newbie, hardwood merchants in wirral

[benbobben]

hello this is my first post, i'm new to woodworking so i am full of questions lol. My first qurstion is does anyone anywhere to buy hardwood from in the wirral or surrounding area, ive tried google and found amerchant in cheshire called richard potters, are there any others, also how much roughly does it cost to get the wood planed square? For example if i bought a cubic foot of walnut it costs around 50 pound how much eztra would it cost to get it planed square?

thanks in advance
ben

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Hello Ben - welcome to the forum, and the wonderful world of getting splinters - er, I mean making stuff from wood!

Buying hardwoods in small quantities is actually quite difficult. Almost all 'local' timber merchants are set up to cater for the building trade or bulk users, and sadly some regard the small buyer and the amateur as a damn nuisance. Consequently, you have to either travel a bit, or seach out the mail order suppliers; this usually means paying a premium price.

That said, try Roger Haydock in Widnes. They may not be keen to machine and deliver small quantiies, but may be more amenable to machining up small quantities for you to collect. You can but ask, and their stock range is quite good.

Of the mail order suppliers, try Interesting Timbers is Somerset, and British Hardwoods in Yorkshire. Both will supply PAR hardwoods, though not always in all species.

Another option - and one I'd urge you to consider - is to learn how to plane up your own timber. I fully appreciate that this sounds a daunting prospect for a relative newcomer, but I promise you that you won't regret investing the time to learn. It allows you to use sawn timber (cheaper than planed!), and allows you to salvage good timber from junked items - often free. You don't necessarily need a lot of kit, and it's a skill you'll need to develop anyway if you're to make the most of woodworking. Robert Wearing's book 'The Essential Woodworker' (Classic Hand Tools or Axminster Power Tool Centre can supply - Amazon can't) is very good on planing basics, and much else.

 

[Giff]

Hi Ben

Richard Potter's is good. They have sheds with a lot of different timbers
and you can walk around and choose your boards. They are ok with small quantities as well
and have a machine shop.

Also http://www.bookertimber.co.uk/index.html are good but a bit more trade related and may not
be economical with small quantities. Geoff

 

[eezageeza]

+1 for Richard Potter in Nantwich. Lovely people, and lovely wood, and welcome amateur and trade customers with equal enthusiasm!

 

[custard]

how much roughly does it cost to get the wood planed square

Ben, I'm not sure relying on pre-dimensioned timber is a great idea. It's almost certain to twist and warp at least a bit before you come to use it, and unless you have the means to make your wood flat, square and true then any pieces you make are unlikely to joint properly. Also the finish quality of timber yard dimensioned stock is rarely much good, they generally run their planer knives way past what's decent so their wood often has tear out, scalloping, and all sorts of other shortcomings.

You might be better to get into the mindset that dimensioning your cutting list is your responsibility, so job two (after learning how to sharpen your tools) is to learn how to make your timber flat, square and true.

 

[benbobben]

hi thanks for the replies, looks like i have a lot to learn! what are the options for planing stock? i know there are planers and thicknessers, im guessing the only other option is to do it by hand?

 

[MMUK]

Robert Wearing's book 'The Essential Woodworker' (Classic Hand Tools or Axminster Power Tool Centre can supply - Amazon can't) is very good on planing basics, and much else.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_ ... Caps%2C181

First result :wink:

 

[Rhossydd]

Ben,

I can remember the difficulties of buying decent timber for the first time and not knowing how to go about it all too well, even if it was 20 years ago now.
Whilst I'm not local and can't advise about a supplier for you, I'm sure you will find one.
With respect to how much cutting and finishing to size costs, it's impossible to generalise. It will depend on how many cuts are needed, what timber is bought etc...

The best approach is to learn as much as you can about the language and terms used for timber procurement beforehand so you don't come over as a complete numpty when you first contact a merchant. A phone call should be able to quickly ascertain if a merchant is sympathetic to small orders, if they're not, just forget them. If you've got firm plans for a project, so much the better. Being able to quote definite sizes and quantities will get you taken seriously.
A personal visit is much better than mail order if at all possible. Try to go on a day when they're unlikely to be busy (ask by phone first) then you can discuss what you need and choose it yourself (trust the staff to make recommendations though). My own experience of hardwood timber merchants is generally very positive, if you're honest about your level of experience they're usually very helpful and honest. It can actually be quite an enjoyable and educational experience, often experienced sales staff will enjoy giving you the benefit of their knowledge.
You ought to be able to get timber planed to size that won't move much if you use it immediately, again explain to your prospective merchant what you want it for and ask if the timber will be dry enough for that use.

Don't be put off by the sometimes negative sounding comments earlier in this thread. If you love working with wood, you'll find a merchant that understands that and will nurture your skills. After all, they want your continuing custom too.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Robert Wearing's book 'The Essential Woodworker' (Classic Hand Tools or Axminster Power Tool Centre can supply - Amazon can't) is very good on planing basics, and much else.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_ ... Caps%2C181

First result :wink:

Those are Amazon links to secondhand sellers of the original 1980's edition. Nothing wrong with that, of course, except that they're more expensive than the current Lost Art Press edition at Axi - http://www.axminster.co.uk/catalogsearc ... woodworker - which isn't available through Amazon.

 

[Noggsy]

Welcome to the forum, there's a cracking guy in Wrexham whose name escapes me at the moment. He supplies good quality hard woods, planed if asked, at very competitive prices (much cheaper than Potters). He has a lot of his wood out on racks at Bryn Y Gog, which is an interesting antiques/bric-a-brac warehouse. Well worth a visit.

 

[Giff]

Hi Noggsy can you narrow it down a bit ? 130,000 people in Wrexham !

 

[Noggsy]

John Harrison. My mate found him through his eBay shop and we've bought loads from him now. I think he gets remaindered stock (he'll sometimes have a load of moulded skirting in oak for example, or t and g floorboards), so it's more esoteric than Potters, but he has a large stock in and some very interesting timber in.

 

[benbobben]

so i havent bought the essential woodworker yet but may download it on pdf or tablet. It doesnt seem to be on the axminster website anymore. Im just looking into more tools to buy, what planes will i need to size and dimension stock?, i have already ordered a block plane and smoothing plane.

On another note i have an old coffee table with what i think is a walnut top, i will post a photograph to ask for id! its about 1.2m x 0.5m x0.03m. so hopefully i can use that to practice with and make my first prroject.

 

[carlb40]

A No 5 plane is often recommended for most of the work to dimension sawn timbers. A decent quality square (s) plus a pair of winding sticks.

This might help.

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