Ebay Offcuts and Timber

[JoeSheffer]

Over the last few years, I've tended to snoop round eBay and tended to pick up decent deals for projects from people clearing out workshops, or larger off-cuts from projects etc. Could normally find a decent amount of whatever you wanted for hobbyist level fooling around. But in the last 12 months, people seem to be have been selling (...and others buying) bags of random off cuts - the kinds of thing I would normally consider fit for kindling for huge amounts. Others selling short off-cuts of short grained boards for a tenner a pop and other small legnths of timber at far greater amounts than you would buy at a timber merchant!

What on earth is going on? Is this lockdown madness where everyone has taken up woodwork? Any explanations gratefully received.

 

[Jameshow]

I agree most hardwood on eBay seems to be a rip off.
Cannot say that prices have risen historically but I must admit it puts me off working in hardwoods for the time being.

I think bigger bits are much better value.
If you know how to scrub plane and flatten sawn timber then buying it sawn from the mill for British hardwoods or from reclaimed timber for exotic hardwood has alot going for it.

Cheers James

 

[Rorton]

ive noticed this too - ive been buying bigger bits on eBay, but the bigger bits now seem twice the price of a board you can buy from the timber yard.

Ive been keeping an eye on Facebook market place, can sometimes get some reasonably priced bits from there

Makes you want to go and buy a few boards from the timber yard, cut it up and sell it non eBay for a hefty premium

 

[Rorton]

this also got me thinking about folks on the forum that use a lot of timber and could have offcuts but either dont have the time or the patience to do anything with,

Would it be possible/worth a timber for sale//wanted section where people could advertise their excess/offcuts and other could post what they were after?

 

[billw]

Yes offcuts are useful for me because I can pop them into smaller items such as boxes.

I bought a few kg of offcuts for £4/kg from a place in Staffordshire a few months back, there’s only a few that I’d probably not have use for but on the other hand it did give me experience of seeing some timbers close up that I’d not usually consider buying or using.

The cocobolo and purpleheart went into a bench hook.

 

[billw]

Oh and yes, prices on EBay are often crazy but then again some include postage which might not be cheap due to size and disproportionate to the value of the timber itself.

 

[PAC1]

I have been having the occasional clear out of offcuts for several years. I put them on the sale page usually FTAG. I will be putting some more up in the spring. They are mostly oak but it depends what I have been making

 

[marcros]

this also got me thinking about folks on the forum that use a lot of timber and could have offcuts but either dont have the time or the patience to do anything with,

Would it be possible/worth a timber for sale//wanted section where people could advertise their excess/offcuts and other could post what they were after?

there is already a for sale and wanted board. the usual problem is that somebody in Kent has the offcuts and somebody in Edinburgh wants them. Postage is both expensive and a nuisance- even if somebody has a box, they still need to package it up, and arrange collection or drop it somewhere. To "the folks that use a lot of timber", they are waste and they want rid ASAP so it isnt so much about having the time or patience to do anything with them, it is that they are in the way and need disposing of. Put an advert up, you may find somebody local to you who will say come and grab some. worst case, you get no reply and it hasn't cost you anything.

The cheapest long term solution to getting wood is to find a local stockist, sticking to a single species or two and buying what you need and a little spare. The other I would add is to pay a bit extra for the best wood that you can get. I am looking at a simple tv stand/shelf that I made here. There is a little over a cubic foot of timber in it. I could have used the cheapest possible oak for it at 40 quid a cube or the best grade of prime, brown or pippy oak at 60 a cube (you can even go through the pack of brown oak at British hardwoods and find some really interesting boards for the same price). I happily plod along and work slowly. This project took me at least a day to build, possibly 1 1/2 to 2. Even on minimum wage, the cost of my labour alone is about double what the cheapest timber would have cost. To upgrade to the better stuff was only another £20 and I get to look at that furniture each day for years. Offcuts are good and they have their uses, but they also have their limitations.

 

[billw]

Collection only rule applied?

 

[Peri]

Serendipity.

Looking for a particular hardwood I stumbled over this advert half an hour after reading this thread

Yandles selling 1 tonne of hardwood offcuts for £25 ! (collection only) (Edit:error)

www.yandles.co.uk/mixed-hardwood-firewood-strip-bundle-air-dried-timber-mixed-tonne-weight/p25975