Thread: How is timber priced?

Then I wouldn't make a fuss of the price. $1000 is so cheap for select grade, so is $2000.
I think that they are more like green timber prices. Good find!

Good Morning Paul

$1,000 per cube (or $2.35 per superfoot for us old phaarts) is a very good price for blackwood of reasonable quality. $2,000 is still very competitive.

Thirty years ago I was an accountant with three sawmills and at that stage "select" was the highest of five grades to which we routinely graded timber. Often customers (mainly furniture makers and office fitters) asked for higher grading standards above "select" and we complied and adjusted the price. These higher standards were known as "specifications" - timber graded according to the customers specifications.

As the timber came off the saw the grader sorted it into five stacks - select, prime, first, merchantable and non-commercial grades. If we got an order for "specifications" he either created a sixth sorting pile, or he just went through the select stock and chose individual boards that met the specifications criteria.

"Specifications" could be used for furniture making but furniture grade was not a recognised grade. Timber intended for household furniture was usually dried to 12% moisture, whilst that destined for offices was dried to 8%, to allow for the effects of air-conditioning; which is furniture grade? Frequently, furniture grade was simply marketing hype.

Another reason for 50mm timber being 10-20% dearer than 25mm is that it kiln dries much slower, there is more wastage in the kilns and more recovery/reprocessing needed.

I cannot tell you what furniture grade means, but if the 25mm is good enough for your purposes then it could be a bargain.

Cheers

Graeme

Is 25mm undressed thick enough to use for a table top 2.4m long x 1.0m wide? My other concern is how table legs will look made from laminated 25mm sections.

no. 25mm boards will dress down to 19mm-20mm thick.but you could glue them down to a substrate ie( 19mm ply or melamine) and run a 40mm edge around it.if you go down this track make sure you seal the underneath of the boards before fixing to the substrate other wise they may cup when the top coat is applied.

Originally Posted by charlsie

no. 25mm boards will dress down to 19mm-20mm thick.but you could glue them down to a substrate ie( 19mm ply or melamine) and run a 40mm edge around it.if you go down this track make sure you seal the underneath of the boards before fixing to the substrate other wise they may cup when the top coat is applied.

In my experience if you do that (don't think sealing the underside will help) the whole top will bow. The timber will want to move with change in weather, the sheet material won't. Same for fixing an edge around it.

If 19-20mm is too thin for your top (can work on the appropriate frame): either laminate or just go for the 50mm. (how much more are you really gonna save on one table?)

For the legs, there are designs you can come up with that laminated 20mm is fine. You could even mitre boards to make it look like it is not laminated.