Rough cut lumber, is it worth the effort?

[DSWalker]

I've probably spent 2-3 hours cleaning up some rough cut white oak lumber that I had milled several years ago for my next project. It is a fairly small project, a side/end table to match a coffee table I made for a client a year or so ago.

After adding up the time involved, cost of blades on planers/jointers and DC [emptying the bag] etc., Is it worth the extra effort vs just purchasing finished lumber?

Just curious what others think? I have no intentions of getting rid of my current stock, but as the stock gets low, I"m debating a rough cut milling project vs finished lumber purchased a little at a time as needed.

 

[pcooper]

I think it all depends on your method of work and the project at hand. I rarely ever buy lumber ready to use. I buy a lot of very thick lumber and resaw to the size I need, and I don't work with 'standard' thicknesses very often. I like thicker materials for much of my stuff, and that isn't available in finished stock. I also like to take thick stuff and resaw it so that I stretch a large piece into many smaller pieces, stock sizes that are very overpriced for what you get. I think for my work, the effort is worth it, but that doesn't fit everyone. I enjoy the handling of the wood, and don't find it a chore. Others want to get on with the project and see something finished much sooner. I guess you have to decide if you have the time and want to spend the time milling lumber to do something, and if you are short on time, it makes sense to buy it ready to use.

 

[Willemjm]

If you have a planer and jointer, cleaning up, meaning jointing and planing perfectly flat and cutting square should take minutes.

Without the equipment you will be better off using S2S and S1E meaning surfaced two sides and one edge.

Personally I only use rough sawn as S2S will not conform to the quality of finish I need and wood moves in storage, so things are not perfectly flat and square. Means I have to joint and plane it anyway and just lose more thickness.

 

[LeftyTom]

I use rough lumber, joint, then plane until I get both sides smoothe. I find it a bit relaxing to joint & plane the lumber.

That said, I got some 2x4's from the local mom-n-pop lumber place, as I was in a hurry. I figured I could joint and lightly plane th lumber to get flat surfaces. The lumber was was dry, straight and jointed/surfaced one side/other edge jointed. I built the small stand I needed, putting the one rough side on the exterior.

 

[JohnnyR]

I've rarely found "finished" lumber that was both flat and the right thickness for my project. I've had some S2S "4/4" that after flattening ended up less than 3/4". Not a lot more work using rough sawn to begin with.

 

[Jeff]

I don't have a jointer but I have a DeWalt 734 planer and I usually buy my lumber S4S or S3S in 4/4, 6/4, or 8/4 (per my specifications when placing an order). That hasn't been a show stopper or major drawback for my woodworking in 10 years. One advantage is that I can choose different wood species and get how much I want without having a broad selection stored somewhere (not the garage workshop).

You build a lot of your projects from white oak which was cut and sawed on your farm but do you have other wood species available at the farm (black walnut, maple, poplar, etc)?

 

[bob vaughan]

I've rarely found "finished" lumber that was both flat and the right thickness for my project. I've had some S2S "4/4" that after flattening ended up less than 3/4". Not a lot more work using rough sawn to begin with.

This says it all. Doing your own rough processing gives you total control of how flat and straight your stock will be. Starting out with flat, straight stock makes the project go faster and easier because you don't have to deal with the cumulative error of slight twist and thickness variations. Maybe on a table, this isn't as big of a deal as it would be when doing a chest of drawers. A lot will depend on your comfort with stock that was processed by others.

 

[joec]

This says it all. Doing your own rough processing gives you total control of how flat and straight your stock will be. Starting out with flat, straight stock makes the project go faster and easier because you don't have to deal with the cumulative error of slight twist and thickness variations. Maybe on a table, this isn't as big of a deal as it would be when doing a chest of drawers. A lot will depend on your comfort with stock that was processed by others.

Agree with this. It depends on your standards, I guess. With lumber bought from some store, it would be difficult to have exact matches in joints etc. With you doing the milling, it can be exact and take away any chances of uneven or mismatched boards in your project.

 

[Graywolf]

In a word yes!, I have processed projects both ways, and I prefer having control over the materials. Of course I have never been one for immediate gratification.

 

[Stuart Kent]

I see this in two ways:

1. S2S: is not 'finished' nor is it intended to be seen or used that way. It is 'dressed' which means that the heavy milling has already been done. I buy this way when finished thickness is less important than a quantity of good clean lumber that can be rapidly inspected and/or matched up.

2. Rough: I buy stock this way when it will be stored for any length of time, where finished thickness is critical, or when it is the only stock available.

