I’ve been working on an addition that is about 1700 square feet, and finding decent 2x stock for it has been challenging to say the least. I’ve found that I need to go to at least two different lumber yards to be able to pick even 100 straight 2×6’s. I needed to get 26 decent 16′ 2×10’s for a floor frame, and went through an entire fresh unit, and only took 24 away. It’s gotten to where I dread going to get stuff. I know the yard guys are going to start hating to see me pull up. At least I re-stack the piles when I’m done picking, though. I can’t imagine having stuff delivered and having to use what they bring. What are you guys who do lots of framing doing? Steve
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steve.. we use almost all KD SPF... and what gets delivered is usually pretty good, the bad stuff gets cut up into small pieces
small jobs i go pick .. but i'd say we can use 70% right off the top
for PT posts that have to be straight.. we select and buy more than we need ahaead of time .. we try to sticker them and let them dry ... anything that is going to curve or twist we want to curve or twist before we install it
Do you order full units? I would really hesitate to order anything delivered from around here that wasn't an unopened unit. The pick piles are piled high with everyone's rejects. And even full units are no guarantee. As I said, I recently got maybe 25% usable out of a fresh unit of 2x10x16's. It was far and away the worst stuff I've ever seen.
We do like Mike, but both yards I normally deal with have a good pick-up/return policy. On stuff like 24'ers we order extra on top of the extra we normally order.
The extra we usually order is usually not enough anyway, so we usually end using everything LOL
Steve, have had good luck with what 84 lumber delivers.
I agree that most of what I see at the yards has more curves than a woman!
84 went out of business in Oneonta when HD and Lowes came to town. Recently lost Stock Supply as well. When the big boxes first came in, it seemed like everyone had pretty good sticks, but lately everything everywhere seems like total junk. One of the yards was telling me that they are selling more of the engineered stud stock, but it's twice the cost.
I hate to sound like an old guy, but it's really taken a nosedive the last couple of years.
My local 84 Lumber is on my list of never again suppliers.
I ordered a 120 2x6x12 select grade DF, stood at the counter while the counterman called their supplier and got price and ordered it. So far OK.
When they delivered it it was still in the tarp. When I got to a few days later I found I had a stack of white wood.
Called my salesman and told him not what I ordered. He says they'll pick it up & replace it. OK sez Joe.
They brought me #2 green DF to replace it.
Dropped it and picked up the white wood. Called salesman again and told him we had a deal for select DF, what's this (insert forbidden word) here.
He sez he will take care of it. Why the hell didn't he take care of it the first 2 times? Why didn't he even look at the load before they left the yard?
3rd delivery comes up here from El Paso TX and it's crap too. By this time I don't care, I am never ever going to do business with 84 Lumber again.
Never dealt with 84 Lumber until I moved here to New Mexico so maybe they aren't all like this but once (or 3 times) is enuff.
Got one other yard here, Foxworth Galbraith & the 2 BBoxes.
Joe H
We get deliveries from the only lumber company around that seems to consistently have good material.
There is always some cull that goes to blocking, etc and sometimes we send a little back just to make a point, but overall, we have been successful with them. There is another local company that I go to in a pinch but I end up going thru the pile for a few nice pieces.
HD is a nightmare for just 15 straight 2x4's. I avoid them for lumber.
Do you have a power planer? It helps a lot.
If the lumber is curved along it's flat side it will straighten with blocking or panels.
But the skinny side can be planed.
I'm not discounting your dislike of lousy lumber.
I don't mean to sound condescending. Maybe someone else is reading this. I pick mine and if I get one that is wonky i try to straighten it.
Some of them can be used. That's all.
Steve:
A 1700 sq ft addition isn't a small project - by some standards. You gotta stop jacking around or you are never gonna make any money...
Like said above, order extra. The bad stuff gets cut up for blocking, etc, and the really bad stuff get's sent back. I make a point of calling for the pick-ups ASAP, so that it will still be in similar condition as when it was delivered. The yards I deal with deliver and pick up for free.
Matt, I'm making money. I
Matt, I'm making money. I work cost-plus, and every bit of my time gets billed out. Even with me chosing sticks carefully I've had this client complaining about the quality of the lumber. I'll talk to the yards about their return policies, but I get the feeling from them that it's not common practice. Most of my work is smaller scale so I've not had to deal getting these amounts of sticks in awhile. I'm usually grabbing only a few dozen sticks at any given time.
If we're doing a framing job
If we're doing a framing job of any size I call the yard and order lumber delivered. If they send me stuff that I can't use I call again and ask for more, and ask that they pick up the unusable stuff at the same time. They expect this, it's easier for them than having me stand out in their yard turning over their stacks, and I know for sure that I can't make money sorting wood. On small projects I do pick up lumber myself, but I don't do much checking... buy extra, take the rejects back, maybe use some for blocking or bracing or whatever.
I'm like everyone else in
I'm like everyone else in that I order from a lumber yard and have packages delivered. I'm no longer running a business, but my time is still important. It is way more productive for me to be building something than picking through a pile of lumber.
I figured my time was worth about $70/hr (loaded cost), so doing a $30/hr job like picking lumber was bad business.
Picking, delivering and pick ups are free at my yard for orders over $500. It doesn't take much of my time wasted to eat up the minimum.
Talk to your yard. Deal with the same sales guy every time. Everyone is feeling the crunch in this bad ecconomy, so they are more willing to work with you because every little business they can get or retain means thier survival too.
Usually I get it delivered and order extra. Then on the next load of materials (Insulation, drywall, whatever) I send back what I did not use!!!!
They charge me $35 to deliver. Way cheaper then my time to go to town, stand in line to load materials, load materials, and drive back.
Now I just Fax it in, ask for a delivery time, and it shows up.
Our yards deliver for free. Even Lowes got the memo and will deliver to contractors for $20 iinstead of the HO rate of $50.
If you have a good full service yard you can usually get pretty good stuff delivered. I used to live in Mpls. and there was one specific supplier that seemed to dominate the market. And it wasn't just by coincidence. They only sold top shelf material and always service with a smile. If it wasn't right they would make it that way.