Hello!
Here is my take. I run a furniture studio up in Battle Ground.
Goby Walnut
They have a nice selection. They dry their own wood to about 7% moisture content. Smaller boards and slabs are quite stable.
- Smaller boards with/without live edge used for smaller projects such as cutting boards, boxes, etc. Boards are minimum 1” thick and sold by the lb. Wood type is Oregon black walnut and white oak
- Figured small boards: these are only online but you can order and pick up from the store. These are great for beautiful boxes and smaller projects such as shelves wall cabinets, cabinet doors etc. They stock mostly figured Oregon black walnut and hard maple.
- Machined Hardwood: they have white oak, Oregon black walnut, madrone and Brazilian rosewood from 4/4 and up to 12/4. Great for furniture.
- Slabs: they have hard maple, Oregon black walnut. Great for projects such as coffee tables and larger tables and countertops.
Crosscut
Import all their wood. They don’t sell so much smaller pieces so you must by the whole board. You can get the board cut so it fits in your car though. They have a great selection of exotic hardwood. They also have a great selection of plywood with surfaces such as maple, oak, walnut, cherry etc.
Woodcrafters
The go to store for tools, glue finishes etc. They also have a good selection of hardwood, similar but not as big as Crosscut.
Rocklers
Similar as Woodcrafters but have a much smaller selection of wood plus that their wood is expensive. I normally stay away from them when buying wood.
Gilmer Wood Company
Ha ha they are quite messy. You need to know what you want and call them in advance so they can move so you can have a look at it. They are specializing in wood for music instruments makers and have a great selection for small thinner pieces used in music instruments. Good quality.
What to stay away from:
Mills that cut and sell air dried wood. Wood can have insects that are still alive and can do a lot of damage. When buying wood that is kiln dried, there are many different ways of drying wood. If you use too high temperature and dry it in a shorter time, it leaves a lot of internal stress in the wood which means that it will bow when you’re milling it. It is a lot of waste. Wood should be around 7-10% max for furniture making plus that you should let is climatize in your shop for a few weeks before using it. This will reduce stress in the wood.
Your best investment in your shop is a dehumidifier. I am not so worried about temperature fluctuations but more about humidity. I keep the humidity at 50% all year round to dry and keep my wood stable.
Other wood merchants
Edensaw Woods in Port Townsend.
They deliver when purchases are above $1000. Very good hardwood selection and great quality.
Millwaukie Hardwoods LLC
Stocks hardwoods such as black walnut, oak and maple.
Maverick Sawmills Services
Stocks mostly slabs
Bell Forest Products
Northwest Sustainable Wood in Portland
They have great materials in 4/4, 6/4 and 8/4.
They have walnut from Willamette valley.
Good luck!
Jorn
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