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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> I only need very small irregular shaped pieces of wood stock so the  
> leftovers
> from the veneer trade and even trees that are not timber quality at  
> all do
> fine for me.  This last cherry wood (#2 grade and #3 grade) I paid  
> $1.50 a board
> foot kiln dried and in the rough.  I got maybe 40% to 50% good yield.

That surprised me. Was your decision to purchase rather than harvest  
and process based on time? Yes, I am fully aware of the effort and  
time involved to take wood from tree to workbench.

I wish I had more cherry. I bought a pickup load twenty years ago for  
thirty cents a board foot, rough and raw. Some is still stacked and  
stickered in the old barn. The best of it, clear, is curing in the  
form of long, temporary desk and shelf boards. I like old wood.  
Although old oak can be beyond fun.