Buying cheapest wood for woodwork practice in the UK

[Sofa]

I'm an massive advocate of buying unsorted red deal. It's cheap nice to use and potentially could be anything. From furniture to firewood. Seriously don't waste time doing to much scavenging as time is what's precious not materials. Don't put a limit on materials as you put a limit on potential.
Ps
I do understand scavenging but most struggle with available time.

Hi Johnny, I totally agree on time I wish I had less to do and far more time. Can I ask what you mean by Red Deal?
Thanks

 

[BentonTool]

Dear Sir,
I am not sure of the terminology, but I assume that a "skip" in the UK is what we call "dumpsters" in the USA? This is a "dumpster" around these parts. We call in "dumpster diving", and many of us partake of this activity on this side of the pond.

I have been an avid "dumpster diver" for decades, and now in my old age, I have a valuable resource at my disposal. I have rarely ever failed to stop when I see a dumpster, and take a peek inside.

Also, discarded furniture is an excellent resource. I just unloaded a truck-load of old furniture yesterday, dismantled it, and threw in into my scrap pile.
Any furniture that is of value (IMO), I store intact for future restoration. I found an old hand-dovetailed blanket chest last year in a dump pile, that had simply fallen apart due to hide-glue failure. It is soon to be restored, when I get my shop up & running!

Best wishes...

 

[johnnyb]

Red deal is the old term for pine. Basically Scots pine. Redwood. Pinus sylvestris. Mostly from the baltic and Sweden.
Not white deal or fir the stuff scaff planks are made from. Although it is light and strong. Just not the best for working(I'm guessing guys are using hand tools.)
It's much maligned in modern joinery but it's use was practically universal in times past. I suggest its got a great mix of strength and weight and solidity and workability/paintabilty. Even the knots are softish. White deal is stronger weight for weight but works really badly. It doesn't finish well off the cutters it's hasn't got the durability of red(but it does like pressure treatment) and the knots are like glass.
I'm not suggesting don't go dumpster diving for a second I'm saying if somethings worth making the make it with something decent that's available in sizes you want.

 

[johnnyb]

It's spruce not fir

 

[brocher]

Around where I live there are building alterations going on all the time as I go on my walkies. There are some really good pieces just chucked in the skip. I don't need any more wood just now, as I have a "wood shed" full of scavenged bits and I just need to use them up on my little jobbies that I make from time to time. Quite a few houses also just put outside some old pieces of furniture for people to just come along and take away. So it depends I suppose on where you live. I live in Birmingham and there are just lots of wood opportunities as I have said above.

 

[okeydokey]

I'm not sure of the legalities of taking things from skips without asking the person who has put stuff in the skip but I think that whether the skip is in the road or a driveway its technically theft unless you have permission.
So be aware

 

[johnnyb]

Ponder that a woodshed "full of wood" is a valuable space which is another very finite commodity. Also the wood I was buying before covid was someone's full woodshed. Or in the case of the beech was the contents of a defunct sofa factory. These were 40mm thick 3.5 m long and 9 or 10 inch wide maybe 30 lengths. I had to store it which was annoying transport it etc but it cost £200. Another lot was from an old joiner who'd collected for years. This was brought at auction and stored in 2 sheds. I brought one shed mainly longer lengths for £150 it filled a van. I had the option on the short shed lengths but refused as there was more wood but much shorter and the price was now £250.

 

[BentonTool]

Brothers,

On this side of the pond, (true) white pine, not spruce, hemlock, or fir, is still readily available and, despite the more modern opinion, is an excellent cabinet-grade timber. The American Shakers (who are arguably credited with making some of the finest furniture ever), unknown to modern woodworkers, used a great deal of it. Now, the reproductions are generally made in American cherry.

A few decades back, I bought five (true) "old-growth" white pine logs and had them sawn in my yard. I stickered them, and after a few years, they were bone-dry. They were knot-free along their entire length. These boards were sawn to 5/4 (~32 MM) thick, up to 32 inches (~813 MM) wide, and 16 feet (almost 5 meters) long.
Sadly, they burned up in the fire that consumed my pole barn years ago. One of the worst days of my life... I lost my coveted wood... and the pole barn that I built.

