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Bedivere
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PostFri May 05, 2017 7:45 pm 
Wondering if anyone around here has any experience... I need to build a new fence around my property. I'll need to buy a rather large amount of cedar fence board - the typical 5"x3/4"x6' boards (or whatever the exact finished dimensions are). I've seen ads on Craigslist from small private mills in places like Chehalis and Olympia and out on the Peninsula advertising such boards for prices cheaper than the big box stores have them. Anyone ever bought bulk lumber from a place like that? Thoughts? Suggestions? Obnoxious unhelpful blather?

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mike
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PostFri May 05, 2017 9:10 pm 
Typical cedar these days is poor quality second growth. Especially the cheap stuff sold for this kind of use. I would reject any boards with big and/or loose knots and white sap wood. Dry is preferable. If not you'll have to stack 'n sticker. Remembering to re-stack and move the stickers so they won't stain. Treat or paint.

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wickerman323
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PostFri May 05, 2017 11:08 pm 
You can definitely get some better prices from small mills. They don't have to worry about marking up the price because of as many middle men like the box stores do. Just keep in mind buying from a small mill would mean the boards don't have some of the chamfers and flourishes that a board from the big box store would have if that is important to you. I would love to find a good small mill that has reliable lumber for cheap.

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InFlight
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PostSat May 06, 2017 12:00 am 
With ceder fencing the upright 4x4 are a critical feature. There is no good pressure treated lumber any more, none it will survive long with any soil contact. I had to bust up concrete and replace a few of these rotted posts at my old house. Most of the commercial installers use pipe in post installation. They pour a concrete footing and have a 1 inch metal pipe sticking out of the footing. They center drill a matching hole in the bottom of the post. They then drill a hole horizontal through both and bolt it, suspending the cedar post about an inch or two above grade You might check with some of the lumber only retailers, and Dunn. They may have some better prices. Cedar Fencing is always sold green, none of it is kiln dried. Cedar fencing is graded as Clear, #1, #2, and is available as rough sawn or surfaced four sides. You need to compare the identical grades to have a meaningful comparison. Number 1 runs about 50% more than number #2. Some of the cheap ads you see could be #2 or lower.

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moonspots
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PostSat May 06, 2017 5:31 am 
Bedivere wrote:
...I'll need to buy a rather large amount of cedar fence board - the typical 5"x3/4"x6' boards (or whatever the exact finished dimensions are)...
You may ask about buying 8' instead of 6' lengths. Last time I build such a fence it was cheaper to buy 8' lengths, then cut (or not) than it was to purchase boards that had already been cut. Bonus, is that the short pieces you do eventually cut make excellent kindling - if you use firewood anywhere.

"Out, OUT you demons of Stupidity"! - St Dogbert, patron Saint of Technology
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Gregory
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PostSat May 06, 2017 7:50 am 
Box stores are the most expensive place to buy anything.I use these guys for cedar http://www.cedarproductsco.com/ I have also done a fair amount of business with mills out on the coast but none are in business anymore. like anything, you need to take a look at the product.A lot of times with low-grade fence boards they will throw in extra to help compensate for culling.

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contour5
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PostSat May 06, 2017 10:10 am 
Box stores tend to offer fairly mediocre quality in a lot of their lumber product. Take a look at Compton on 1st Ave S. Better quality lumber and their prices are usually reasonable.

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Navy salad
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PostSat May 06, 2017 3:49 pm 
I've had good luck buying from small mills, getting what I believe was better quality than the big stores for a better price. But it is likely hit or miss. The nice thing is it's not hard to check the quality by eyeballing it.

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RichP
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PostSat May 06, 2017 4:13 pm 
Not sure these guys will cut fence wood for you, but they are a small mill in Oso. http://wildedgewoods.com/about.html

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DIYSteve
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PostSat May 06, 2017 6:20 pm 
Galvanized cyclone fence is much more fitting for OP's neighborhood. Think of it as a lost-cost angle on that post-modern industrial chic thing.

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Bedivere
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PostSat May 06, 2017 9:12 pm 
Thanks for the input everyone! Well, everyone except for you, Steve. moon.gif
mike wrote:
...Dry is preferable. If not you'll have to stack 'n sticker. Remembering to re-stack and move the stickers so they won't stain. ...
Mike - I have no idea what this means. Can you explain?

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markh752
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PostSat May 06, 2017 9:43 pm 
Bedivere wrote:
I've seen ads on Craigslist from small private mills in places like Chehalis...
According to Google, Reichert Shake & Fencing is close to Chehalis. According to their website they "strictly produce WRC Fence Boards. We currently do not ship any products overseas, but only throughout the USA." I am not sure what WRC means, but the fact that they do not ship overseas is pretty neat.

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Bedivere
Why Do Witches Burn?



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Bedivere
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PostSat May 06, 2017 10:57 pm 
I'd bet WRC=Western Red Cedar. Thanks!

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Ski
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PostSat May 06, 2017 11:45 pm 
Sir Bedivere: just a note: most all of those "cedar fence boards" are cut from green second-growth - at least most all the stuff at the big box retailers - and it's terrible when it comes to cupping, warping, and shrinking. I put up a 14-foot section out in back a few years ago - tacked the boards onto the frame with 1-1/4" self-tapping drywall screws (NOT nails) - butted them up against each other tight. a year later there was almost 1/4" of space in between each board. another issue is that they're so green they don't take stain well. just a couple things to take into consideration.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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DIYSteve
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PostSun May 07, 2017 8:32 am 
Bedivere wrote:
Well, everyone except for you, Steve. moon.gif
Just tryin' to get you thinking outside the box, er fence, bro

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