Cheap wood (mainly soft woods)

[Essex Barn Workshop]

I have mentioned wood recycling centres before, including the one I use in Essex but today they had these:

30cmx30cm (that's a foot square) by up to 3 metres long (that's about 10 feet) for £25!

Not what I was after, and had all been sold subject to collection, but I did happily spend my £3 on 6 pieces of wood for a small project I'm doing for a friend. Yes, 50p each piece including some African hardwood ply!

I thoroughly recommend you see if there is a centre close enough to you for visit. The quality varies considerably, a lot is building waste etc, but there are sufficient diamonds in the rough to make it worthwhile. As a bonus, the profits from my local one go to help adults with learning disabilities.

https://communitywoodrecycling.org.uk/wood-stores/#wood-store-finder

 

[sawtooth-9]

I have mentioned wood recycling centres before, including the one I use in Essex but today they had these:

View attachment 137661

30cmx30cm (that's a foot square) by up to 3 metres long (that's about 10 feet) for £25!

Not what I was after, and had all been sold subject to collection, but I did happily spend my £3 on 6 pieces of wood for a small project I'm doing for a friend. Yes, 50p each piece including some African hardwood ply!

I thoroughly recommend you see if there is a centre close enough to you for visit. The quality varies considerably, a lot is building waste etc, but there are sufficient diamonds in the rough to make it worthwhile. As a bonus, the profits from my local one go to help adults with learning disabilities.

https://communitywoodrecycling.org.uk/wood-stores/#wood-store-finder

I am always amazed at the "penny-pinching"approach so often seen on this site.
What value do you place on your skill ?
If you are going to expend your efforts, experience and skill - why choose the poorest of raw materials ???
Truly skilled artisans will select the the most beautiful woods to complement their efforts and skills.
People who work with "rubbish materials" produce a "rubbish" result.
Where do you stand ?

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

What are you on and can I have a pint of it please?
How dare you come on here and insinuate that I get a rubbish result, and who mentioned rubbish materials?
I was showing good quality wood is available cheaply at a recycling centre, much of it is unused and excess wood.
i am offended.
You are illiterate if that is how you read my helpful post.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

It seems to me that true talent is in taking average or poor materials and turning them into something of value (not in terms of ££ or $$) which far exceed their origins.

Not all woodwork need be the creation of works of artistic or design merit, but the purely or largely functional where cost is understandably a significant element in material choice.

There is room for both views!!!

 

[thetyreman]

I am always amazed at the "penny-pinching"approach so often seen on this site.
What value do you place on your skill ?
If you are going to expend your efforts, experience and skill - why choose the poorest of raw materials ???
Truly skilled artisans will select the the most beautiful woods to complement their efforts and skills.
People who work with "rubbish materials" produce a "rubbish" result.
Where do you stand ?

have you seen the price of american black walnut or pink ivory? just because it's more expensive material doesn't make the skill higher, your argument presumes pine is rubbish, I've made plenty of things out of pine and it doesn't make them low quality or rubbish.

 

[Daniel2]

I am always amazed at the "penny-pinching"approach so often seen on this site.
What value do you place on your skill ?
If you are going to expend your efforts, experience and skill - why choose the poorest of raw materials ???
Truly skilled artisans will select the the most beautiful woods to complement their efforts and skills.
People who work with "rubbish materials" produce a "rubbish" result.
Where do you stand ?

That is really quite uncalled for, and simply untrue.

 

[Jacob]

I am always amazed at the "penny-pinching"approach so often seen on this site.
What value do you place on your skill ?
If you are going to expend your efforts, experience and skill - why choose the poorest of raw materials ???
Truly skilled artisans will select the the most beautiful woods to complement their efforts and skills.
People who work with "rubbish materials" produce a "rubbish" result.
Where do you stand ?

True skilled artisans use wood which is just good enough for the purpose. Any better than that is a waste.
One side effect is that over the years people accumulate stuff which is just too good for any of the jobs they had.
I've got some lovely bits of mahogany, pitch pine, cedar of lebanon, etc which I've kept for years, through several changes of workshop.

A super skilled artisan can make something good out of any old cr ap. Guess what this bowl is made of.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sounds good to me ............ pity the nearest one's a 400+ mile round trip.

 

[Spectric]

I can see both sides of this argument but there is nothing wrong or penny pinching about using cheaper recycled materials if they are fit for the job in hand, that decision is upto the person who is taking on the challenge using their skills. Where it does not make sense is when something may require a days labour but the material chosen has impacted the finished product, ie the persons skills have been devalued because they cannot overcome the lower quality material. Example Person knitting a blanket that takes twelve hours, the end result will be a blanket but the quality depends only on the quality of the wool used and so the time required will either produce ok or much better quality, so how much value do you put on your time.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I am always amazed at the "penny-pinching"approach so often seen on this site.
What value do you place on your skill ?
If you are going to expend your efforts, experience and skill - why choose the poorest of raw materials ???
Truly skilled artisans will select the the most beautiful woods to complement their efforts and skills.
People who work with "rubbish materials" produce a "rubbish" result.
Where do you stand ?

