# Pricing out walnut for cutting board



## Woob (Sep 5, 2014)

Hey all. I am brand new to woodworking. I just inherited my grandfather's workshop and have been gathering inspiration for projects to tackle. I am interested in creating an end grain cutting board out of walnut. Anyways I was discouraged when I was quoted about $160 for the wood to make a single board. Please tell me there is a flaw in my logic.

Cutting Board dimensions: 22.5" x 18" x 2"
Board dimensions: 2.25" square s4s
linear feet required: roughly 14'
price quoted from lumber yard: $11.90 PLF

People seem to sell these finished beautiful cutting boards for sub $100... what am I missing here? Am I getting a bad price or is my terminology mixed up our something?


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

There's flaw in your logic. Lumber like walnut is sold by the board ft. It doesn't matter if it is 2" square or 1x4. It doesn't matter if it is 4" wide or 10" wide. It is all measured in board ft. One bd ft of wood is one foot wide, one foot long, and one inch in thickness. Based on those measurements you would need about 5.6 board ft. S4S walnut is roughly $7-8 per board ft. I am not sure what you mean by PLF.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The price you were given is about typical for a retail shop. You need to find a wholesale outlet. I think I would pay roughly about $4.00 PLF for walnut like that. You could save more money if you didn't get it S4S. It's cheaper in random widths and lengths.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Steve Neul said:


> The price you were given is about typical for a retail shop. You need to find a wholesale outlet. I think I would pay roughly about $4.00 PLF for walnut like that. You could save more money if you didn't get it S4S. It's cheaper in random widths and lengths.


Dude, where are you buying walnut for $4bf? I need to visit there, its closer to $12 for me

To the OP: walnuts expensive, the price you were quoted sound right to me and the board foot calculator I just googled. For a cutting board, I'd avoid walnut as well. Its a but on the porous side, and its not as durable a, say, hard maple or hickory. Its also double the price of those woods, and beinng in the tree but family, there is a tiny, but still existent risk of messing with allergies. That, and walnut is such a pretty wood, it would be a bloody shame to use it in a cutting board.

Long story short, I'd ditch the walnut for hickory. Cheaper and stronger that way


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

epicfail48 said:


> Dude, where are you buying walnut for $4bf? I need to visit there, its closer to $12 for me
> 
> To the OP: walnuts expensive, the price you were quoted sound right to me and the board foot calculator I just googled. For a cutting board, I'd avoid walnut as well. Its a but on the porous side, and its not as durable a, say, hard maple or hickory. Its also double the price of those woods, and beinng in the tree but family, there is a tiny, but still existent risk of messing with allergies. That, and walnut is such a pretty wood, it would be a bloody shame to use it in a cutting board.
> 
> Long story short, I'd ditch the walnut for hickory. Cheaper and stronger that way


 It was $4.00 per lin ft for the 2 1/4 x 2 1/4. I believe 12/4 walnut here runs about $7.00 a board foot. It's $4.35 a board foot for 4/4. http://www.brazosfp.com/ The company is only located in Texas and Louisiana however they are part of Frank Paxton Lumber that I think the closest location to you is Kansas City. http://paxtonwood.com/ They must have closed the location in St. Louis. In the 1970's the school I went to bought wood from Paxton there.


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## Woob (Sep 5, 2014)

Steve Neul said:


> It was $4.00 per lin ft for the 2 1/4 x 2 1/4. I believe 12/4 walnut here runs about $7.00 a board foot. It's $4.35 a board foot for 4/4. http://www.brazosfp.com/ The company is only located in Texas and Louisiana however they are part of Frank Paxton Lumber that I think the closest location to you is Kansas City. http://paxtonwood.com/ They must have closed the location in St. Louis. In the 1970's the school I went to bought wood from Paxton there.


I happen to be in Houston and there is a location nearby. I will definitely reach out to them for a quote too!

I appreciate all the replies. I don't have access to a plainer or router sled so it seems my best bet would be to pay a little extra for some freshly milled s4s as it would be perfectly straight and fit together nicely, right?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Woob said:


> I happen to be in Houston and there is a location nearby. I will definitely reach out to them for a quote too!
> 
> I appreciate all the replies. I don't have access to a plainer or router sled so it seems my best bet would be to pay a little extra for some freshly milled s4s as it would be perfectly straight and fit together nicely, right?


In short lengths the S4S might be straight enough for you. I normally just have them surface the wood to the thickness I need and joint and rip the wood to the final dimension I need. Every mill thing they do just adds to the cost.


