Might be driving up to the New England area later this year. Looking for recommendations on good places to pick up some of the local hardwoods (walnut, cherry, maple.....) for turning. I'd be interested in green wood up to 16" in diameter as well as dried boards for segmented turnings. Going to be mostly in the MA, VT, NH area, but would be willing to drive farther for some nice wood. Any tips on good wood sources would be greatly appreciated.
MH
Did you want to buy some at a store, or cut down some trees?
Check out goosebaylumber.com and/or highlandhardwoods.com for places that I go to.
If you're going to be around on the fourth saturday of an even numbered month, you could attend one of our chapter's meetings
Probably outside your regular driving range, but if you're in central new york, Lakeshore Hardwoods is a great dealer of native hardwood. lakeshorehardwoods.com They don't specialize in turning wood, but they're great to work with if you're going to be in the area. Andy
DJ - I think I would hesitate to start taking a chainsaw to trees in an area I didn't know. I'd hate to end up shot or in jail. Are there places where you can legally cut down a tree?
Lumberyards are probably the best bet for the dried wood. I had come across highlandhardwoods during a web search. They had looked pretty good. I'll definitely add them to my list now. I'll also check out goosebaylumber. Thanks for those suggestions.
Is it worth looking for someone who sells firewood to get some green wood? We don't know much about firewood down here in South Florida, but it seems like someone who is cutting trees for firewood might be willing to sell unsplit wood at a reasonable price. Any other thoughts on where I might be able to pick up some 4' to 6' section of logs 12" - 16" in diameter?
I don't have firm plans yet, but if I'm in the area at the right time it would be fun to check out your meeting. I might even be able to drag up some of my local wood to share.
MH
Andy, Thanks for the info on Lakeshore Hardwoods. I'll have to look and see where it is. I'll be in western MA, so some parts of NY will be within range on this trip. Central NY may be a little far, but then again the finger lakes area is a really nice place to visit. I just might be able to talk my wife into going for it.
MH
Lakeshore Hardwoods is in Pulaski, NY, which is right on Lake Ontario (the Eastern edge of the lake). It's about 45 min north of Syracuse, which would make it probably just under 4hr from Springfield, MA. Quite a trip to pick up some wood... But there's a little state park (Selkirk) a couple miles from the lumberyard, finger lakes parks and waterfalls etc. are a couple hours southwest, and of course there's Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse. Yum. Anyway, hope your trip (move?) to MA goes well. Andy
Well, I sort of straddle the NW corner of Mass and the SW corner of VT, and I expect we could work out a fellow-turner deal, swap, or what-have you. When are you here? Do the obvious thing to the email address in the header to make it work.
Come take a look at what's lying around my woods. I'll whack it with my chainsaw. Won't be utterly fresh unless I decide to get around to attacking a few of the trees that will next be in my way, but this may not be a problem. If you haul up some of that oddball Florida wood we can probably just call it a trade and be done with it. I also have ~3000 board feet of mixed hardwood air-dried (what came off my driveway when I cut it through the woods), some of which is preallocated to shop stuff, but some can probably be sold off or traded.
If you want kiln-dried, there's a place that I have yet to visit over in Greenfield, MA that looks interesting. And the local mill in downtown Pownal may also suit you for flat stock:
Er, anyone who heats with wood knows how to cut down trees, and where they can get some. I've got about 16 acres of trees on my land, I cut down the "ugly" ones regularly, plus keep them back from my driveway. It was farmed a few years ago, so it's short on large diameter trees (I only have a 14" lathe anyway).
In general, homeowners can cut on their own land as long as the tree stays in their land when it falls (i.e. no falling on the roads).
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I often find piles of local hardwoods in LARGE chunks in people's yards. My brother-in-law has some (seasoned) in the 24" diameter range; I've picked from his pile in the past.
It's a matter of timing. What you really want is to be there when they fall, and seal them with anchorseal or something. Hence my suggestion to come to a meeting; you might be able to talk someone into arranging a felling.
If you like knots and crotch grain, you might be able to get a chunk or two for free. Most folks don't look forward to trying to split that.
The other thing to do is call the local power companies (like PSNH) and see if they have tree cutting crews out. You still have to ask the land owner, but the crews would rather give you a 4' log than try to chip it.
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.