I Got Wood Today

I was walking back from the market today and as I passed an alley about two blocks from my house I saw some curly redwood slabs leaning up against a garage. You don’t just pass by opportunities like this without inquiring about the wood. The house is a fairly non-descript 40s stucco bungalow. It is about as bland as a bungalow can get and still be called a bungalow.

The family that lives there has a couple of sons in their early teens, and two older boys as well. I see the younger ones a lot in the neighborhood on their bikes. They’re good kids. They go around and mow lawns in the summer. The house is a real hang-out spot and there always seems to be something going on. I know the boys well enough that I felt comfortable walking around back.

I asked one of the younger boys if the redwood was for sale. He said probably and he went and got his older brother. There were probably eight pieces altogether. Two of them were large, thick slabs, and the others were much smaller. I was only interested in the 2 larger pieces. They were book matched.

The older brother came out and we chatted. I asked him how much he wanted and he asked me how much I thought they were worth. I pointed to the big one standing up and I said $50. I immediately felt that was too much. It was nice wood, but maybe not that nice. It was curly, and had some nice tight grain, but it was nothing like the fence post wood I wrote about a few weeks back.

He said $50 sounded good. I told him I needed to go get some money and my truck and I’d be back. He said if I wanted the other one I could take them both today and pay him later. I wasn’t going to pay $100 for both, so I told him I would take the one today and let him know later if I was interested other one.

I walked home and got my truck and drove to the store to get some cash. When I went back by to pick up the wood he tells me he’ll sell me both for $65 and I can pay him the other $15 when ever I get it. That’s a fair deal I think. It’s a good amount of wood, and they’re nice thick pieces.

This is cut with a chain saw and still real rough. it will look better sanded smooth and oiled up




The boards are 6-feet tall, 3-inches thick, and range in width from 9 to 13 inches wide. I can split one and use it for a thick counter top maybe. Six feet is a little short for that, but maybe I can be creative. The other one can be milled in to 1X4 stock for rails and stiles for face frames, or maybe make some raised panels. Who knows, I got it, that’s the important thing.