*then I would add, that processing stock in quantity will make you seriously rethink the time you spend in front of a jointer, planer, and table saw just to get ready to start work - it takes a lot less time to take a quick squaring pass on S2S than five with rough lumber - just saying.

 

[Willemjm]

By the way, most cabinet shops use dimensioned lumber. They assemble and then send through wide belt sanders.

 

[sawman101]

I've always enjoyed working with saw mill run lumber. I built a 24x32' pole barn to stick and stack lumber for drying a dozen years back. I got lumber fresh from the mill at bargain prices and then put it in the barn to dry. Everything has been there for 4 or more years and I use my moisture meters to make sure it's dry enough to use. It has been a lot of effort but I love it! The one thing I really miss is having my own saw mill. I love saw milling! Were I younger, well maybe there would be a saw mill out back again. I now have a lumber inventory beyond what I'll use in my lifetime, but if I were using a small quantity of lumber for hobby use, it would seem to be thriftier to purchase my lumber needs in the finished sizes I needed.

 

[photostu]

As a newcomer to this hobby, I find the process of milling lumber rather zen like. Taking something rough and working into S4S is amazing to me. I'll spend a few minutes just admiring a pretty rectangle
Since this is still just a hobby, I have the luxury of time at my disposal still. If I had to crank out pieces to put food on the table, I'm sure this would be a different story.

 

[Jeff]

Interesting points of view. However, one could still purchase S4S/S3S slightly oversized and give it a final "trim dressing" in the shop. Rough sawn 4/4 is usually about 1 1/8" t so a S4S buying specification of 1" t coming in the door might work before final dressing. Thoughts about that?

 

[Rwe2156]

IMO by far, the best way to go is air dried seasoned lumber direct from a sawmill.

I've given up on surfaced lumber. All the 4/4 surfaced lumber I've ever seen comes in anywhere from 13/16 to 7/8 which doesn't give you any room to correct even the slightest warp, bow or cup. The only realistic way to get surfaced lumber thick enough to give you milling room is 5/4 which kind of defeats the purpose, is not easy to find and you end up with $'s in the bin.

Aside from the thickness issue, kiln dried lumber has its issues. Case hardening is the biggest one. Plus, no matter how straight a board looks, something seems to happen between the supplier and my shop .

@Jeff, you can't assume 4/4 is usually 1 1/8.

 

[JimD]

I usually buy rough cut for many of the reasons which have been stated. Another reason is that it often helps to cut pieces to rough size before jointing and planning. I built the carcase of a vanity over the weekend. Due to the odd plumbing it had to be assembled in place. But now the edges need solid lumber covering them. And I need a couple doors and 6 small drawer fronts. Most of this will be relatively narrow pieces. So if my rough sawn has cup to it, I can rip off an oversized piece and eliminate most of the cupping. I can also pull some bow out of the small pieces to cover the plywood edges when I attach them so I may skip jointing of that material.

The flexibility I get from jointing and planning myself makes up for the time required, for me. My old Ryobi lunchbox planner has knives that I just sharpen up when needed. My Inca jointer does too. So there is very little cost involved other than some of my time.

 

[red]

I usually purchase my lumber in the rough... especially if I know it's going to sit on my lumber rack for a while. If any of it "moves" it will be flattened using the surface planer. If you have S2S at 3/4" or even 13/16", if it moves while on the rack there's not much you can do.

Red

 

[LB75]

I look at it based on the size of the project. For something small like you're working on right now I would definitely save the cash and start with rough lumber. For a large project like the kitchen cabinet build I'm prepping for I'm going to go with S3S from The Hardwood Store. I just can't envision myself spending the amount of time it would take to mill all of the face frames and door/drawer material from rough for a project that big. Even though I'm a hobbyist, my time is still worth something to me and I'd hate to burn myself out on the project before I even get to the point that I can actually start building anything.

 

[DSWalker]

Thanks for all of the comments. This as been a great conversation and hopefully will continue. I've learned a lot. Can't say that I've ever purchased 'finished lumber', but would be pretty upset if I had and got home to some of the concerns listed above.

I think it's time to order some new blades for the planer and potentially find that store in N Raleigh that can sharpen the 3 sets that I have.

 

[Jeff]

Thanks for all of the comments. This as been a great conversation and hopefully will continue. I've learned a lot. Can't say that I've ever purchased 'finished lumber', but would be pretty upset if I had and got home to some of the concerns listed above.

David, did you read the comments by Stuart Kent in this thread. Are you using the same term for finished lumber?