The cheapest way to buy lumber is green and rough cut from a sawmill in your area. This type of lumber needs to be dried out first before you can use it and if you have a project this will not do. If you have a lot of money to spend then you can probably purchase the lumber from home depot, but if you ask me I prefer mine to be rough and dried by me.
If you already have project in mind you may then plan for the materials you will need. Going to a sawmill and choosing the best lumber for the project is our next step, and if you go to a sawmill you will find lumbers that are just laying around that you can choose. Green lumbers shrink when it is dried up so you might want to get something that is a little bit over sized.You should find that the price you pay here will be very good, so don't try to haggle the price down. If they like you and you become a repeat customer they will probably give you even better deals later on.
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As soon as the lumber gets home drying it will be the next step. One step is to pile your boards outside; undercover from rain and direct sun light; flat; with small (1"x1"x how ever wide your pile is) stickers spaced 12"-24" apart, between every layer of lumber (this allows air to circulate around the boards); this is called "Air-Drying." Each 1" thick board will take a year to dry up so if you have like a 4" thick board it takes 4 years. After a year you can bring the umber inside your shop to continue the process since it still has 12%-18% moisture.The ideal RH of your shop should b 50% for the lumber to dry down to 8% moisture and for you to be able to monitor the humidity you can purchase the rmometer/hygrometer from radio shack that will cost you around $40
The other method of drying is to build a solar kiln. Plans for solar kilns can be found on the internet. Building it will only cost you around $200. The green lumber can be placed immediately inside the solar kiln for it to start drying. Drying the lumber can sometimes depend on your location and the temperature however it usually takes 30-60 days to have it dried or reach the 6%-8% moisture to make it ready for use.
After your lumber is dried you can begin processing it. The very first thing you need to do is joint one area of your panel. This can be accomplished manually by using a hand plane or maybe the easy way by using a jointer. You can then cut the board to your lose to the final length needed. And in order for you to have a uniform thickness you may now run through a thickness planer. This will make the board parallel to the flat face. Once you plane the plank into the final size, then you joint one side either by hand or by making use of a jointer. As soon as the board is planed you can now cut it to the final width. You can have this done by making use of saw to cut the board. To set your board to the desired width you can used the edge of the board as guide. You're now almost ready to have a board for your project. Processing the rough boards yourself can really save you a lot of money than purchasing the ready made one from your home improvements shops

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