxyz]

In the SW, Yandles at Martock in Somerset are great - many exotic hardwoods, blanks, cladding etc.

[@ketchupwtf6197]

My dad used to work in a bakery in mk, whenever a new heavy machine or stock came in on a massive palet, he would ask if he could take it home and every time is was a yes, it was only pine but it was for free and almost every time good condition.

[@MatthewSmall]

Most proper hardwood timber merchants are happy for you to look around and select whatever boards you like. They normally sell per cubic foot, which is a pain, but more realistically scales than cubic metres. British hardwoods in Keighley are excellent and have an online price list. I've recently been using Tyler hardwoods in Marlborough as they're fairly local. These sorts of dealers are usually happy with specific requests too, so things like minimum widths, minimal checking and cracks, straight or wild grain etc, so even if you can't select the boards yourself, like now due to the pandemic, you can still get very close to what you want. The only downside is the cost of postage if they're not local.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Good advice thanks

[@swsfrancais7289]

Yeah Gary Harris - Sawmills. Just tell them your project. They will advise you of the best timber for the stated purpose, cut it to the required size & most probably deliver it. I found the quality & service of my local sawmill excellent & reasonably priced. Well worth consideration.

[@jetteraismabash4186]

Great video! I got a load of old decking planks for free off FB market place and built garden beds out of them.

[@simonchiplin]

It never occurred to me to look for wood recycling centres, did a google search and there is one not to far from my normal hardwood dealer. Thanks Keith :-D

[@MohoWU]

Theres a printing company in an industry campus near me. They always have loads of pallets and plywood piled front door used for packaging.

[@fredericraymond2487]

Good place for cheep of free hard-wood are metal shop, the pallet for sheet metal is custom made for the size of the piece, so you can get pallets made of Maple or ash 6x6 timber 10 foots longs, were I use to work they were just pilling them outside until someone bring a chainsaw to make fire wood!

[@attilabori4734]

Yepp👍👍👍

[@glyndevonport7802]

One of my local merchants has offcut bins for sheet materials and timber (hardwood and softwood). I have had ply, osb, mdf and phenolic coated ply in many sizes and thicknesses. same with oak and sapele. A few months ago I got a 1200mm x 900mm x 25mm piece of osb3 for £4. but i have noticed that if i only buy the offcuts i pay more than i would if buying other timber as well

[@awantamta]

That bit about wood from facebook was very useful

[@ianvicedomini2648]

That's great information mate. Very true in terms of price and quality. Great video chap

[@mariashippam6546]

Many thanks, brilliant information. I’ve moved to a new area, no wood and various projects. Now I know how to start finding some wood. 👍🏻

[@herbertthecat]

What happened to North Heigham timber in Norwich? Loved going there when I studied cabinet making in Norwich nearly 30 years ago! {City college} you have made me homesick for Norwich...

[@RagnBoneBrown]

It's still there. Pretty expensive

[@geoffpriestley7001]

I worked at b snd q in the 80s when wall boards were the in thing they came from Indonesia. the palates were 1" x5 " teak i managed to recycle a few until the manager realised the palate was worth more the wall board. I used some of the skids for fence posts they are just rotting out 35 years later

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

Hi Keith, I live in the north of England and get all my wood from old furniture / pallets / and wood given to me by friends that know I want it. Am luck that I have a friend that works for a company that gets 14 foot pallets and some of them are made from plywood so I have a good source (I am keeping it secret because I don’t want to shear) but enough to say that I have plenty of wood to make things, at least I will have when this lockdown is ended and firms can start working again.I also have another friend that runs a shop outfitter, it sounds odd but he often has wood that is a real good find. He got the job to make fire surrounds and I got all the bits he cut off where the fireplace was, this was a fire proof material about ½ inch thick that I am still using to make jigs and runners, I also was given a lathe from him when he was upgrading, I was also asked if I wanted a three in one saw/ spindle shaper and plain but I did not have the room for it and that broke my heart having to decline.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Lucky you!! 👍

[@christianjanes]

I cannot recommend Surry timbers highly enough. So nice to just go and look round. They’re amazing. Great Video thanks.

[@andyjames8612]

I don’t get the big deal with metric and imperial. If you’re a carpenter like I am you should be comfortable with both. Some jobs I measure in inches whereas others I prefer millimetres. As long as you know how to read a tape measure it shouldn’t be a problem. Good video Keith, spot on what you said about timber merchants. Being in the trade I use timber merchants rather than diy shops and they definitely treat diyer’s with a certain amount of contempt, unless it’s a good looking woman and they’re falling over themselves...

