How do I purchase wood from a Sawmill

[Brdy]

Hi guys, new here so forgive me if this is obvious but I’m getting really confused as to how I would go about purchasing wood from a sawmill, say for example oak.

I understand it is cheaper to buy it rough sawn, which I am happy to do as I will have a planer and thicknesser.

If I walked into a sawmill and asked for some oak, what would they ask me?

Yandles is obviously a self select store which is brilliant, but it’s slightly too far for regular visits.

Just wondering about local sawmills for now, to list a couple of local ones incase anyone is familiar with them:-

- Hailey Wood, Cirencester
- Williams British Hardwoods, Framton

 

[Nick.]

Hi Brdy - Drop in and talk to them about what you are after- my overall experience of dealing with various sawmills as a supplier is they are pretty much always very good, down to earth & knowledgeable people who would be happy to discuss & don't be intimidated by the fact they are a sawmill and not on a flashy retail park. I don't know the ones you mentioned, but hopefully they will help you out on an individual basis - that's what many are good at.

If you know what length / width / cubic meter etc you are after, just speak to them & see what they say. Ref. timber grading I will leave to others to comment as I know there are sometimes various options available but I'm not clued up on that.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[TRITON]

Looking for widths over say 7". Lengths of 8'-9' and are happy with customer returns.
Customer returns can include things like damaged edges. Not a prob if you have your own P/T.
Nothing warped, nothing twisted or weirdly bent*.

*Except of course if the project you are intending is a series of short components. Then you can cut things up and machine out twist.
If you intend on making doors, parts like the stiles need to be really straight, so bent or twisted timber is absolutely no good.

 

[Adam W.]

Hi guys, new here so forgive me if this is obvious but I’m getting really confused as to how I would go about purchasing wood from a sawmill, say for example oak.

I understand it is cheaper to buy it rough sawn, which I am happy to do as I will have a planer and thicknesser.

If I walked into a sawmill and asked for some oak, what would they ask me?

Yandles is obviously a self select store which is brilliant, but it’s slightly too far for regular visits.

Just wondering about local sawmills for now, to list a couple of local ones incase anyone is familiar with them:-

- Hailey Wood, Cirencester
- Williams British Hardwoods, Framton

James Latham, Yate (Not a sawmill, but a timber merchant which deals with dry, sawn timber).....nice people and they should deliver for orders over £500.

You say, "Hello I'm after some nice English/European oak (there's a difference) for a whatever it is, what can you recommend and how much is it per cubic foot?

At the sawmill (where you will encounter stacks of stems and a jolly great saw and possibly a kiln), expect to be offered flat sawn, green timber with bark and sapwood. They won't laugh at you if you say that "this is the first time I'm buying from a sawmill" and they should explain the score to you.

Sawmills don't like customer returns and you get what you're given, although if you're lucky they have a selection of odds and ends, (slab wood too nice to burn) down the side that you can pick from.

 

[mark w]

Here is what I do and suspect many other people do too.
First you need to decide what oak you want, the most commonly available are American White oak and European oak, it may come in different grades, don't worry about this yet.
Write an email to your supplier as my example below.

Would you please give a lump sum price for American White oak sawn boards to yield the finished sizes below. This is for a bookcase, best quality timber please.
I will collect this order.

14 @ 2000mm x 120mm x 20mm
29 @ 1000mm x 50mm x 22mm
Etc etc.

Your supplier will return a price, check this and make sure its correct, you could at this point ask what quality it is, what I've found though is this makes little difference, when you receive the timber its up to you to inspect it and decide if its fit for purpose. If it isn't then reject it. If they can't supply what you want then a refund will be due to you.
I've found that giving a cubic size is pointless, if you give finished sizes the timber supplier can best workout what they have to fulfill your order, all good timber suppliers will do this and give a lump sum price, in other words a total cost of what you will pay. A price per meter is not much use either, you won't know what length, width, thickness boards they have in stock, you may want lengths at 3000mm and they have 3200mm in stock, you may work out the cost at 3000mm only to discover at point of order you are paying for the 200mm you don't need and therefore are paying more than you anticipated, a lump sum price takes this into account, no surprises.
Always state if you want to collect it or want it delivered.
If your supplier won't do any of the above then move on to another.
You could tell your supplier this is your first time ordering from a timber yard, if they are good they will help you, if they are unscrupulous they may take advantage of this and you could end up with a pile of rubbish.
It is a bit of trial and error I'm afraid.
Don't be afraid to reject timber, go with gut instinct.
Good luck.
Mark.

