Thread: 90x90 dressed timber

hi all, i have come up with a design in my head for a coffee table, but the frame work (it will have a glass top) is mostly 90x90 dressed with some 90x45. I have done the ring around for some radiata to make a cheaper one before i make it out of hardwood but no one has anything and some of the prices for pine seem to be not far off the hardwood stuff. I am in lithgow so im not exactly spoilt for choice.

I have rung a couple of different mills and left messages, one i managed to get hold of quoted me $55/m for dressed hardword regardless of the type, but this is sawn from recycled timbers. I got one quote for some victorian ash from a place in St Mary's (but it was smaller pieces laminated into the 90x90 post) and that was about $34 plus GST, a place that does trusses in lithgow has some Merbau (no idea if thats spelt right) and that was a tad over $30/m. When i was working in a hardware at school 90x90 radiata was a standard item and it was about $10/m if memory serves me correctly, but this was 10yrs ago. one hardware quoted me $30-35/m for clear radiata but it would need to be ordered in. Why dont people carry it anymore?

Anyone got any ideas? im not really set on a particular type of timber, but want to keep the cost down for the first one just to see how it turns out. If it looks awsome then i have a few people who have asked me to make them a coffee table so i am hoping they will like the design i have come up with.