Am I being picky about my wood?

[Ives]

I've only just seen this! I'm in Eastbourne, I'll go and change my profile thing now, so maybe people can tell me where I can pick out my own wood! I also really want to try alder, and my supplier says they can't get that. I really really need a new supplier.

 

[yetloh]

I'm in West Sussex and use either W L West at Selham near Petworth or English Woodlands at Cocking near Midhurst. A bit of a trek for you, but doable. Others may be able to suggest somewhere closer. Wests are a bit more expensive and probably have a greater range tham EW. Wests expect you to book a time if you want to choose your own but, with EW, you can just turn up. Either way, it is best to check that they have what you want before you set off.

Jim

 

[andersonec]

Have you looked at Sycamore?

Andy

(Sorry Jim, didn't read your post properly)

 

[Ives]

We're going to visit friends this week in Kent, we'll be travelling from Eastbourne, through and past Maidstone. Anywhere around there I could get wood?

 

[jackss565]

Either EC Forest Products in Ringmer or Sussex Oak in Newhaven are very good

 

[Nick Gibbs]

I love poplar too, especially for its streaks and lines, but it's not everyone's taste, and it doesn't stay pale for long (streaky or otherwise). It goes a nice honey colour.
I'm not convinced you'll like alder, if you can find it. It tends to be pretty yellow or orange, and someone recently told me that it's the only timber without a single use. Actually, it's favoured by clog makers I think. This hints are a wild tough interlocking grain that won't split, so you might not find it easy to work, unless you're turning. It grows beside rivers, so I suspect it doesn't season all that quickly.

 

[Shane]

Timbmet are one of the suppliers I use, and distribute throughout the uk...

http://timbmet.co.uk/

With the quantities I order the last thing I need is to route through I stack to get the right quality, I ring up, it arrives on a lorry, and if any of it isn't up to the expected standard they'll swap/refund it, which I've never had to do from any of my suppliers. I suppose you get what you pay for, smaller timber yards will want you to pick your own to save them the trouble, and works out cheaper, but I find the quality varies wildly. Some large timber yards will not let you help yourself, and can be dearer, but I find the quality a lot more consistent. I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions to the rule, it's just what I've found in my experience.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

As an aside. On a visit to a workshop in Leicestershire today, I talked to joiner/carpenter/general good egg, Richard Arnold about poplar. He has been recreating a section of handrail from the Titanic for us, using only hand tools, but had a pile of half-finished cabinets made from poplar (or tulipwood) ready to be fitted on site in his workshop. He agrees that the wood is great value (sometimes cheaper than softwood), and though he paints most of it, he like I quite likes the black lines and the green streaks that turn rich brown with time. It has a very distinctive smell too.

 

[kevin dwyer]

realistically, which is probably not what you want to hear, you should have bought more timber, and then you could have been picky. kev.

 

[Benchwayze]

That's all very well Kevin,

But the man who pays the piper etc.

You have a right to be picky over something you pay for, however little you buy. That's a sad reflection on commerce in Britain today. Too many businesses don't care about the consumer any more. Prices according to quantities, I understand, but why should the amount one buys determine the quality of goods, or service?

I'm afraid we really do have to look out for ourselves, and it's never been more a case of 'Caveat Emptor'.

 

[geertswaans]

Hi Ives,
Where did you get the timber from? I'm in seaford and am struggling to get decent timber around here as well.
Geert