Am I being ripped off for this maple?

DeepBlue · 6 Aug 2005

Right, heres the story fo far. Im planning to make a coffee table out of maple, and I went into Arnold Laver a week ago to get a rough idea of cost. According to the bloke that served me, they charge £2.65 /m for 2x1 PAR.

So, today I phone them back to order and get another guy, he tries to tell me that for the lot (6 x 1.8m boards) he wants 166.29 + vat. Obviously, at 15.40 /m i dont take him up on his offer, and get laughed at when I tell him how much I was previously quoted.

What I'm wondering is 1) which quote is more reasonable? 2) would anyone like to guess why I have two quotes so vastly different? 3) is there any way using everso slightly different dimensions could push the price down (due to wastage, etc)

Tar very much

Chris Knight · 6 Aug 2005

Deep Blue

Being on the wrong side of decimalisation and metrication, could you tell us what all your units are?

I buy wood in quantity and I need to see the equivalent in terms of Cu. Metres or preferably cu.ft. to offer an opinion. I can of course calculate these things when I know what units I am multiplying but in your case I am not sure.

DeepBlue · 6 Aug 2005

Sure, sorry,

The price was for 2x1 (inches), or 50x25mm, and the price quoted was per metre

Chris Knight · 6 Aug 2005

The price for 2x1 inch seems on the high side at ca £59 per cu ft. but I always buy my wood sawn - never planed.

Try this place http://www.britishhardwoods.co.uk/plane ... imber.html for a competitive figure - they have a good reputation

jasonB · 6 Aug 2005

South London Hardwoods list 100mmx25mm PAR Maple at £3.94 so your £2.65 would be about right. Go back to the supplier and ask how they arrive at the figure.

Is that a stock size of PAR Maple or will it have to be machined for you, it will cost as much to set up machines for a small run like yours to a large run so the quantity will affect the price.

http://www.slhardwoods.co.uk/looseboards_timber.asp

Jason

PitBull · 7 Aug 2005

DeepBlue,

For what it's worth, a couple of year ago I was at Arnold Lavel in Woodley (Reading) for the first time, and was checking out white oak. Having eventually decided they were very expensive, I was talking to one of their guys outside and he admitted that whilst they had good prices for pine and other softwoods, their hardwood prices were very high, and he himself bought his hardwoods from Timnet in Oxford !.