Hickory Board Meeting with a FHC Member!

Don't Know if you're handy, though it seems you are so I agree on being cautious cutting nicely aged wood. I'm sure you can make something nice with the boards.

I scrounge firewood, but I also scrounge any useful building material including brick, stone, marble and granite slabs I get at the local stone cutting company. Just this morning I was returning from Home Depot and stopped at an industrial area (never waste a trip to HD) to check some bins. Today's catch was some old pressure treated 2x4s and 2x6s cut to an average of about 7ft lengths. They had some nails, but I will pull them out and use the wood for yard projects, maybe even rip some if needed. Problem for me is yard space and a wife that doesn't always see the value in what I bring home.

 

I scrounge mostly framing lumber/boards etc. Sometimes cinder blocks & bricks. If you go to Lowe's or HD check for cull packs of lumber by the contractor entrance. They'll strap together "problem" boards...ie warped, cracked, damaged etc for pennies on the dollar. Got one for $5 few months back. It had some cedar deck boards and cedar 4x4's ($20 original msrp) mixed in. I asked the kid who was loading it with me if they had any more cull cedar (i love cedar) and he comes back with another 8-10 pieces, some with barely an issue. Got em for less than a quarter each. Made my day for sure. If you ever buy cull warped pressure treated wood, lay it in the yard and let it get soaked with rain, unwarps it rather well. I have a few laying in my woods like this.
I just scored some reclaimed 2x6 PT deck boards. Guy i did a job for was redoing his deck, I gladly took them. Touch of rot and peeling paint, but they make great wood racks. Made one today (see pics in following post)

 

Took a trip back today and sorted out the second pile of milled boards. Turned out only four hickory and the rest was pine. Some milled into full boards, but most with a circular edge. Back of pile was too bad to salvage...rotted. I think this was the scrap pile from the mill run. There is another pile of nice milled boards tightly stacked nearby, but have rotted to the point of minimal use. I may dig through it to check.
After i sorted the pile and weed whacked my way in. The two "banana" boards turned out to be oak.
Only four hickory boards in the pile. Hickory from today. Few boards ill use for kindling and/or the firepit.
I restacked the usable milled wood to take later. All EWP. I may try to use it as part of a lean to for my friends wood stacks. He has a hodge podge of pallets and tarps now. I have some wood stored there.
More of the same. Bark peeled off easily. I'd hate to burn it. Unusual stock for sure

sorry, got interested in a movie last night, then fell asleep.

 

I built a half cord log rack out of reclaimed 2x6 deck boards and stacked the hickory from both scores. 10' x 4'10" inside dimensions. I would build these as i acquired wood, but have more than triple the wood i normally have. Triple rows on pallets have replaced these.
Had to move the mound out of the way for the rack which was a pain. Limited room. The wood will get delivered to my friend at the end of the year. The empty spot will get filled with the milled cut offs. Couldnt get my PU in as the neighbors car was in the way.

 

I hit the jackpot at Lowe's today Urban Woods. Got 46' of 1x12 knotty CEDAR for free, yes free. One 16' and three 10'.
They had racks next to the building loaded with mostly pressure treated wood. On top was the cedar. I asked and there was no sku so the guy i deal with said just take it. This stock is probably $4/ft! normally. I dont think they even carry it.
We stopped to PU a couple things and happened upon it. I wouldve gladly paid $1/ft. Price knotty cedar stock and see what i mean!
10'pieces. Nice stock! He lets me store longer stuff in his barn luckily otherwise id be overrun with hoarded lumber (sort of am already)
We got these for $4 each!!! 16 in total. They were listed as 18' but turned out to be 20'. Over a $1000 of lumber for $65. My contractor friend (who just retired) has me work with him on occasion (i have a PU with ladder racks, he doesnt) is building a shed on his rental property. We'll use some of these for the floor framing, maybe rip and cut them into rafters etc!
I talked him into it! He is frugal too, but im in a league of my own!
There were other piles of 4x4's, decking, PT framing lumber all at 90% off! We made two trips as these were HEAVY, especially the wetter ones! I may end up with a couple. I have many cord of wood to process and a friend who i have six cord stored at says i can put a lot more there. I give him a cord of cut rounds for an annual "rent" payment.

 

Um... that sounds like an understatement after seeing what you scored!
20 ft long Special order???? Did your pick-up truck rack handle that length ok? I can see that getting heavy real quick. Must've been pushing your limits.
That cedar is beautiful stuff... even for that price...haha.
The stars have been smiling down at you lately.

 

We made two trips Urban Woods and they handled it just fine. My biggest fear was load shift. I have heavy duty pipe racks and have had multiple wood ladders on them. More i think about it this may have been the most weight on them. Went slow back to his house. Three bungee cords tightly stretched.

 

Well my friend liked yesterdays deal so much he sent me there again today for more Urban Woods. He had reserved a box of blue vinyl siding for $2 for the shed. He wanted the long 4x4's. Heres a pic of what we got on my PU.
2x10x12' 8 pcs
4x4x10' 4 pcs
4x4x12' 7 pcs
2x4x12' 2 pcs
box of vinyl siding, 2 square i think
All for $64 including tax. Ill use the 2x10's for another friends wood lean to project. Couple of the 4x4's were badly warped, i may get them as well. There is a strap of 8 2x12x20' still there. I could build something very beefy with that!

 

You had to one-up my puny score of old cut up PT lumber today huh?.....Ohhhhh my Goooodness!

I'm gonna have to see if my HD or Lowes offers these clearance deals buZZsaw BRAD , but I haven't seen anything like that at my locations

 

Wasn't trying to do that, of course, and you got yours for free!
I read that earlier but didnt see it in the trailer. I read too fast and didnt /dont have my eyes on.
Lowe's and HD are directly across from each other on the main drag in town. Lowe's is in back of several restaurants and the building was prior a Walmart and before that "Rickel" i think, so the location in back affects its business IMO. I dislike HD and wont go there even if they were cheaper. HD does well, Lowe's never seems that busy. If you go to a Lowe's park near the contractor entrance and ask the pro desk if they ever sell "cull packs" of lumber/boards etc. Cant say ive ever seen it at HD.
The wood we've been getting was "returned" special orders so they say, but lots of it is stocked sizes.

 

Yeah, I have a Lowes near where I work in Jersey City. Once Summer is over and I return to work I will do just that. In the mean time you brought back some memories mentioning the Regan era Rickels. I remember "Channel" "pergament"and "Grossmans" as well...Heck I even remember "Two Guys"! Bought my first boom box there.

 

My goodness, y'all have been extremely busy. Looks mighty good. I've noticed hickory doesn't weather well like oak. Tends to get punky fast. Good job.

 

Great hoarding of the culled lumber! I'm sure it will get built into something useful, if only wood racks. I remember Hechinger's in the DC area, back in the day. My parents were serial home renovators, so lots of trips to the hardware stores. I was into macrame, so I was always buying string.

 

Split the cut offs from the milled hickory last night in the rain and went out tonight to stack them. Rack holds half cord to top. add these to the stack will make close to 2 face cords.

 

Looks good. Those boards will burn good.

 

You are an inspiration buZZsaw BRAD!

 

Keeping busy accomplishing something, anything sure beats sitting in front of the boob tube being reprogrammed with media propaganda.

 

You are right, get the weather forecast, other than that it's my husband's streamed old football games. Those and a beer or two put me right to sleep.

 

Thank you maam, but lately ive been the perspiration!