[@lemagreengreen]

I go direct to the sawmill - they mainly deal in softwood (fence posts, dunnage) but they do cut hardwood and I've managed to score some very good deals on rough native hardwoods. I think the owner can't bear to let a good tree go to waste so cuts it and stacks it in a big barn where it sits for years. He doesn't even measure it, he just looks at the pile I collect and names a very reasonable price - this is UK as well. It's the best place I can find to get rough Elm, Oak and Beech. I mostly turn it so rough cut is just fine with me, I've cleaned up some of this stuff for other projects though and it's great to be able to get very local timber.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Yeah the sawmill local to me only does softwood, mainly exterior stuff too

[@oliverreedslovechild]

Where is this sawmill?

[@RichardMartin]

B&Q banana wood! Good luck finding a long piece of wood that isn’t warped, bent, cupped or even a combination of all three. By the time you’ve finished sorting it out you’ve enough wood left to make a short ruler. 😆

[@marcelarthur4294]

I dont mean to be so offtopic but does any of you know of a tool to get back into an instagram account? I was dumb forgot my login password. I would appreciate any help you can give me!

[@kristianjulian6255]

@Marcel Arthur instablaster =)

[@marcelarthur4294]

@Kristian Julian thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm trying it out atm. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@marcelarthur4294]

@Kristian Julian It did the trick and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thanks so much, you really help me out :D

[@kristianjulian6255]

@Marcel Arthur glad I could help :)

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Very good video Keith! Thanks for sharing it with us!💖👍👌😎JP

[@Muzzledoctor]

Champion Timber are excellent near me in Surrey. Superb service and excellent source of good quality and relatively inexpensive Birch plywood.

[@almostanengineer]

I’ve always found it quite tricky to find good timber, I don’t have many options near me, it’s either B&Q, Jewson, Bradfords or Homebase. (I don’t drive) I did find a couple online suppliers that seem reasonable, but delivery is normally an issue, think £40+. When your only after 2-3 sheets of Birch Ply for a furniture project, or a small sheet of OSB it gets rather expensive fast. I will have to give Facebook Marketplace a look though, never even thought about that, and I’ll have a look out for recyclers and reclaiming yards now too.

[@xMrXMatty]

Facebook Marketplace can be a gold mine, particularly for existing pieces to upcycle etc. I’ve picked up a steel filling cabinet and a solid pine table for free this week which make good projects for someone willing to put some effort in.

[@twodcotors]

Thanks for the tip. Will you be doing a video on to prep the wood before your project? I'm think natural timber where there may be warps or twist, how to square it etc...

[@footle83]

for timber, Homebase isn't too bad. I've got some nice straight bits from there and it isn't really expensive. 2 X 3's for £2.75 for a 2.4m length

[@GaryWall]

If you live in a village or small town it might be worth joining their Facebook page. We have people asking if someone would like to come and take wood, furniture and unwanted items away usually for free. Just recently I have collected around fifty deck boards along with the fence posts and a 2m railway sleeper all for nothing.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Great tip

[@HoveWoodwork]

Great tips! I personally just use reclaimed wood and I’m lucky enough to be in town where there’s always plenty about. In Brighton we’ve also got a wood recycling unit which is brilliant to pick up most things from, highly recommended if you’re near and haven’t tried them!

[@stevebosun7410]

Hi Keith, good sensible and useful info'. I came across some "solid hardwood furniture" a while ago, labelled as "Chinese Oak". It appeared to be Oak where you could see it, and Ash everywhere else.

[@waveydaveydiver]

Top tips again Kieth. Building a bench out of reclaimed decking at the moment. Might get some nice trim to dress it up a bit 😀

[@adrad7549]

Excellent video Keith, I remember when I first started out I went to my local timber merchant and asked for advice on what wood to use for outdoors chairs. He told me to wake up and have a cold shower...! Rude miserable old man. 5 adirondack chairs later, who’s laughing now!

[@RagnBoneBrown]

It's a shame that some people are like that. Patronising others to make themselves feel powerful, bit pathetic really!

[@arthurcornish4070]

The hardwood off-cut’s shop in Essex (check their website out) they sell good wood really cheaply

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Cheers, hopefully one day I'll visit

[@AndyJSThomson]

I'll second this recommendation. A great place to rummage through for some interesting and great value timber.

[@garyharris8082]

I'm a little surprised there was no mention of sawmills but I guess that depends where you live.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

My local sawmill only deals mostly in exterior grade softwood timber really, great for sheds, fences and gates but no good for furniture making. I guess that's why I didn't think to mention them but it's a good point

[@Lindasurprise]

Thanks these videos are so handy. Whenever I've gone to DIY stores the cost was too high and usually limited on what you can get.

