efficient timber buying

[marcros]

Prior to now, I have always had to buy sawn boards as close to finished thickness as I could get away with, i.e. generally inch boards where I could get them, and thicker only where I needed the extra thickness.

I have now bought a big bandsaw which should rip cut up to 12”. What sizes (thickness) of timber do most people tend to buy? I can see the advantage of buying half as many thicker boards and slicing them down the middle for grain matching purposes, but there is the disadvantage of releasing any tension in the larger sections. There is also the mystery of what is in the middle of the board- features/defects etc.

What is the most efficient way to buy timber, either for specific projects or for “stock”. Any pointers?

 

[RogerBoyle]

I still do it exactly the same as you as I find it quicker
but I am limited in space so even if I wanted to I couldnt hold much stock
And what stock i do hold onto tends to be the harder to find stuff anything else is bought in on an,, as and when its needed basis
I only really use the bandsaw for getting veneers and bookmatching etc rather than milling timbers

Roger

 

[marcros]

i have similar space restraints- stock tends to be the few boards that i buy when i go to a merchant and slowly use, or specifically for the next project in line. I never hit a volume discount level, so tend to grab an extra board or two so the place is not empty and the fuel cost of going is justified.

 

[tomatwark]

I do it the same as you too.

The only time I resaw is for solid door panels ( which funnily enough I have been doing this morning) where I want a an even colour and for drawer sides and backs.

Tom

 

[custard]

Timber buying can end up as a hobby in its own right, and the problem is you end up looking for projects that fit your available wood rather than looking for the wood you need to fit a particular project!

As you might guess, I'm trying to wean myself off buying boards without a definite project in mind!

By the way, in answer to the original post, I regularly re-saw on the bandsaw, but I plane flat every two or three cuts on the bandsaw to give a precise reference surface, and on a critical job I'll plane flat after every bandsaw cut.