Free or Cheap - Quality hardwood for your clock or other projects

[David Morrow]

I have a local hardwood supplier that's pretty good and clocks don't really require a lot of wood so this may be of limited value. But, if you would like some hardwood that is well and truly dry and stable, here are a couple of ideas :

1) I walk by our local thrift store every day or so. Out front they always have a selection of small furniture pieces - typically coffee tables and end tables. Sometimes, a bit of bedroom furniture. These are very often oak or cherry and the tops could be particularly well suited to larger gears. And they are usually about 3/4 inch thick which is pretty close to gear thickness. You need to know your hardwoods and hardwood prices but, in my experience, these can be great value.

2) This idea may be a bit blasphemous to some. If so, just don't tell anyone what your plan is. If you check Craigslist in the Free section or Musical Instruments section, you will be surprised how many people have old pianos that they can't get rid of and are offering them for free. These should all have a lot of good hardwood content. Don't forget the bench. I wonder what you could do with the keys ? Just get a small truck and two strong friends to make the move. I'm not sure how many owners who are making these gifts would appreciate what you plan to do with their old treasures so maybe keep a lid on your talk about where to make the first cut...

[ArtF]

Good idea's.. never considered a piano before....

:)
ARt

[David Morrow]

I only wish an accordion was good material. When I was a kid, I would happily have taken a chain saw to that MF'ing thing and made clocks out of it...

[jmurphycnc]

I have heard of people buying the old uprights for the scrap metal value alone.

John