Ordering wood question

[natenaaron]

I got an unexpected check in the mail the other day, and before it gets spent on something silly like food and utilities I am going to buy some basswood. I have a couple questions

How does Heinecke get orders placed? Is their web order thing down? What is their shipping like?

As for the basswoodman has anyone ordered from therm?

[Todd Meyer]

Re: Ordering wood question

You either email or call in your order via instructions on their web page. They ship out your order in a timely fashion. Your wood will arrive and then usually a few days following that an invoice will show up in the mail.

Heinecke Basswood is some of the best you can get. I highly recommend them

Oh I almost forgot, the shipping is reasonable considering they are shipping you wood. I think my last order totaled $38 for wood and the shipping was around $12, so it was $50

[natenaaron]

Re: Ordering wood question

Thanks. I admit that I was confused about the ordering process. The shipping sounds reasonable.

What makes the wood so good? I assumed basswood was basswood.

[Todd Meyer]

Re: Ordering wood question

Northern Basswood is preferred to the Southern variety and its the Northern variety that Heinecke sells. Trust me a lot of folks get their Basswood from them and you will see once you carve with it that you got your moneys worth

[Claude]

Re: Ordering wood question

I agree with Todd! I've been buying from Heinecke for years.

Claude

[Pa Pa Jack]

Re: Ordering wood question

As a new carver, I did not think there could be much difference. Basswood is basswood. I bought a box of 2x2x6 inch stock, on ebay, from a supplier in WV. I also had some given to me that came from somewhere in TN. I fought it for a month.

I then ordered some from Heinecke. I bought $40 worth. The shipping was $20. II thought that was a little high, but the wood is amazing. The difference cannot be explained until you start to work with it. I am in the process of ordering more.


Jack

[mdallensr]

Re: Ordering wood question

We've talked about ordering carving wood several times; the shipping cost always comes up. The bigger the order, the smaller the shipping will be as a percentage of the total order. If you can go together with some other carvers and order $200 or more, shipping gets to be pretty minor. And Heinecke's basswood is a dream to carve. Just tell them what you want, including any special instructions, such as exact thickness vs. nominal, and they'll give you what you want. The group I host at my house is carving Susan Irish's Canadian goose project she posted as a tutorial. I ordered the 11" x 14" pieces from Heinecke and cut the ovals myself. What a treat! Mike

[Merle Rice]

Re: Ordering wood question

I have always used Wilcox Carving Wood. I found the the Basswood is very good and more reasonably priced. Have never been dissatisfied. Merle

[Bob K.]

Re: Ordering wood question

Now that I've been getting my basswood from Heineke I won't go anywhere else! The best basswood you can buy and very friendly folks to order from! I do my ordering over the phone. They ship my order, send me an invoice and I send them a check...it's that simple!

[natenaaron]

Re: Ordering wood question

I just ordered from Heinecke. Quick response to the e-mail.

[Arthur C.]

Re: Ordering wood question

I like Heinecke, Itasca and Basswoodman.

If you order from Basswoodman, you can ask for the "Uncle Al" line, which will give you actual rather than nominal measurements. The Basswoodman line is nominal measurements.

All three of these are good folks to deal with and have good wood.

[DementedWoodworker]

Re: Ordering wood question

You can not beat the quality of Heinecke's wood. They will go out of their way doing glue ups to supply you with the size you need. The brothers are really nice people and it is a family business that is run like we were in the 40's.

[EarlE]

Re: Ordering wood question

I, too, bought some basswood off ebay and ended up asking the forum about troubles I was having about stringy wood. It was awful stuff. Next batch I bought from Northwoods and it was like driving a Mercedes compared to a 30 year old Edsel (Not that I have ever driven a Mercedes!).

[Hooked on Carving]

Re: Ordering wood question

Best wood there is! An awesome company to do business with, even with special orders!

[pallin]

Re: Ordering wood question

The lesson here is "basswood is basswood" is NOT a true statement. All wood is variable. You must choose your sources. You may even have to throw out wood that doesn't carve properly.