 

[clogs]

gotta say every new sawmill in the UK I visited were really helpful.....
they gave their time willingly.....
best of all happy to take cash....n load ur truck.....
one of em in Hertfordshire, on a second visited treated me to a cuppa and home made scones....they lived on site....
nice people...

 

[Jones]

Go and have a look. Have a cutting list if you have a project in mind so you know what size planks you will need, most of your lengths may be short so you can work round defects. Words like best/ prime quality have no real meaning and no one walks in asking for rubbish. The main thing is to understand they are running a business, helping you sort through a pile and having a chat for half an hour for a few hundred pound sale is ok, but an hour of indesicion for a £30 sale won't make you any friends.

 

[sneggysteve]

Try Wentwood Timber - WentwoodTimberCentre

 

[Chris Hawkins]

Hi Brdy, you are fairly close to me and I occasionally use Vasterns. I buy tiny quantities by their standards, but they are always helpful. You must make an appointment though! You must understand what you are after before you go - quality, drying method etc. I've spent ages there with 2 staff and a fork lift sorting through piles of timber just get a single piece of wood - they don't bat an eyelid.

Regards Chris

 

[Blackswanwood]

Some good points made above. I remember feeling some trepidation when I first visited a sawmill that didn't have a nice shop upfront but finding it was unwarranted.

This may be helpful:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/uk-ireland-timber-yards-please-add-your-favourites.108370/
Another point to have in mind is the moisture content and how the oak has been dried. Air dried oak is generally more expensive and arguably easier to work with hand tools than kiln dried oak. The sawmill I use does both.

If they have an offcut/oddments pile do take a quick look - there are usually some bargains to be had.

 

[Brdy]

Appreciate all the help guys this was very informative and helpful!

 

[rogxwhit]

Normally you will have a project to fulfil. From that you will derive thicknesses, widths (these may be achieved by glue-up) and lengths. You can calculate the nominal cu ft / m in the project.

You will probably phone in advance to see that they have the species and thicknesses that you want, and check the cu ft / m price.

If you're buying waney-edged stock your purchase will need to be perhaps twice the nominal project content, because you'll have a waste factor as you work around end-splits, sapwood, bark, knots, etc. Neither will lengths and widths accord exactly when you come to map your parts on the boards, so there'll be offcuts too short / narrow to be useful. But they can all feed the stove.

The boards will be in stacks and it's normal to be allowed to select. An operative will help, or you might be left on your own. But if not at ground level, a forklift will normally be on hand. If you insist on sorting right to the bottom of every stack, you are not going to remain popular at that mill. There is no perfect board, it's all about having a balanced sense of what's reasonable in the real world, derived from your experience of wood and its variations.

You might need to have some boards crosscut to ease transport (but relating to your finished parts!), and you can mark the boards you're choosing for this (take some chalk!). Crosscutting will often be done in situ on bearers on the floor with a chainsaw.

Buying square-edged stock is in some ways easier, but to me removes much of the fun and is somewhat boring.

 

[Yojevol]

+1 for Vasterns at Wootton Bassett for kiln dried timbers.
Also Jim Hannis at his good old fashioned sawmill in Cranham Woods near Painswick. Air dried only. PM me and I'll give you his phone number.
Brian

 

[Hornbeam]

When you are calculating quantities you have to allow for wasteage, which always works out at way more than you thought. If you need say 4ft lengths always allow a small amount to trim off each end. A 5 ft length piece is great but 7 foot 6 means you have a lot left over same applies to width. Often you can use the overage in a different component of the same project. Quite often you have to think a bit on your feet as they will seldom have exactly the same sizes as you need. Best approach is to start working with only a couple of different woods and buy a bit more than you need. Your overage and offcuts go into stock for the next project
Ian

 

[HOJ]

Perhaps start with @custard excellent article: How To Buy Hardwoods

 

[--Tom--]

When I used to get timber in Gloucester Nicks timber were great and could get most things for decent prices.
If you’re not after a whole tree worth going in and having a chat