Not real sure where this should go so I place it here.
I set out to build a very cheap chicken coop. What is cheaper than free wood? So I started going to places where I would see wooden pallets stacked up and inquire about them. You would be surprised at the number of free pallets you can get. There is quite a bit of work involved in taking those things apart.
Then I was told about this other place. It is a company that puts up those signs you see at businesses. The signs are shipped in crates and this company piles them up behind their building. Free for the taking. Can get some good 2x4s that way.
Then there are these fence companies. Around here most people have wooden picket fences. You contact the fence companies and they will tell you where a fence has been taken down and you can get all of it. Get lots of 4x4 post. Also a lot of useless wood. But it was one of those all or nothing things.
Then those same fence companies have what they call "culls". Pretty good looking wood with some flaws. They give it away for free also. And they also have bags of wood chips/shavings for free.
Just some things to think about if you are looking for wood.
Weird!!!!
I posted this in the trading post.
Thanks for moving this. I really don't know how it got in general. I did click on trading post and then new topic.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=16313-pallet-coop
That is a good ideal Jerrymac,
Also you can try motorcycle and Atv shops,
Johnny
best I have found is large manufacturing plant type places that receive large bulk shipments of raw metal products (for example company that builds aluminum boats) - or receive shipments from companies such as "Alaska Copper and Brass" They have 12' or 20' 4x4 pallets with 1x or 2x6 cross-supports. several near me !
I have built a pigeon loft, 6 rabbit hutches, hive stands, and am in the progress of collecting enough lumber to build a chicken house with "Dumpster Dive" Lumber.
My wife complains about all the little pieces of wood I have around here. I told her lumber wasn't scrap until it was rotten or too small to cut into a usuable piece. Since many things can use 4-6 inch lengths I have a lot of still usuable wood.
OH! And I forgot to mention. "Best buy" must have redone a bunch of displays and had a whole lot of 2x4s piled up behind the building. They let me take all of it.
right here at Ga Salt, the build and repair pallets, when the get truck loads in about half they want bother repairing because they make more selling new so that guy told me a few years ago bring any trailer I have and load them up, I could get all I wanted, I got a few to start with, I dont know what they treat them things with but it turns the wood into steel, I use them for a to store wood on and other things, dont have much use for them really.
I have a sawmill 2 blocks away. They sell poplar rough-cut at less than $1.25 per board foot. It's 1 1/8 think and is fairly true. The widths range from 4" to 12".
This how I find it(http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/6225/photo0015os4.th.png) (http://img262.imageshack.us/my.php?image=photo0015os4.png)I work for the guy that own's it. I log the trees then I cut them into what he want's. This is a pic of a dock that I built from the wood I cut.(http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/7379/photo0020vm1.th.png) (http://img404.imageshack.us/my.php?image=photo0020vm1.png)
Must be nice to have trees
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/Jerry-mac/windy.jpg)
Quote from: Jerrymac on November 27, 2008, 12:35:54 PM
Must be nice to have trees
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/Jerry-mac/windy.jpg)
Love your Million dollar Condo.
That was back when we had some 70 mph winds. Since then it has had another door put on and two roofs. The rest of the shed will blow away before this last roof gets torn off.
Hurricane Ike gave me a lot of logs:
(http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/3237/1000300ki4.jpg)
I have my own mill so I have started making them into lumber:
(http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8440/1000302mu6.jpg)
Ike also gave me a lot of firewood:
(http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/1889/1000303sv5.jpg)
PS: These photos were taken right after our once every 20+ year snow fall so the fallen trees in the first shot are not as readily visible as I would like. I have many more trees down on the property and lots of friends with trees down who want me to come and get them. Alas, not enough hours in a day!
For people who don't have their own sawmill - I used to be a remodeling contractor, and we threw away so much reusable material that I was genuinely ashamed, but once my available space was cram packed there wasn't much choice. Visit residential construction jobs while they are being framed and get to know a few contractors, and you will find that you usually won't have to buy much wood for things like chicken coops and rabbit hutches. For high quality plywood scrap look for custom cabinet shops - if you can find one that doesn't use MDF (what I call sawdust and shelf paper).