[@davecharlesworth8176]

Hi Keith, some really good tips on this vid. Will try out a few and let you know.

[@MrFuggles123]

Moss & Co. Timber merchants sell a wide variety of hardwoods and softwoods, sheets too

[@aaronharris5275]

I hear that there are small off cuts available in Moss and Co and they are out in West London.

[@darrenpaulgreen]

B&Q do a great range of banana wood though 🤣! Great run-down Keith. My experience of timber yards is very positive and I have a couple of great ones near me. My advice would be don’t be intimidated and ask for help. But avoid busy times (7-10am and first thing Saturday morning), this is when they are busiest with trade customers and even the best yards will give you short shrift at these times if you’re only looking for small quantities.

[@hansdegroot8549]

Great informational video. Thanks for sharing.

[@brianbentley618]

Hi, I am trying to decide whether to buy a benchtop table saw or would a bandsaw be a better purchase, I only have small workshop so not a great deal of space. Any advice would be welcome. Brian.

[@paultay23]

Doesn't grow on trees.... Nice one, some useful info there Keith 👍

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Cheers Paul 👍

[@mrsseasea]

Is cedar a good wood to use? my husband works at a mill running only cedar red and yellow, he will bring home pieces that would have been sent to the chipper,

[@frankslittleworkshop]

Nicely done Keith 😁. Some great tips in there for anyone trying to buy timber. I'm in Essex so a bit flooded with the usual B&Q level of quality 🙁, But, we do have "The hardwood offcut shop" that Peter Millard has championed in the past. They are very "maker" friendly and were even having monthly maker meets (Check out Peters videos), I met up with him a couple of times there, so it may be worth a day trip all the way from sunny Norfolk (after lockdown obviously)... that's enough from me. Stay safe Keith 😁👍

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Cheers Frank, yeah I'd love to visit and day, wish there were more hours in the day as it's a long journey for me

[@Astr0oo_zzz]

I’m from Essex too and been looking for a place to buy from. Cheers

[@burstofsanity]

10:00 Some retailers don't mind having someone make an informational video as they go through their shop but it depends on the merchant. They may only want something as simple as a mention of their name and their "professional and helpful" staff.

[@RFC3514]

6:44 - My guess would be macacauba. Mainly because I just like to say "macacauba".

[@JohnColgan.]

DIY store timber feels like it probably still had leaves on it few months ago !!

[@craigpeel5995]

B & Q should be banned from selling wood fullstop.

[@AndyJSThomson]

I thought B&Q only sold bananas...

[@traceyprescott8347]

They all should be, including Wickes. Its Its nearly impossible to buy a straight lth of timber, as Keith points out.

[@dantadman141]

B and Q never have anything I bloody need anyway!

[@JuiceBanger1]

And homebase

[@Hibbo89]

Craig Peel B&Q is like a shelter or rehab centre for warped wood.

[@traceyprescott8347]

Fascinating thank you. I use Harlow brothers around here.

[@Just-u7q3l]

If you work on construction sites, their is always a lot of building materials that are thrown away in a skip, just ask the site manager and your more likely to get it.

[@ScouseAndy71]

Good advise Keith! 😃👍

[@davidjennings9253]

Best place in Norwich was always North Heigham Saw Mill.The guy who runs it is super helpful and doesn't mind if you are spending £20 or £200. Hope they are still going.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

It's still there. It's expensive tho

[@davidjennings9253]

@@RagnBoneBrown When you make guitars and mandolins you need the best wood so price doesn't really matter. Best wishes Dave

[@22illingworth]

As a "Newbie" to this hobby could you suggest or recommend a type of timber that would be suitable to add to my vice, to make a set of vice jaws? I was going to use Ply but I figured a hard type wood would be better.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

I've used plywood in the past and it's been fine, but if you want to use hard wood, pretty much anything will work fine

[@frantiseksram9741]

I would go soft wood so you don't damage anything you are clamping

[@VirtualCrash]

when i was in the trade 15 years ago i used a company call colks of acle now Halls of acle (on the way to yarmouth) and jonary softwood (also hardwood ) north walsham and R S TIMBER hardwick timber (kinglynn ) pronto joinery Horsford and Thaxters Timber and Forestry ( holt) very good place oak suppler in hevingham ( brick kiln road holt road end last place on left .timbahaul oh and patrick and thompsons @rag and bone brown

[@thethirdman225]

Another reason to be careful of D.I.Y. Places is that the timber occasionally has “NON STRUCTURAL” stamped on it. I found this out the hard way. But since what I was building was nothing more than a lightweight facade, it really wasn’t important. The other thing I spotted, after going through about 30 pieces looking for a straight one (no such luck), I noticed it was stamped “Product of Brazil”. The company assured me that it was ethically sources and while it wasn’t a grade of rare Brazilian rainforest timber, it was a pretty bad vibe and I wouldn’t do it again. In the end, about 40% of what I got was waste because it was of such poor quality.

