Great tip Ron. Most folks probably assume the big box stores are always a better deal. They certainly market themselves heavily with advertisements and use loss leaders to lure people into their stores. Your video is a good reminder to comparison shop to "really" get the best deal. Thanks for another great video and I always enjoy watching your channel.
Very true. I live in a small town with one lumber store. Upon comparison they are cheaper than any of the major big box stores that are a 40 minute drive for me. Plus being local the personal relationship is awesome.
I agree Ron. Also, their delivery charges are typically less. I can get a load of Lumber a bag of bolts..... whatever for an $11 delivery charge. It doesn't pay for me to hook a trailer to my truck or to drive my truck to the lumber yard for $11..... especially if I know what I need.
Ron, I love your vids and have picked up picked up plans for your compact workbench. I had a "small world" moment when I saw that you live in Anacortes. I lived in Oak Harbor for a few years while in the navy. I loved it there! Anyway, neat realization that we were so close and I never knew it. Keep up the amazing work with your videos. Take care.
Here in Montreal, Canada, the birch ply sold at HD is really high quality (and Made in Canada). I was very surprised indeed when I first saw it. The lumber there on the other hand is dreadful, and I always buy my raw lumber at the local yards instead.
Darn right you got a great buy! Big box stores really don't care about the customers that much, just that they make the highest profit possible off of customers not in the know as much as you.
I prefer the building suppliers over "Big Box" as I feel their quality and selection is better. However some of these suppliers have a minimum order. I have encountered anywhere from $50 to as high as $200. Also some will not sell to anyone who is not a "contractor". The other issue is most places that I use won't let you cull thru the material to pick the ones you want.
Ive worked out on the yard in my towns lumberyard for a few years now. I help 75 percent of all customers that come on the yard personally. I try to treat everyone the same regardless of them being a diy customer or a contractor. The only difference is i probably know all the contractors by name. Im sorry the folks at your local yard have given you a hard time. They probably just wish they had made different life choices lol
I've found that Menards carries more varieties (I like their maple plywood selection) than the local lumber yard that doesn't have much of furniture grade sheets.
I always try to buy in local stores my supplies but in the case of wood I dont usually buy in local lumber yards because in my country there its no way to know if the material it's legal or not and at least in the case of the home depot i know it cames from sustainable forest, i wish in my country soon make better ways to advise consumers for the local lumber yards that are enviromental friendly
I wish there were a local lumberyard around here. there used to be one, but they closed, and I think a big apartment building is probably going to go up there next year or so. the land got too valuable for the lumber yard, so they sold it, I think. unf., Japan is weird: a lot of companies like that, here, won't deal with people not in the trade.
you defiantly need to look.. our local hardware carried a lot better ply but the cost was 2-3 times the cost and was not worth it unless you were doing really high end projects..
I'd love to buy local but they're literally more then double for lumber over Home Depot and I have an account. I can't compete paying that much for material
Needs Jimping The stand up desk is in my office and I like it. I did record the build, but have 8+ hours of video on each of two cameras. 16 hours to sync up, and edit down to bite size watchable videos will take a good 40 hours to get ready for RUclips. Bottom line, it may take a while;0)
It's 5 miles to the closest local building supply store. It's 80 miles to the closest big box store. The local store beats the big box prices on everything except sandpaper and single gang electric boxes. It isn't worth the trip.
I never buy my project woods from big box retailers. They cater to home improvement, not fine woodworking of furniture or high end cabinet making. Out her in Alberta, Windsor Plywood, Global Hardwood Distributers and Hardwood Specialties Distributers LP are your best places. From Baltic birch plywoods, sign grade apply ply hardwood plywoods to domestic hardwood lumbers and exotic woods. No one is going to sell you wafer core plywoods to you at these places. High grade furniture wood is actually expensive and well worth it. You get what you pay for.
I've found my local lumber yard has far better quality building materials. Have to sort through a whole bunker of 2x4's at Home Depot to find a few that are in good enough shape to use. Prices are very comparable as well. To go to Lowes or Home Depot for me is a 30 mile one way drive. So a sheet of plywood at Home Depot is $29 for example...local lumber yard has the same plywood for $33 a sheet for example. $4 cheaper at Home Depot. Trouble with people in the town I live in is they have the I'll drive to Boise and get this that and the other...but they don't have the brains to think ok Its $4 cheaper but I spent $20 in gas getting there. I would rather support my local family owned small businesses than throw money at huge corporate companies...and have far lower quality products.
Great tip Ron. Most folks probably assume the big box stores are always a better deal. They certainly market themselves heavily with advertisements and use loss leaders to lure people into their stores. Your video is a good reminder to comparison shop to "really" get the best deal. Thanks for another great video and I always enjoy watching your channel.
Very true. I live in a small town with one lumber store. Upon comparison they are cheaper than any of the major big box stores that are a 40 minute drive for me. Plus being local the personal relationship is awesome.
I agree Ron. Also, their delivery charges are typically less. I can get a load of Lumber a bag of bolts..... whatever for an $11 delivery charge. It doesn't pay for me to hook a trailer to my truck or to drive my truck to the lumber yard for $11..... especially if I know what I need.
