Combat high lumber prices by controlling where you buy your wood, in what form you purchase it, and what you do with it once you get it in the shop. Here’s help for shaving costs and saving plenty.

1. Buy short boards.
Many hardwood retailers specialize in “Selects” and “Firsts and Seconds” (FAS) grades of lumber. To meet grading requirements, these boards have to be at least 6'or 8' long, respectively. Oftentimes, dealers have to recut boards with bad spots, or they may receive lumber that doesn’t meet minimum length. Though the quality of these “shorts” is the same as higher grades, they sell at a reduced price, often 30-50 percent cheaper than the FAS price.

(1) This drawer for a cherry nightstand sports poplar sides and back. While very stable, the wood machines well and costs half the price of cherry.

2. Buy lower grades.
The next two grades below FAS and Selects are #1 and #2 Common. These boards are narrower and shorter than the higher grades, and yield fewer clear cuts. But prices can range 30-50 percent lower than FAS. So even if you have more waste, you may have a real bargain. If you can’t find #1 Common at your regular dealer, try one that caters to contractors and cabinet shops.

3. Build less-visible parts from lower-cost woods.
You don’t need to build hidden parts of a project from the same wood as highly visible parts. Drawer carcases, shown in box (1); support frames; spacers; and shelves are prime candidates for less-expensive woods, such as poplar, or for plywood edged with solid stock.

4. Go for quantity discounts.
Many retailers offer price breaks on larger purchases. The first break is often at 100 board feet (bf), but may be as low as 20 bf. And you may be able to mix species and still get the discount.

(2) Preserve your lumber investment by storing boards flat and off of the floor away from moisture. Find plans for this sturdy rack in the online store at www.woodonline.com.

5. Form a buying group.
To save without over-buying, pool your order with friends or fellow woodworking club members. Your dealer may even reward consistent business with discounts for members. If you don’t belong to a club, this offers a good reason to join.

6. Shop the sales.
We love our lumber, but to dealers, it’s just a product that has to move. That means dealers will eventually offer overstocks, special purchases, and even scratch-and-dent boards at discount prices. If you plan your projects in advance, or if you have certain woods you use all the time, take advantage of these sales, even if you don’t need the stock right away.

(3) A couple of passes through the planer turn a rough-surfaced board into great looking lumber.

7. Build proper board storage.
Thankfully, lumber doesn’t spoil, so if you store it properly, you can keep those bargain boards around almost indefinitely. Build a decent lumber rack, such as the one shown box (2), and stack the boards carefully on sturdy horizontal supports that form a flat plane to keep them from warping or splitting.

8. Buy rough sawn stock.
Every milling process increases the price of a board. If you have access to a thickness planer and a jointer, buy rough-sawn stock (dried boards with rough surfaces from the sawmill) and save money doing the final milling yourself.

Many of today’s portable planers are up to the task of milling rough stock, as shown in box (3), but if you regularly plane a lot of boards, say 100 board feet or more at a time, consider a stationary planer. You’ll also need at least a 6" jointer. Benchtop models don’t offer power or control for big boards.

One problem with buying rough stock is that you can’t see the grain. Buy from a reputable dealer and, if possible, take a small hand plane when you shop to peek at what lies beneath the rough surface.

(4) An ice or wind storm can wreak havoc on trees,but provides a great source of stock. Talk to homeowners or proper officials before removing any downed trees.

9. Search out a sawmill.
If rough-sawn stock is good, mill-direct stock is even better. Buying from a reputable mill eliminates the middleman, and may offer access to a great variety of boards. For example, as little as 25 percent of many logs meets standards for FAS grading, but the remainder produces loads of Selects and common-grade boards. Mills produce custom stock, too, such as quartersawn, thick, or wide boards.

Finding a sawmill in your area may prove easier than you think. Look in your Yellow Pages, contact your county’s extension service, or use an online directory. Typing the word "sawmill” in the “category” field at www.qwestdex.com yielded more than 80 listings just in the state of Iowa, where we publish WOOD ® magazine. Give it a try in your area.

10. Look for local trees.
Trees get cut down all the time, often due to old age or storm damage, see box (4). You often can acquire these trees free or inexpensively, then have the trunk and major limbs milled. You ’ll pay fees for milling and drying, but it’s akin to just paying for labor on materials you supply. Be aware, however, that some mills reject city-grown trees due to the possible inclusion of metal in the wood.

(5) Portable mills bring full-service sawing to your site. Costs usually include a setup fee plus a set amount per lineal foot sawn. You'll also pay for blade damage caused by metal in the wood. Even if you don't see nails on the outside, they may be buried within.

11. Seek an on-site sawyer.
One problem with harvesting trees is transporting them to the mill. Many sawyers, though, will come to you, as shown in box (5). Portable sawmill makers, such as Wood-Mizer (800/553-0182) and TimberKing (800/942-4406), keep lists of mill owners who perform custom sawing services.

You’ll pay for these services, of course. Then you ’ll need to have the wood dried. You can air-dry the lumber or even build your own solar kiln. However you do it, you’ll still be dollars ahead of retail prices. And you may find a great source for lumber because some of these sawyers stockpile logs or know where to find them.

12. Be kind to a cabinet-maker.
Professional cabinet and millwork shops generate more scrap lumber in a week than the average hobbyist uses in a year. Their cutoffs can provide you with a wealth of inexpensive kiln-dried lumber, especially for small-scale projects. Build a good relationship with the cabinetmaker, and you might be able to order lumber through him at his discount.

13. Beware of the mass retailer.
Home centers offer a great selection of construction lumber and common softwood, but you won't find pros buying hardwoods there. As the opening photo shows, those finely surfaced or shrink-wrapped boards bear a premium price.

Most home centers carry relatively few species, as well, so if you need something other than oak or poplar, you’re out of luck. This is true, too, if you need boards more than 3/4" thick. In fact, boards sold at that thickness in our area actually measured about 1/32" under, which complicates machining tight-fitting dadoes and other joints.

(6) Use chalk to mark the cuts in each board. Paper patterns, cut slightly oversize, help you visualize each of a project's parts as you create your own cutting diagram.

14. Consider counter-feiting.
By using the right stain, you can make alder or birch look like cherry. Ash makes a great substitute for oak, and soft maple (which is actually very hard) looks almost exactly like its hard maple cousin. These are just a few examples of substitute woods. In all these cases, the woods cost less than those they impersonate. Remember, a pinch hitter can still slug a home run!

15. Get the most from every board.
However you get your boards, make sure you use each one to its fullest potential. You’ll have to work around knots, bad grain, and other imperfections, but by carefully laying out your cuts, as shown in box (6), you ’ll get maximum yield with minimal waste.

(7) At www.woodfinder.com, you type in the species you're after, and you'll get information on lumber dealers, by state; links to dealers' Web sites; and a wealth of helpful information about lumber.

16. Cruise catalogs and cyberspace.
You can order lumber and have it shipped directly to your door from a number of woodworking supply catalogs and Web sites. Prices, believe it or not, are often competitive with local retailers, though you will have to pay shipping. But these sources can be hard to beat for woods not readily available in your area, and especially for exotic species, burls, and blanks for turning and carving.

For help finding both local and online dealers, try www.woodfinder.com, shown in box (7). Or you can turn to online auction sites, such as www.ebay.com. These sites provide sources--both individuals and retailers--for hard-to-find lumber.