[@andymarriott8150]

great advice Keith many thanks

[@優さん-n7m]

How do I know if timber I am buying from anywhere for that matter is the correct grade for furniture making?

[@PhillWyattProjects]

"Some people think that anything made of wood is Oak"😂

[@df9177]

Know what you mean. I recently had someone ask me to make them a coffee table to match the oak TV stand they had bought for £80 at B&M. When I told them it was not actually solid oak but oak veener, they said 'well it's still oak'

[@jeffcarr392]

Solid wood is always a good term, that includes chipboard, OSB, MDF, I guess if it's not hollow, anything is solid, rather than natural or whatever people call proper timber.

[@julianarevill6166]

Very useful info, thank's for that.

[@deemdoubleu]

British Hardwoods are good, I've bought stuff from them.

[@SeymourClearly2]

This was really helpful! I'm off to Facebook. Thanks Keith!

[@enabledworkshop]

marketplace is so handy, i’ve got most of my plywood sheets from there

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Sure is! Cheers

[@JuiceBanger1]

Off to it now ta

[@NomadMakes]

Thanks for some great tips :D

[@jasongilchrist5096]

Hi Keith you said in your video that the uk went metric in 1965 I think that you were mistaken it was 1971

[@GrumpysWorkshop4]

Very interesting video keith. It also helps if you have a vehicle big enough for picking stuff up. I have the bristol wood recycling project near me. Delivery is a rip off. Wanted some 18mm ply, they had some that had been painted on one side for £12. They wanted about £120 to deliver about 10mins drive.

[@JohnColgan.]

Hi Grumpy, where in Bristol is that?

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Ouch! That is a shocking delivery price. Yeah I get by with a panel van and a roof rack although it literally takes me like half an hour or more to tie things on to the roof rack securely so it eats up a lot of time. I wouldn't want a bigger van though

[@GrumpysWorkshop4]

@@JohnColgan. st philips

[@karlpopewoodcraft]

Proper solid advice there Keith exactly my experience as well. I just wish it was simpler to buy decent timber all round, it's like a constant battle trying to locate what you need. I'm lucky enough to have a couple of mates who work on the docks in Hull and they give me some lovely skids made from rand hardwoods I'm just collecting them at the moment lol wondering what to make. I was thinking of a chess board made from ekki and oak🤔

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Yeah, so true. Great to have mates in the trade 👍

[@Parkhead_workshop]

As someone who grabs reclaimed wood, what is your recommendation for vehicle size? big hatchback/estate/small van? (I'll be taking lessons once covid eases off, and ought to plan which type of useful car to buy)

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Depends what kind of projects you do really. I have a small van and a roof rack, works ok for me

[@attilabori4734]

First project: a roof rack. I did mine a very sophisticated one lol made of wood (got a midsized estate) then transported easily (-ish) 4m long pallets (2x4s) on it. Got a method how to move them around by myself only... Ps: heavy duty ratchet straps(2) are a must. Good luck you can do it too!!

[@jmakes3745]

Great video Keith, lots of really helpful information and tips! I have always wondered why there isn't a chain timber merchant that sells specifically to DIYers, but I guess there just isn't the market for it :(

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Yeah I wish that existed. Something tells me it'd be a difficult and ambitious business model to be able to make a success of it

[@tom314]

Random question, when getting scrap wood I'm assuming you check it for nails etc before using it, what do you use? Obviously other than your eyes :P

[@ianelley]

I was at school in the seventies and it wasn't till 76/77 that they started teaching us metric, before it had been imperial so we were totally screwed up !

[@Taz6688]

When I first started work drawings had both metric and imperial, so it was a 3mm hole or 1/8 in, we built a cab with box section, drawing gave 1" 1/4 or 30mm cab was made with 1" 1/4 the doors were made with 30mm, the doors didn't fit, the small difference meant they wouldn't fit, didn't help as the job was farmed out and no one clicked who had what stock, suppliers would (then) supply both depending on what was in stock.

[@raphaelelvish2430]

I wish this kinda of thing was true in Australia everyone over prices even pine pallets