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Many years ago I got all of my material at a lumber yard. They sold nails in bulk — stored in wooden bins — that you put in a big basket hanging from a large-faced scale. After weighing, you put them in a paper sack, or double bagged them in two paper sacks. You could also ask the guy behind the counter for a recommendation for a fastener type, size, and spacing, and he would have immediate, confident replies that were obviously based in experience.
The lumber seemed better, the grades seemed better, there was a lot of doug fir, as they called Douglas fir, and the plywood seemed better — more plies than now — and available in better grades with no voids. Plugged and sanded, but no voids.
When I pulled my Power Wagon into the yard there was a guy who knew what he was doing who sorted the lumber for me, giving me only the good stuff. The crooked stuff got made into form stakes and cribbing under loads of good stuff. They used a monster, probably 16 inch, DeWalt radial arm saw that made your blood curdle when it revved up. Very often this saw was used to rip stock down to a width that you wanted. The wood literally flew through that thing. I am not scared of many things, but ripping in a radial arm saw is one that does make me nervous. Those guys could have done it in their sleep.
Now, I go to the local giant building materials store. Here they call them Menard’s, though there is now a Home Depot. Elsewhere there are stores called Lowe’s. The workers are all pimple faced, indifferent, lazy kids.
The wood species is white and light. The plywood sheets look like giant potato chips [won’t lie flat] made of fewer plies than yesteryear. Lots of voids, too. The dimension lumber, particularly in 2x4 stock, looks like airplane propellers or rockers from a chair. Unband a bundle of 2x stock and let it dry for a while and it fairly springs apart. I have gone through entire bundles, only to find 20% of the wood useable for what I needed.
There are still some small lumber yards. I believe I need to investigate them. I have not purchased dimension lumber and ply in quantity for nearly 30 years. I guess that dates me.
A question for those who are buying a lot of material.... What are you seeing as differences in vendors of materials? How do you evaluate a potential source of building materials? Are there still good grades of plywood available, with more and better plies? Are you able to find good, straight, relatively clear dimension lumber? There are too many pieces that have bark, huge knots, and geometry that is other than straight.
What do you look for when you go into a place where you have not been before?
Discuss....
The lumber seemed better, the grades seemed better, there was a lot of doug fir, as they called Douglas fir, and the plywood seemed better — more plies than now — and available in better grades with no voids. Plugged and sanded, but no voids.
When I pulled my Power Wagon into the yard there was a guy who knew what he was doing who sorted the lumber for me, giving me only the good stuff. The crooked stuff got made into form stakes and cribbing under loads of good stuff. They used a monster, probably 16 inch, DeWalt radial arm saw that made your blood curdle when it revved up. Very often this saw was used to rip stock down to a width that you wanted. The wood literally flew through that thing. I am not scared of many things, but ripping in a radial arm saw is one that does make me nervous. Those guys could have done it in their sleep.
Now, I go to the local giant building materials store. Here they call them Menard’s, though there is now a Home Depot. Elsewhere there are stores called Lowe’s. The workers are all pimple faced, indifferent, lazy kids.
The wood species is white and light. The plywood sheets look like giant potato chips [won’t lie flat] made of fewer plies than yesteryear. Lots of voids, too. The dimension lumber, particularly in 2x4 stock, looks like airplane propellers or rockers from a chair. Unband a bundle of 2x stock and let it dry for a while and it fairly springs apart. I have gone through entire bundles, only to find 20% of the wood useable for what I needed.
There are still some small lumber yards. I believe I need to investigate them. I have not purchased dimension lumber and ply in quantity for nearly 30 years. I guess that dates me.
A question for those who are buying a lot of material.... What are you seeing as differences in vendors of materials? How do you evaluate a potential source of building materials? Are there still good grades of plywood available, with more and better plies? Are you able to find good, straight, relatively clear dimension lumber? There are too many pieces that have bark, huge knots, and geometry that is other than straight.
What do you look for when you go into a place where you have not been before?
Discuss....
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