4 ms·

No way! I built myself an oak side table. Solid oak, $200 worth of wood. Now, this was during the beginning of the pandemic when wood prices were through the ro

No way! I built myself an oak side table. Solid oak, $200 worth of wood. Now, this was during the beginning of the pandemic when wood prices were through the roof, but still, I bet I could get the same oak table for $150 or less.

peter422 4y ago
Are you buying rough lumber? There is some arbitrage as certain species of wood are cheaper if you are closer to where they come from (for example Douglas fir is cheaper on the west coast vs pine on the east coast), and for a small item it can be built where the wood is cheapest and shipped from there. However, I think it’s not likely to make that large of a difference. Wholesale lumber prices aren’t that far off from what a hobbyist pays if you go to the same places.
- saalweachter 4y ago
  Auctions for new and used wood are a great place for bargain. I built my workbench out of $5 of scrap wood by buying a homemade platform that had been used for judging volleyball games, because no one else wanted a volleyball judging platform and I was willing to break it apart and cart away a couple hundred pounds of lumber. I recently purchased a good quantity of rough cut maple, locust and oak for around 10-25 cents a board foot from another auction because the owner of the woodshop in question was retiring and everything must go.
pcthrowaway 4y ago
This seems true to me (as a non-woodworker whose ex-partner got really into it), but what she explained to me was that her own furniture would be higher quality and also made the way she wants it (which you can't really put a price on) You can definitely pick up used solid wood furniture for cheaper than building it yourself (especially if you consider the opportunity cost of your time), but you might not get exactly what you want.
jstanley 4y ago
Mass-produced hardwood furniture (OakFurnitureLand etc.) seems to be made of absolutely tiny scraps glued together, whereas if you are making something yourself you're more likely to use larger pieces of wood and less able to make use of small offcuts. I think that accounts for a lot of the price difference.
jcims 4y ago
Where are you going to find an oak table for $150? $500 maybe if you're ok cutting corners. I was just out yesterday looking around and there wasn't a thing I'd put in my house (and I'm not that particular) that was under $1500.

peter422 4y ago

Are you buying rough lumber? There is some arbitrage as certain species of wood are cheaper if you are closer to where they come from (for example Douglas fir is cheaper on the west coast vs pine on the east coast), and for a small item it can be built where the wood is cheapest and shipped from there. However, I think it’s not likely to make that large of a difference. Wholesale lumber prices aren’t that far off from what a hobbyist pays if you go to the same places.

saalweachter 4y ago
Auctions for new and used wood are a great place for bargain. I built my workbench out of $5 of scrap wood by buying a homemade platform that had been used for judging volleyball games, because no one else wanted a volleyball judging platform and I was willing to break it apart and cart away a couple hundred pounds of lumber. I recently purchased a good quantity of rough cut maple, locust and oak for around 10-25 cents a board foot from another auction because the owner of the woodshop in question was retiring and everything must go.

pcthrowaway 4y ago

This seems true to me (as a non-woodworker whose ex-partner got really into it), but what she explained to me was that her own furniture would be higher quality and also made the way she wants it (which you can't really put a price on) You can definitely pick up used solid wood furniture for cheaper than building it yourself (especially if you consider the opportunity cost of your time), but you might not get exactly what you want.

jstanley 4y ago

Mass-produced hardwood furniture (OakFurnitureLand etc.) seems to be made of absolutely tiny scraps glued together, whereas if you are making something yourself you're more likely to use larger pieces of wood and less able to make use of small offcuts. I think that accounts for a lot of the price difference.

jcims 4y ago

Where are you going to find an oak table for $150? $500 maybe if you're ok cutting corners. I was just out yesterday looking around and there wasn't a thing I'd put in my house (and I'm not that particular) that was under $1500.