Unsorted grade Redwood or maybe not.

[Gaff]

Hi all.
I get a cubic meter of Unsorted grade Redwood delivered every 6 weeks or so depending on what width I need.
As well all know the price has gone through the roof and last order I was paying 50% more then in 2019 at £800 for a cubic meter.
Anyway I started to look into what alternatives may be available as the quality had been heading down hill quite badly-

how this is unsorted grade is far beyond me.
I was talking to the sales rep I use and he come out with “well we will sort it for a premium“ yea on top of £800. Oh how we laughed not.
So if the timber yard are sorting out the clear boards what happens to the dregs that are left (as if I really need to ask).
Does anyone have experience with this.
cheers
Gaff.

 

[Doug B]

I’ve certainly seen that & worse in unsorted, fortunately I pick my own so that sort gets left for some other poor sod.

 

[thetyreman]

I was laughed at when I asked for knot free pine, they in an nutshell told me to get lost, even though I said I'll pay a premium for it, the yards don't care about you unless you are a well known tradesman or big buyer, I am sick of their attitude frankly, they don't allow me to pick my own wood either so I have stopped going there, this is tomlinson parbans near lyme park. I really struggle to find a good supplier who let you actually pick and sort through your own pieces.

 

[Jacob]

I was laughed at when I asked for knot free pine, they in an nutshell told me to get lost, even though I said I'll pay a premium for it, the yards don't care about you unless you are a well known tradesman or big buyer, I am sick of their attitude frankly, they don't allow me to pick my own wood either so I have stopped going there, this is tomlinson parbans near lyme park. I really struggle to find a good supplier who let you actually pick and sort through your own pieces.

Quite right too - you shouldn't buy from a yard which sorts it or allows you to sort it - it should just come off the top of the pile which was graded as "unsorted" by the Swedish supplier. If some one has been there before you it is no longer "unsorted".
You can always complain if it really isn't up to scratch and maybe get a refund.
If the yard sorts it for its own purposes whatever is left should be sold as "5ths" or some similar description.
It works both ways - a rep has pointed me to an exceptional stock they have, graded as fifths but actually much better. The yard still sold it at fifths price.
Gaffs stuff above looks like very good 5ths at least, but if "unsorted" you'd expect one or two even better boards amongst them.

 

[clogs]

try buying decent wood here......and at least 3 times the cost of the uk....
stored outside in all weathers.....today 35deg in the shade.....
if u want twisted /warped and or big splits this is the place to buy.....
even their planer has teeth.....don't buy planned wood any more.....
all heavy work where poss is made with steel.....
cheaper to use steel as joist's etc than wood.....decking and shed frames esp etc....

 

[clogs]

all our "pine, ifu can call it that" comes from Russia or Sweden.....
guess they use ships for transport.....?
heard a rumor it's up to 5 times cheaper in Athens but then there's the cost of the ferry...
guess it's OK if you've a full size truck....

 

[Gaff]

Thanks for the feed back it’s nice to know it’s not just me that finds this practice unpalatable.
Of course the other point I think that needs to be made.
If the mill was producing consistent unsorted quality would there be a need to sort the boards? I expect some knots in a board. The problem occurs for me when I get boards like those in the pics. Yet they have the shipping stamp of unsorted grade on the ends. When I was talking to the rep it was somewhat assumed the mill places a few percent of lower quality boards in a full pack and looking at some of the boards Ive been sent that is completely believable.
G.

 

[Jacob]

Thanks for the feed back it’s nice to know it’s not just me that finds this practice unpalatable.
Of course the other point I think that needs to be made.
If the mill was producing consistent unsorted quality would there be a need to sort the boards?........

Unsorted Swedish means grades above 5th, unsorted Russian is grades above 4th. It doesn't say what ratio of 1,2,3,4,ths you are going to get so there will be variety. Your photos don't look too bad for unsorted but you'd hope to find a few better ones in a big batch. Sometimes it's utterly perfect and too good to use!

