Thread: sending timber to the usa

Originally Posted by paul collins

has anyone had any experience in sending timber to the usa? i am moving to california before the end of the year.i was thinking of sending a few cubic meters of aussie timber.so as i can make furniture for my new abode.havent had any luck with removalists.if anyone knows of a reliable way to do it,i would be grateful for some assistance.thanks in advance.

I live in California and have looked into having hundreds of pounds shipped over here. Send Brian Johnson an email at [email protected]. If you do this, let me know.

its quite an involved process and teh timber will require fumigation or radiation, and then can be sent threw a shipping agent.

I once did a wood swap with an Australian. This was less 'timber' than smaller pieces in boxes. His arrived here with no problems. Mine to him got held up for inspection and some hassle. As a favor, that turned out to be more trouble than 'favor' I included some pieces beyond the agreed swap. But these extras still had some bark on them. And, with the inspectors that was a huge NO-NO. No fumigation was required going either way. But the bark got the inspectors all in a fluffle. It eventually was released and sent on to my friend.

One other thing. You need permission from Queensland to export the timber and you need permission from the USDA to import the timber. From the US side, you need to fill out form PPQ585.

USDA - APHIS - Permits, Notifications, Petitions, Licenses, and Certifications
USDA - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) - Plant Health, Plant Protection and Quarantine
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/PPQ585.pdf

You should apply for an ePermit. The forms are easy to fill out. Once that is done, you must show a USDA representative your ID in person before the ePermits account will be open. Once you've done this, fill out a form PPQ585 and wait for them to grant you a permit, you're set from the US side.

Originally Posted by Runge

I live in California and have looked into having hundreds of pounds shipped over here. Send Brian Johnson an email at [email protected]. If you do this, let me know.

Oops! Try [email protected]

The use of the word "timber" may be a stumbling block.
I consider it to mean large pieces of logs. That is the common meaning in the U.S.
Timber milled into boards, with no bark, is "lumber" in Yankee Speak.
Small pieces are just small pieces.
My transaction was small pieces.

thank you all for your suggestions.after looking into different options,cost & just sheer inconvenience is going to stop me sending any.my fiancee & her son tell me that decent timber (lumber) is horrendously expensive in the usa.now know i know that what they know about wood & woodworking in genreral.thier pooled knowledge could be written on the back of a stamp.
so maybe some of our american friends on this wonderful forum,may be able to put my mind at ease.are prices so high for decent cabinet lumber.not too sure about your species.google hasnt been able to show me anything.just a general,ball park figure would be really appreciated.i am going to live in sonora ca by the way.doesnt seem to be much in the way of lumber except douglas fir & redwood.thanks once again all.

Paul,

Sonora is about 150 miles east of San Francisco. I have no idea what your idea is for wood prices. But, there is a large supply of countless woods in the US. Tell me what you are looking for and I'll try and point you in the right direction. There are also many woodworking clubs all over the country. This is just a bit of it:

Woodworking Clubs

The best wood store in the Bay Area is MacBeath Hardwood - The best source for all your hardwood, plywood, and millwork needs! in Berkeley. Here are some of the better wood sources in the US that will ship wood to you:

Carlton McLendon, Inc. Rare Woods And Veneers
Exotic Woods & Hardwoods of the World | Cook Woods
Gilmerwood Home Page
http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/
Big Wood Slabs, Affordable Flooring Inlays and Figured Hardwoods
Exotic Wood, Pen Blanks, Bowl Blanks, Turning Wood, Tonewood | West Penn Hardwoods

On a side note, I am a big berry fan. There used to be a very nice "U-pick" farm in Sonora. I haven't been there in years ( sierraglenranch.com ) Try Black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) when you get here.

Paul,
I send timber to the states by the cubic metre.
It all has to be fumigated Etc.
If you require all the information you need you can call me on .0429.614453.
Or e-mail me at.[email protected]
Regards, Bob

Originally Posted by paul collins

has anyone had any experience in sending timber to the usa? i am moving to california before the end of the year.i was thinking of sending a few cubic meters of aussie timber.so as i can make furniture for my new abode.havent had any luck with removalists.if anyone knows of a reliable way to do it,i would be grateful for some assistance.thanks in advance.

First let me say hello to everyone. I found this site from a search for Australian hardwoods.

