Creative Lumbering
A few years ago I was searching for local lumber mills and to my surprise there were several. Most of these fellows keep a very low profile and to find them it's takes a little time and effort. The benefits, for me, is like finding a pot of gold. What I'm looking for are small beautiful pieces that are considered as scrap and often piled up for burning. I've found small lumber mills are the best. A one or two man operation will have lots of attractive scrap laying around and more than willing to sell for close to nothing. You may also come across lumber which has a live edge. That wood has the bark left on the sides.
This is an education for many new wood workers. When I started I couldn't tell the difference between Cypress and Black Walnut. And I didn't know which lumber is best for routing. I found a lots of black walnut left out as scrap. For example,I found some beautiful 14 quarter black walnut the owner said it wasn't any good because it had bugs. I bought it all, once he promised me (Scouts Honor) there live bugs. I like worm holes. After a little research I found I could spray it with antifreze as a preservative.
Since I'm not making cabinets or finished interior products, I can get by materials others can't. Not only that, I enjoy a visit to lumber mills. Viewing the beautiful grain, and enjoying the smells keeps me going back. It's like a mini vacation.
A Little Hint: Take a scrap panel and v carve the lumber mill name in it and you make good friends. Most lumbermen are great to work with. They like to work with artists and will go out of their way to help.
Joe