Newbie sourcing materials

[LinleyW]

Hi all, new starter to woodworking, learning some basic joins by building some small free-standing mini "bookshelves" to sit on my study desk (think CD towers but not quite a meter tall and with a few shelves to put figurines on).

Looking for advice on where to source sheets of material from please. At the moment I've been using some MDF bought from B&Q (my wallet shudders!)

Are there any recommendations as to where you buy your materials from? There is a local woodshop in Sheffield that I need to go back to and check out but I wondered if there was any collective wisdom I can tap into?

Thanks!

 

[thetyreman]

I very rarely buy sheet materials but when I do I go to independent local merchants which is also where I get my pine from, I am lucky that it's only just down the road from me, when I want something more special like a nice hardwood it's something that I'm willing to travel further for, hopefully some members will give you better info closer to where you live in Sheffield.

 

[AndyT]

There are some really useful sticky posts on here - but they are a bit hard to find. This one is a collective list and review of timber yards.

timber-yards-wip-add-your-favourites-t108370.html

Sorry - just checked the list and there's nothing there actually in Sheffield - welcome to the forum though, I hope some better advice will be along soon!

 

[Steve_Scott]

For hardwood ply and MDF I tend to use my local Wickes. My local timber yard is really pricy and whilst they may be competitive when you have trade account they’re about twice the price of Wickes.

Just be mindful of general quality and consistency... I don’t doubt that the timber yard has better stock that is more consistent but when learning price is a massive factor as you’ll be making mistakes and it’s more painful on pricier stock!

 

[Rich C]

Interesting, my local yard is cheaper than Wickes and tend to do discounts of 10-20% on everything if you buy more than a single sheet / batten. Also they will cut to size (sheet and timber) for free. Very useful for me as I can't fit an 8'x4' sheet in the car.

 

[fezman]

Hi, I keep meaning to try Timber Specialists on Herries Road South (opposite Kop @ Hillsborough).

They seem to have a good range of ply listed on their website - don't know if they can cut it on site for you either

https://sheffield.timberspecialists.com/plywood

I'd be interested to know how you get on with them if you do go. I'll be looking for 2-3 sheets of Cherry veneered 6mm ply or MDF soon.

Ian.

 

[LinleyW]

Thanks everyone really appreciate the advice.

Ian, I'll the one on Herries Road a try and let you know how it goes, thanks for the local knowledge!

 

[LinleyW]

Just be mindful of general quality and consistency... I don’t doubt that the timber yard has better stock that is more consistent but when learning price is a massive factor as you’ll be making mistakes and it’s more painful on pricier stock!

Absolutely agree with you there Steve, my starting projects are all rough pieces that can be unsightly and wonky and cheap so that I can build the skills without too much fear of error. I'll keep in mind comparing specialists and generalists like Wickes, thanks