Buying Redwood

[dp341]

Stupid questions time ...

What's the approximate % difference in price between buying sawn and PSE (or PAR) redwood?

I'm planning to build a utilitarian cabinet in my workshop. However, rather than using plywood (which I'm more used to), I want to use it as an exercise in practicing some hand tool skills on cheap materials before I start butchering some oak for the lounge.

I already have a planer / thicknesser (there's only so much handplaning sawn stock that I could take). So would sawn be significantly cheaper?

Also, I assume that if I order 25mm sawn timber, it's approximately 25mm thick and that if I order 25mm PSE then it's more like 20mm thick (e.g. started out as 25mm) - is that right? I'm wanting most of my parts to end up approx 18mm thick - is 25mm the right starting size?

thanks all

 

[Jacob]

Rule of thumb is lose 6mm from sawn to planed. This varies a lot. The sawn 25mm might be under or over to start with and anything long or bent may need more taking off. Always cut to length first before planing; your longest lengths first from the shortest and/or straightest pieces available

 

[Chrispy]

I think you will find it hard to compare the two on cost alone, most sawn redwood will be Unsorted grade where as PAR will be 5ths or even 6ths both lower grades of timber so you may find that PAR is actually cheaper than sawn unsorted.

 

[katellwood]

If you prepare it yourself you can guarantee that each piece is the same size and as straight as your P/T will allow (length of beds etc).

PSE could have been stored for long periods with movement occurring and may not have been machined in the same batch with the result that there may be slight variations in size. In addition it is normally prepared through a four cutter where pressure rollers feed the material through the machine in long lengths i.e. it will not necessarily be as straight as you would like.