Woodturner/Bob, I'm looking for some of the very hard Australian woods, to use for a guitar neck(s), and I wonder if you might be familiar enough with any of these woods to fill me in on their availability.

I'm hoping to find a few pieces or so in the size range of 7.6cm x 3.8cm x 90cm (3" x 1-1/2" x 35"+)

The woods i'm interested in are:

Waddy Wood {Acacia peuce}
Belah {Casuarina cristata}
Tubi {Xanthostemon melanoxylon}
Blackwood Solomon {Xanthostemon melanoxylon}
(note, there are a lot of Blackwoods that are not as hard as this one)
Knob Thorn {Acacia nigrescens}
Gidgee {Acacia cambagei}
Wattle Lakewood {Acacia enervia}


It's really hard to come by information on these woods here in the states, so any help will be appreciated.

Runge, you mentioned in one of the other threads about having purchased some Pau Santo from a wood source in Cali.

Can you post that link here?

Originally Posted by Grain Man

Runge, you mentioned in one of the other threads about having purchased some Pau Santo from a wood source in Cali.

Can you post that link here?

Hi Grain Man,

The importer of all of the Pau Santo (Zollernia paraensis) is Rare-Earth Hardwoods in Michigan. The average wood density is 1260 kg/m^3 (78.7lbs/ft^3).

Big Wood Slabs, Affordable Flooring Inlays and Figured Hardwoods

Also, you might ask

Exotic Lumber from Wood Workers Source (Keith Stephens)
Carlton McLendon, Inc. Rare Woods And Veneers (Richard Kuehndorf)

if they have any left. The wood is coming of the Brazilian state of Para and I'm told the the revised "Lacey Act" has really crimped the timber exports out of Para. I think this means that there won't be much Pau Santo coming into the US anytime soon.

ICTSD • The Lacey Act: Timber trade enforcement gets some teeth

If you're looking for a super dense timber that is nearly black, the other interesting one is Swartzia panacoco. It's density ranges from 1200-1350 kg/m^3. You'll have to buy it from Precious Woods out of the Netherlands:

Precious Woods

If you have some Acacia peuce, I'll trade you for it!!

Originally Posted by Grain Man

First let me say hello to everyone. I found this site from a search for Australian hardwoods.

Woodturner/Bob, I'm looking for some of the very hard Australian woods, to use for a guitar neck(s), and I wonder if you might be familiar enough with any of these woods to fill me in on their availability.

I'm hoping to find a few pieces or so in the size range of 7.6cm x 3.8cm x 90cm (3" x 1-1/2" x 35"+)

The woods i'm interested in are:

Waddy Wood {Acacia peuce}
Belah {Casuarina cristata}
Tubi {Xanthostemon melanoxylon}
Blackwood Solomon {Xanthostemon melanoxylon}
(note, there are a lot of Blackwoods that are not as hard as this one)
Knob Thorn {Acacia nigrescens}
Gidgee {Acacia cambagei}
Wattle Lakewood {Acacia enervia}


It's really hard to come by information on these woods here in the states, so any help will be appreciated.

Hi Grain Man

In my humble opinion:

Waddy Wood {Acacia peuce} - hopelessly rare
Belah {Casuarina cristata} - Try Stars Art in the US
Tubi {Xanthostemon melanoxylon} - Try Westwind in Canada
Knob Thorn {Acacia nigrescens} - This is an African species
Gidgee {Acacia cambagei} - Try Pete McCurley, Craig Courtney or Graham Naughton
Wattle Lakewood {Acacia enervia} - Tree is too small; Supplier was Ian Kealley of GSTIG.

Originally Posted by Runge

Hi Grain Man

In my humble opinion:

Waddy Wood {Acacia peuce} - hopelessly rare
Belah {Casuarina cristata} - Try Stars Art in the US
Tubi {Xanthostemon melanoxylon} - Try Westwind in Canada
Knob Thorn {Acacia nigrescens} - This is an African species
Gidgee {Acacia cambagei} - Try Pete McCurley, Craig Courtney or Graham Naughton
Wattle Lakewood {Acacia enervia} - Tree is too small; Supplier was Ian Kealley of GSTIG.

Runge, thanks for all the info. It's really tough to find anything on some of these woods.

Oh and do you have a link for Stars Art? The terms are too generic to pull up the right site.


And I wonder if there is any chance of finding a fretboard size piece of Waddy Wood, or maybe enough for an acoustic bridge.