What Are Your Best Lumber Options For Inexpensive Custom-Built Furniture?

If you've always enjoyed woodworking as a hobby, you may eventually become inundated with custom furniture requests from family members and close friends. But unless you begin charging a modest fee for your services or utilizing custom furniture in lieu of purchased gifts for holidays and special occasions, you may find that purchasing both the high-quality lumber needed for these furniture orders and the tools necessary to create craftsman-quality joints and millwork can become cost-prohibitive. What can you do to keep your lumber costs as low as possible while reserving the rest of your funds for new tools and technology? Read on to learn more about some inexpensive sources of high quality wood suitable for custom furniture crafting.

Reclaimed barn lumber

If you're planning to construct furniture designed for outdoor use, like a set of chairs to circle a firepit or a lengthy bench for a front porch, you may want to look into reclaimed barn lumber as a primary source for rustic outdoor furniture. Although many old barns are torn down for valid structural reasons, not all lumber is in bad shape—and you may be able to get weathered but sturdy cedar boards and posts or hardwood planks for a fraction of the cost of new lumber. Once you sand down any imperfections and apply some weatherproofing polyurethane or other sealant, your new furniture will be ready for rain, wind, and snow duty without suffering any ill effects. 

Kiln dried waste lumber

For those who can snag inside access to a sawmill, it may be possible to obtain lumber with minor defects or boards that just didn't quite make the grade for a steep discount over perfect boards. Many sawmills that process raw trees into smooth, sanded lumber also have kilns on site, helping you cure and dry your wood to commercial quality at wholesale prices. If you're able to work around or sand away any imperfections in the lumber you purchase, you'll be able to take advantage of these connections to save you money while still maintaining a high-quality supply of wood for your various projects.

Antique or garage sales

With increases in logging regulations over the past several decades has come a corresponding increase in the price of lumber, which makes it progressively more difficult to find solid hardwood furniture. However, there are quite a few undiscovered hardwood treasures in the world of antique and garage sales, and you may be able to find some scuffed-up hand-carved table legs that will work perfectly with a solid wooden slab for a custom piece of art. Exploring local antique sales for solid wood items that can be re-purposed into custom furniture could help you craft some one-of-a-kind items without breaking the bank.

For more information, contact professionals like Trumbull County Hardwood LTD.

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