 

[johnnyb]

American white pine is different than UK white deal. Eastern white pine is called quebec yellow pine or Weymouth pine. It's available in the uk and notably stable and light/ soft. Mostly for interior but I've no idea whether it's durable.

 

[gyuunyuu]

I want to change my location to be more specific, is that possible after having created the account?

 

[Blackswanwood]

I want to change my location to be more specific, is that possible after having created the account?

Click on your account and then Account Details

 

[Ollie78]

If you are near me I could give you some smaller offcuts. The above suggestions are pretty much covering all the bases.
But as someone mentioned above salvaging can take quite a lot of time as well as preparing the wood for use.
Depends what you want to make as well.
We have a local charity called ScrapStore that provide materials for whoever needs them, schools charity organisations etc. You can go and have a hand basket for a fiver or a trolley full for £20. Sometimes they have furniture. There is all sorts of stuff from local companies, like paint that has been mixed wrong offcuts of carpets, cloth and products going out of date etc.
The other day they had loads of small circles of birch ply.

Might be one near you.

Ollie

 

[Stuart M]

I'm not sure of the legalities of taking things from skips without asking the person who has put stuff in the skip but I think that whether the skip is in the road or a driveway its technically theft unless you have permission.
So be aware

I believe it's only theft if there's an element of dishonesty. A reasonable person would probably assume that the goods had been discarded and there was no rightful owner, and this would not be considered theft. Alternatively, if the person is clearly in the process of moving house, or If there's stuff left outside a charity shop or a church, then this would likely be theft.

If the skip's in the driveway, then that's a potential trespass issue, and the worst that could happen is being asked leave

 

[Stuart M]

Try Community Wood Recycling

I can't speak for them specifically, but we have similar places in France. Most people wouldn't go to these sorts of places because they'd assume it's just for trade customers.
The place here gets a lot of stuff from Ikea, such as packing crates, and sell on at fairly decent prices. These were going for €3 each and I picked up a bunch to build a workbench with...

 

[Ollie78]

I believe it's only theft if there's an element of dishonesty. A reasonable person would probably assume that the goods had been discarded and there was no rightful owner, and this would not be considered theft. Alternatively, if the person is clearly in the process of moving house, or If there's stuff left outside a charity shop or a church, then this would likely be theft.

If the skip's in the driveway, then that's a potential trespass issue, and the worst that could happen is being asked leave

I like it when people take stuff out of my skip, saves me money. It`s the ones who put stuff in them that do your head in.

 

[okeydokey]

I disagree but then its only my opinion as is yours

I believe it's only theft if there's an element of dishonesty. A reasonable person would probably assume that the goods had been discarded and there was no rightful owner, and this would not be considered theft. Alternatively, if the person is clearly in the process of moving house, or If there's stuff left outside a charity shop or a church, then this would likely be theft.

If the skip's in the driveway, then that's a potential trespass issue, and the worst that could happen is being asked leave

 

[Stuart M]

I disagree but then its only my opinion as is yours

Which part do you disagree with?

My opinion is based on the legal definition of 'theft', which requires dishonesty, as well as decisions from multiple Crown Courts.

 

[TheUnicorn]

Which part do you disagree with?

My opinion is based on the legal definition of 'theft', which requires dishonesty, as well as decisions from multiple Crown Courts.

I know nothing of the legality of skip diving, I had always thought that it was legally theft unless you had permission, your standpoint seems perfectly reasonable and common sense, unless that is the skip is not being used for rubbish but to store materials when there is no space on site, or possibly for resale onto say a salvage yard. if nothing else if you ask it is 1. polite and 2. could open the door to you cherry picking materials before they go in the skip

 

[Owd Jockey]

For Ollie 78; always worth a watch of this classic.

 

[okeydokey]

Which part do you disagree with?

My opinion is based on the legal definition of 'theft', which requires dishonesty, as well as decisions from multiple Crown Courts.

You have my thoughts in both my posts, I am not willing to enter a discussion about legal definitions.

I cant imagine that you are legally able to enter someones property (trespass) and remove their possessions that happen to be in a rubbish skip.