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Price of turning woods....

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Stopped by Woodcraft the other day and was surprised at the current price of semi-exotic woods. What I saw seemed awfully high, like ebony at 140 bucks a board foot.

Is there a relationship between between prices of exotic woods and construction lumber which increased by a factor of about four recently?

I need to sell some of my wood collection that's overwhelming my storage space so I'm interested in the going rates. Right now I'm thinking 25% of Woodcraft's pricing would be about right for quick sales.
 
Joined
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Roulette, PA
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www.reallyruralwoodworks.com
Not really - typical hardwoods for woodworking have not increased prices all that much - I do know Ebony (genuine stuff) is extremely expensive, I think rather rare, and restricted from logging at all, or at least I think I read about that somewhere... I pretty much don't even bother with exotic woods any more.. most of the domestic stuff is plenty nice enough for what I do, and I won't buy most turning blanks - they are awfully over-priced if you figure the board foot on the blank.. I'd as soon just but a 10 bd ft project pack of 8/4 or 12/4 and cut my own blanks - far cheaper that way, when I want/need dried woods - anything else, I can just go out and buy a face cord of firewood for 60 bucks delivered off of one of the umpteen dozen people in the local area selling firewood.. and for bowl turning, I generally just keep an eye out for folks that are cutting down trees , and go get some (usually free to haul it away)
 

Emiliano Achaval

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hawaiiankoaturner.com
I wonder how many pieces do they sell for that price. The record for endemic Acacia Koa in Hawaii was $625 a board foot. Veneer was made out of it. $150 a BF is not uncommon for curly Koa. I always say, you can always ask whatever you want, finding someone to pay for it, it's a different story.
 

odie

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Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
I turn quite a few exotic woods.....and, I pay the sky high prices for the best pieces. I also look for the best pieces of domestic woods, too.....but, there, too, are high prices for the best of the best blocks of wood......usually extremely highly figured blocks, and burls. If you're intent is to sell these bowls, you'll have to compete with some very high-end turners, so it's not suggested for new turners, unless you're prepared to be disappointed. (New turners should concentrate on perfecting their style and proficiency first.)

Dealing with the exotics and highly figured woods and burls, means you have to regularly deal with warping and cracking....the better the artistic prospects a piece of wood has, the more likely there will be problems with the seasoning process. I sure hate to lose a piece of wood that cost $100-200 bucks, but you best get used to it, because it will happen! You can take steps to reduce the risk, though.

Back in the 80's, there were a lot of very nice exotics to be had at cheap prices.....but, that was when the rain forests were being cut down at an alarming rate. These woods are still available, but we are getting smarter, because our environmental awareness is much better now. The massive cutting down of forests aren't what it once was, and local governments are regulating the harvest. This is a good thing, but be prepared for "sticker shock"!

I see some very nice looking Amboyna burl blocks available right now, but the seller is just too high.......$300-400+ for some of his pieces. There is a point where the price is just too high to reasonably expect to turn a profit with it.

-----odie-----
 
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Well, Woodcraft is a bit higher than most other stores because 'corporate' must get their share. Independent dealers are generally better. Seeing that price for Ebony, A log I got 15 to 20 years ago is worth several times what I paid for it. I did get some fret boards from it and the rest is sitting... Exotics are going for very high prices now days. Used to be able to buy Ipe, Bubinga, and Imbuya for $3/bf... Cherry was less than that.

robo hippy
 
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Well, Woodcraft is a bit higher than most other stores because 'corporate' must get their share. Independent dealers are generally better. Seeing that price for Ebony, A log I got 15 to 20 years ago is worth several times what I paid for it. I did get some fret boards from it and the rest is sitting... Exotics are going for very high prices now days. Used to be able to buy Ipe, Bubinga, and Imbuya for $3/bf... Cherry was less than that.

robo hippy
Yes, I agree Woodcraft prices seem high. The Seattle store is huge with a large shop space for classes. It has to take a lot of sales to support that operation. Judging by only two customers on a usually busy Saturday morning when I was there and bare spots on shelves the pandemic has cost the store a bunch.
 
Joined
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Hot Springs, AR
perhaps a poor choice of wood to make a comparison. Ebony is arguably THE most expensive wood available and has been $100 - $140 bd/ft for years. Last time I looked last year a 1" square 6" long was $40.
 
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Economics 101, when you print 8-trillion dollars not backed by silver or gold and dump it into an economy, you will end up with hyperinflation. If your sales drop off for a year because of a pandemic you either lower your overhead, increase your markup to cover your reduced sales volume, or close your business. Anyone that owns and runs a brick and mortar business is climbing out of a deep hole right now.
 
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