Source of cheap(?) Timber

Have been watching FB ads and noticed that a lot of what used to be expensive furniture etc ie old tables and chairs that were usually made with with good timbers are going dirt cheap these days. This makes for a cheap source.

I am not happy as I bought in the upcycle which means all the work I did restoring etc is now a waste of time...as far as the market is concerned...but I would rather have a set of properly made timber chairs with strecher rails than than the crap you now get

Anyhow if you need some great OLD aged timbers for any projects keep your eye open for such
The bottom has fallen out of the so called antique market. I am not refering to those exquisite antique we see from time to time.

you also have to remember that styles change.

the amount of "Baltic" stained pine (that real golden looking style) that is getting sold for practically free or chucked out for the council bulk waste collection is a perfect example of this. It's not in fashion anymore, doesn't go with the current trends, styles and color patterns and such. All the furniture is perfectly solid, it just looks like crap currently and this definitely affects the amount it can be sold for.

same goes with the "style" of the furniture. big bulky TV units are no longer in, where a sleeker minimal floating unit is very much on trend and so the demand for that stuff is there and so is money.

This makes it hard because what YOU like, might be totally different to what market demand is.

Love it when they throw it out. I dismantle and store the timber for later use.

Op Shops are also a great source. Speak to the staff, if they're like the one I work at there's plenty of pieces donated that simply don't sell due to current trends.

Funny you should mention OP shops as a source. I have an up market Lifeline next door - expensive!
I’ve seen them breaking down furniture and throwing it in the bin. I asked them once if I could pick out the timber from the bin. They said “sure - but we would like a donation”

It is a charity, run by volunteers :;
And not a bunch of self righteous religious wankers:rolleyes:

The tool club has a link up with lifeline re the tables used at their annual tool sale.
One of their volunteers is a TTTG member and every meeting he brings along a few boxes of technical books he’s picked out from their ongoing book collections.
Sells them for a coupla bucks per book and gets a few hundred for Lifeline.
Has some great stuff occasionally, I’ve seen Bootle etc.
H.
Is that at Asquith?
My daughter and her friends used to drive all the way up there from the inner west ‘cause the clothes were top brands and really cheap.:D

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Originally Posted by eskimo

Have been watching FB ads and noticed that a lot of what used to be expensive furniture etc ie old tables and chairs that were usually made with with good timbers are going dirt cheap these days. This makes for a cheap source. ...

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Fully agree. Brown timber stuff from c.1900 through 1960's is very unfashionable and dirt cheap - far cheaper then the timber that its made from. And it is almost always genuine old growth timber, air died for up to 100 years! Stable. Love it.

My sources are:-

• friends & neighbours,
• tip shop,
• auctions,
• op shops, and
• council collection days.

Probably in that order; now frequently have to say no to F&Ns - Can only take the best! (Old doesn't always mean good, and not much use for old plywood - too much delamination.)

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Originally Posted by clear out

It is a charity, run by volunteers :;
And not a bunch of self righteous religious wankers:rolleyes:

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That’s why I always gave them a donation :2tsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by clear out

Is that at Asquith?
My daughter and her friends used to drive all the way up there from the inner west ‘cause the clothes were top brands and really cheap.:D

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No, it’s in Waitara.

I have bought a few pieces of Silky Oak furniture from marketplace, the timber is large section old growth quality and multiple times cheaper than buying retail or trade.