Hm? A bit harsh, I'd say.

It might be argued that true skill is taking some less than stellar material and turning it into something that has value in some form, whether that value be utility, aesthetic qualities, and so on.

Lack of skill might include, for example, taking scarce and/or expensive and/or high quality material and turning it into something that isn't fit for purpose, fails structurally, is ugly, etcetera. Slainte.

 

[Spectric]

I suppose the saying that a tuurd will always be a tuurd no mater how much you try and polish it may apply.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

But if all you're aiming for is polished tuurd, that's OK.

 

[sawtooth-9]

What are you on and can I have a pint of it please?
How dare you come on here and insinuate that I get a rubbish result, and who mentioned rubbish materials?
I was showing good quality wood is available cheaply at a recycling centre, much of it is unused and excess wood.
i am offended.
You are illiterate if that is how you read my helpful post.

Sorry if you have taken offence - non intended.
It's just that I see so much skill on this site, and beautiful timbers add so much to a finished result.
Timber from recycle centres can be quite special, but care when selecting. And, expensive timbers are not always that great.
The source of the wood is not important, but the quality is.
Yes, your post is helpful - many may not have thought to frequent recycle centres - and my rather harsh post may have opened a debate.

 

[Sandyn]

People who work with "rubbish materials" produce a "rubbish" result.
Where do you stand ?

If you think about it, all wood is recycled. It used to be a tree!!

 

[NickDReed]

If you think about it, all wood is recycled. It used to be a tree!!

You've spelt it wrong. It's pallet

 

[imageel]

I have mentioned wood recycling centres before, including the one I use in Essex but today they had these:

View attachment 137661

30cmx30cm (that's a foot square) by up to 3 metres long (that's about 10 feet) for £25!

Not what I was after, and had all been sold subject to collection, but I did happily spend my £3 on 6 pieces of wood for a small project I'm doing for a friend. Yes, 50p each piece including some African hardwood ply!

I thoroughly recommend you see if there is a centre close enough to you for visit. The quality varies considerably, a lot is building waste etc, but there are sufficient diamonds in the rough to make it worthwhile. As a bonus, the profits from my local one go to help adults with learning disabilities.

https://communitywoodrecycling.org.uk/wood-stores/#wood-store-finder

Thanks for posting that - I didn't realise that place existed - will definitely give it a visit in the near future!
I need to build a 'rustic' firewood woodstore to replace an ancient lean-to that is currently itself propping up a fence that I'm currently repairing and was thinking about some chunky beams as pictured to form a roof structure to carry a large quantity of old concrete Marley roof tiles I had left over from an extension.
Thanks for posting!
Ed

 

[Rwoman]

Im with you on reusing wood. In fact I make a point of only using reclaimed timber because I hate waste and I hate the way as a society we value new above good. Why cut down more trees when theres perfectly good timber all around being chucked away? Morally wrong to me.
Theres a great wood recycling centre in leeds but I haven't used it as I get my timber from skips and friends on the whole.
It's harder work turning used wood into furniture etc but worth it.

 

[Jonm]

Where do you stand ?

With Jacob

True skilled artisans use wood which is just good enough for the purpose. Any better than that is a waste.

Original post was very helpful

I thoroughly recommend you see if there is a centre close enough to you for visit.

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

Sorry if you have taken offence - non intended.
It's just that I see so much skill on this site, and beautiful timbers add so much to a finished result.
Timber from recycle centres can be quite special, but care when selecting. And, expensive timbers are not always that great.
The source of the wood is not important, but the quality is.
Yes, your post is helpful - many may not have thought to frequent recycle centres - and my rather harsh post may have opened a debate.

Sorry you have taken offence is entirely different to sorry I offended you. It's a politicians favourite word-play trick.
There is an easy way not to give offence, don't be offensive.

 

[sawtooth-9]

Sorry you have taken offence is entirely different to sorry I offended you. It's a politicians favourite word-play trick.
There is an easy way not to give offence, don't be offensive.

Why bother responding ( and extending ) this.
This is a site that should challenge, encourage and inspire craftsmanship - even if this is uncomfortable at times.
Questioning and debating is part of improving what we do.
I guess offensiveness depends on who is on the receiving end - so we agree to disagree, hopefully with respect