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

Woob said:


> I happen to be in Houston and there is a location nearby. I will definitely reach out to them for a quote too!
> 
> I appreciate all the replies. I don't have access to a plainer or router sled so it seems my best bet would be to pay a little extra for some freshly milled s4s as it would be perfectly straight and fit together nicely, right?


You can go over to Houston Hardwoods on W 34th and look in their drops section. They also do milling but it is pricey......and...... they have an attitude that they are doing you a favor by selling you wood. 
Another, more friendly place is Clark's Hardwood at 700 E 5 1/2 street in the Heights. Prices are about the same. There is Mason's Mill and Lumber on Tanner Rd but they have a minimum purchase amount.

If you have a table saw you can mill down enough to get a good glue joint if the lumber is not too big.


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## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

You need to look for local mills----google sawmills Missouri--

I paid $2.00 a for Walnut from a farmer cutter (300 bdf--) his price was really low--but you can find wood in the $4.00 to $5.50 range easily---you are in the middle of oak and walnut--


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

per linear foot = rip off. even then, you're not going to use 10 board feet in your cutting board. my boards, on average, are 2 to 3 board feet in material. that much for fas walnut is freakin outrageous. 

please post the name of who quoted you that price so i know to avoid him.


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## nbo10 (Jan 26, 2011)

Walnut in the bay area regularly goes +15 $/bdft.


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## GoIrish (Jan 29, 2012)

Sorrowful Jones said:


> You can go over to Houston Hardwoods on W 34th and look in their drops section. They also do milling but it is pricey......and...... they have an attitude that they are doing you a favor by selling you wood. Another, more friendly place is Clark's Hardwood at 700 E 5 1/2 street in the Heights. Prices are about the same. There is Mason's Mill and Lumber on Tanner Rd but they have a minimum purchase amount. If you have a table saw you can mill down enough to get a good glue joint if the lumber is not too big.


I have gone in and purchased single boards at Mason's Mill. They are great. They also now take credit cards when they used to only take cash for non-business account. They volume of wood is tremendous. Not the place for figured wood unless you are will to pick through yourself and take your chances.


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## Woob (Sep 5, 2014)

Sorrowful Jones said:


> You can go over to Houston Hardwoods on W 34th and look in their drops section. They also do milling but it is pricey......and...... they have an attitude that they are doing you a favor by selling you wood.
> Another, more friendly place is Clark's Hardwood at 700 E 5 1/2 street in the Heights. Prices are about the same. There is Mason's Mill and Lumber on Tanner Rd but they have a minimum purchase amount.
> 
> If you have a table saw you can mill down enough to get a good glue joint if the lumber is not too big.


For what it's worth, I tried Brazosfp and they sent me to Houston hardwoods because of my small quantity. I bought 1.75" square FAS for $4.30 plf muuuch better!


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## BaldEagle2012 (Jan 25, 2012)

I buy all my wood from a sawyer, walnut and cherry are $3 a bf. Oak is $1.25 bf, cedar is $.80 or $1 bf, can't remember on that one. It is all rough cut, 1" thick, air dried.


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## kelsochris (Aug 15, 2013)

I had to pick some up recently out of necessity to finish a project and about passed a stone at $7.60 a bdft. There aren't as many walnut trees as other hardwoods so there isn't as much being cut.


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## kelsochris (Aug 15, 2013)

A lot of guys, me included will mill scrap wood to make cutting boards out of. After several projects you end up with several different species and its a good way to clean out the shop. Just mill it to consistent dimensions, experiment a little for interesting combinations then glue it into blanks. Rip the blanks into strips then edge glue them to make your boards. Stay away from porous woods like oak and ash as well as softwoods like pine and cedar. I've never spent money on wood just to make a cutting board and have probably made 60 or so over the years.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

kelsochris said:


> A lot of guys, me included will mill scrap wood to make cutting boards out of. After several projects you end up with several different species and its a good way to clean out the shop. Just mill it to consistent dimensions, experiment a little for interesting combinations then glue it into blanks. Rip the blanks into strips then edge glue them to make your boards. Stay away from porous woods like oak and ash as well as softwoods like pine and cedar. I've never spent money on wood just to make a cutting board and have probably made 60 or so over the years.


bingo, a big reason that you will find it hard to compete with finished prices. Wood workers are just happy to find a way to sell the scrap wood they would otherwise be stockpiling or burning.


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## Woob (Sep 5, 2014)

bauerbach said:


> bingo, a big reason that you will find it hard to compete with finished prices. Wood workers are just happy to find a way to sell the scrap wood they would otherwise be stockpiling or burning.


I never thought about that. It's probably the real answer to my original question! Anyways, I'm now invested in this cutting board thing and I will post pics here later if there is any interest. This will be my first real wood project so adjust your expectations accordingly!


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