 

[RobinBHM]

Hi all.
I get a cubic meter of Unsorted grade Redwood delivered every 6 weeks or so depending on what width I need.
As well all know the price has gone through the roof and last order I was paying 50% more then in 2019 at £800 for a cubic meter.
Anyway I started to look into what alternatives may be available as the quality had been heading down hill quite badly-
View attachment 112773
View attachment 112774how this is unsorted grade is far beyond me.
I was talking to the sales rep I use and he come out with “well we will sort it for a premium“ yea on top of £800. Oh how we laughed not.
So if the timber yard are sorting out the clear boards what happens to the dregs that are left (as if I really need to ask).
Does anyone have experience with this.
cheers
Gaff.

Gosh timber is a lot these days.

I used to pay £450+vat a cube for unsorted.


You might have got the end of a pack.....it happens.

Generally thinner sections like 25 x 150 are cut from sideboards and are much cleaner than thicker sections.

The most used joinery section is 63 x 225 and the middle always has splits, generally you can get a cut of either side and the middle say 40mm is only good for the bin.

 

[Jacob]

Gosh timber is a lot these days.

I used to pay £450+vat a cube for unsorted.


You might have got the end of a pack.....it happens.
.....

The end of the pack shouldn't be any worse than the start of the pack, if the yard does a proper job and just sells it as it comes from the pack, without selecting it.

 

[Adam W.]

The problem is that they are harvesting juvenile trees.

 

[RobinBHM]

The end of the pack shouldn't be any worse than the start of the pack, if the yard does a proper job and just sells it as it comes from the pack, without selecting it.

That certainly doesn't happen with hardwoods - I've been sent iroko boards that have been utter poo. I remember one board had a 4" bow.

I think the bigger account customers get the best stuff

 

[Ollie78]

I have had troble finding decent redwood, last time I got some "joinery grade" it was not what it should be at all.
Because of this I bought some southern yellow pine which was much better, less knotty, straighter, smells great.

Ollie

 

[Gaff]

One horror story I can attest to was a local small shop/yard to where I used to live that bought a few thousand pounds of Oak and when it turned up it was that bad they couldn’t sell it and that sunk them. I remember the owner saying to me he was sick of the stress and worry of what was going to turn up. They ended up turning the yard and shop into a sort of a bric-à-brac store.

 

[Gaff]

I have had troble finding decent redwood, last time I got some "joinery grade" it was not what it should be at all.
Because of this I bought some southern yellow pine which was much better, less knotty, straighter, smells great.

Ollie

Hi Ollie
How was the pricing on that compared to the Redwood?

 

[Ollie78]

Hi Ollie
How was the pricing on that compared to the Redwood?

It was £25 per cu/ft so a meter would be £875 ish, however I only bought a a few boards so if you bought a M2 it should be less than that.

Ollie

 

[LeeAkeroyd]

Hi all.
I get a cubic meter of Unsorted grade Redwood delivered every 6 weeks or so depending on what width I need.
As well all know the price has gone through the roof and last order I was paying 50% more then in 2019 at £800 for a cubic meter.
Anyway I started to look into what alternatives may be available as the quality had been heading down hill quite badly-
View attachment 112773
View attachment 112774how this is unsorted grade is far beyond me.
I was talking to the sales rep I use and he come out with “well we will sort it for a premium“ yea on top of £800. Oh how we laughed not.
So if the timber yard are sorting out the clear boards what happens to the dregs that are left (as if I really need to ask).
Does anyone have experience with this.
cheers
Gaff.

What is the section size that you purchased?

 

[Gaff]

What is the section size that you purchased?

I purchase 4,5,6 and 8 inch all at 1” thickness rough saw. The last order was 8”.

 

[Gaff]

Here something I’ve just found from mid 2019

If I had this delivered now I’d wet myself.

 

[Jacob]

Here something I’ve just found from mid 2019
View attachment 112824
If I had this delivered now I’d wet myself.

Some boards there no different (worse?) than your first photo?
Have a look at some 5ths - they'll have much bigger knots.