I sure I hope I did OK. Lumber Liquidators posted on CL for unfinished stair treads and risers that have been on the shelf too long. I paid about $2.25/bf for 12 boards, (7) 7" x 36" risers, and (4) treads 11" (including bull nose) x 36", and 1 tread 48" but not in great shape. 4 of the risers are domestic USA white oak, 2 are Santos mahogany, and 1 is a bowed Brazilian cherry that I thought had nice figure. The treads are all Brazilian cherry. I was able to pick through the stock. The 48" tread was sitting on the floor and, while crappy looking, I think there is quite a bit of it that can be salvaged. It looks like all of it except the oak are single boards, not jointed and glued. The guy who helped me was surprised I was finding single wide boards and commented they much have "been here for a long time."
I am concerned that the Brazil cherry is quite dense and I hope that my saw can handle it. The treads are nominally 1" thick and quite heavy compared to domestic cherry of the same dimension. I guess I'll see. Any comments on this would be welcome.
I know this wood is not exceptional, but I was thinking it provides a great opportunity for a guy who is still learning how to work with it. A mistake won't hurt too much.
Good wood for cheap
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Re: Good wood for cheap
Ooh. Super. Those will clean up perfectly.
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Re: Good wood for cheap
Nice!! Gonna have to check out the local LL.
"Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned" - Enzo
Re: Good wood for cheap
Don't be skeerd! If the cherry has a pronounced bow cutting it in to small pieces across the bow makes it easier to flatten on your router/planer rig.
Now go build something!
Russ
Now go build something!
Russ
Re: Good wood for cheap
Thanks for all the encouragement. I found the trick of leveling short pieces works nicely. The bowed piece is a .75 inch riser, so it should be easy enough to work with. My real concern is the density of the Brazilian cherry stair treads and the thickness being a bit much for the saw. We shall see. So far, I'm still having fun.