I agree, my grandfather (the family carpenter) always said "local is the best, box stores are for the rest..."
Ron, I love your vids and have picked up picked up plans for your compact workbench. I had a "small world" moment when I saw that you live in Anacortes. I lived in Oak Harbor for a few years while in the navy. I loved it there! Anyway, neat realization that we were so close and I never knew it. Keep up the amazing work with your videos. Take care.
here in the uk you can buy ply straight off the importers at literally half the price of the huge home/diy shops. crazy difference
james latham timber is great, worth the drive.
www.lathamtimber.co.uk/downloads/birch-plywood-9.pdf
Here in Montreal, Canada, the birch ply sold at HD is really high quality (and Made in Canada). I was very surprised indeed when I first saw it. The lumber there on the other hand is dreadful, and I always buy my raw lumber at the local yards instead.
Darn right you got a great buy! Big box stores really don't care about the customers that much, just that they make the highest profit possible off of customers not in the know as much as you.
I prefer the building suppliers over "Big Box" as I feel their quality and selection is better. However some of these suppliers have a minimum order. I have encountered anywhere from $50 to as high as $200. Also some will not sell to anyone who is not a "contractor". The other issue is most places that I use won't let you cull thru the material to pick the ones you want.
I wish my local lumber yards would give me a chance. I'm treated like a 2nd class citizen to them because I'm not a contractor :(
+instantsiv Most places are like that, they're all geared towards supporting contractors, just like Lowes, Home Depot, etc.
Ive worked out on the yard in my towns lumberyard for a few years now. I help 75 percent of all customers that come on the yard personally. I try to treat everyone the same regardless of them being a diy customer or a contractor. The only difference is i probably know all the contractors by name. Im sorry the folks at your local yard have given you a hard time. They probably just wish they had made different life choices lol
That's because contractors represent most of the money.
Whether local is good or not depends on where they get their lumber from.
I've found that Menards carries more varieties (I like their maple plywood selection) than the local lumber yard that doesn't have much of furniture grade sheets.
I always try to buy in local stores my supplies but in the case of wood I dont usually buy in local lumber yards because in my country there its no way to know if the material it's legal or not and at least in the case of the home depot i know it cames from sustainable forest, i wish in my country soon make better ways to advise consumers for the local lumber yards that are enviromental friendly
I wish there were a local lumberyard around here. there used to be one, but they closed, and I think a big apartment building is probably going to go up there next year or so. the land got too valuable for the lumber yard, so they sold it, I think.
unf., Japan is weird: a lot of companies like that, here, won't deal with people not in the trade.
What is your local yard ron?
would like to go to local lumberyard but seems like they all went outta business in metro Detroit only lowes ,home depot or menards left
you defiantly need to look.. our local hardware carried a lot better ply but the cost was 2-3 times the cost and was not worth it unless you were doing really high end projects..
I'd love to buy local but they're literally more then double for lumber over Home Depot and I have an account. I can't compete paying that much for material
Hope you'll do a video on your workstation creation.
+Needs Jimping I did a 15 part video series: ruclips.net/p/PLB1ATCukiUGSEvdBc7NnqlmxHAwdx6C83
+Ron Paulk oops, by 'workstation' I meant the stand up desk you mentioned in this vid'! 😃
Needs Jimping The stand up desk is in my office and I like it. I did record the build, but have 8+ hours of video on each of two cameras. 16 hours to sync up, and edit down to bite size watchable videos will take a good 40 hours to get ready for RUclips. Bottom line, it may take a while;0)
It's 5 miles to the closest local building supply store. It's 80 miles to the closest big box store. The local store beats the big box prices on everything except sandpaper and single gang electric boxes. It isn't worth the trip.
Ron Paulk - Tackling the tough questions, so you don't have to.
Here in so-cal we have a nice place called Ganahl Lumber:)
Or Austin Hardwood in Santa Ana ;)
@@prof.crastinator i usually refer customers to them if we are out lol
we do not have a local lumber yard we have lowes and home depot
Where I live the story is most often exactly the opposite.
I never buy my project woods from big box retailers. They cater to home improvement, not fine woodworking of furniture or high end cabinet making. Out her in Alberta, Windsor Plywood, Global Hardwood Distributers and Hardwood Specialties Distributers LP are your best places. From Baltic birch plywoods, sign grade apply ply hardwood plywoods to domestic hardwood lumbers and exotic woods. No one is going to sell you wafer core plywoods to you at these places. High grade furniture wood is actually expensive and well worth it. You get what you pay for.
I've found my local lumber yard has far better quality building materials. Have to sort through a whole bunker of 2x4's at Home Depot to find a few that are in good enough shape to use. Prices are very comparable as well. To go to Lowes or Home Depot for me is a 30 mile one way drive. So a sheet of plywood at Home Depot is $29 for example...local lumber yard has the same plywood for $33 a sheet for example. $4 cheaper at Home Depot. Trouble with people in the town I live in is they have the I'll drive to Boise and get this that and the other...but they don't have the brains to think ok Its $4 cheaper but I spent $20 in gas getting there.
I would rather support my local family owned small businesses than throw money at huge corporate companies...and have far lower quality products.