Sticker shock at Lowe's

[Brians356]

I bought a single 1x6 yellow poplar 10-ft board today at Home Despot for $49. Eat your hearts out, boys.
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[Brians356]

The mills are making as much as they can. They need to make as much money as they can when the market is good so they can survive the losses when the market is bad. With lumber, plywood, PB, EWP as high as they are I promise you the mills will make as much as they can.

They just don't have any surge capacity and haven't had any for a long time.

I just read a story at Slate about a lumber mill in Maine that's running full tilt, yet shutting down next week for maintenance and upgrades. Only during flush times can they afford to invest in equipment.

The Reason Wood Prices Are Completely Out of Control

There’s plenty of timber—and plenty of buyers. What’s gone wrong?

slate.com

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[LHSmith]

Lowe's and Home Depot are not the good deal stores people think. I bought Trex decking, siding and MDF trim from a local lumber yard cheaper. I found a shower enclosure $270 cheaper at a local plumbing supply, same brand and part number, that was a 33% savings plus the sales tax. It pays to shop.

Yeah but you'll miss standing in long checkout lines, driving farther- local yards, supply houses are usually closer, The big box stores trim and dimension lumber is warped because of how they store/stack it, ordering special materials never ended well for me, most employees have little knowledge of their department, it's always a cluster #&$ trying to get someone to help loading your cart/truck, never put an item in your cart that does not have a bar code sticker.

 

[thejamesd]

Lowe's and Home Depot are not the good deal stores people think. I bought Trex decking, siding and MDF trim from a local lumber yard cheaper. I found a shower enclosure $270 cheaper at a local plumbing supply, same brand and part number, that was a 33% savings plus the sales tax. It pays to shop.

Their fiberglass insulation prices are way higher than my locally owned yards.

 

[STW51]

I can't even imagine what our ipe deck would cost today.

 

[JFrank]

This is a result of putting a bunch of cash into the market without increasing supply, plain and simple. That always leads to inflation.........

Brother I don't know where your getting all this cash from but the stimulus isn't it.

 

[Brians356]

if you decide to add a bunch of money to the economy, you have just created rapid inflation.

Not necessarily. I subscribe to this analysis (published 5 May 2021):

 

[INTJ]

Brother I don't know where your getting all this cash from but the stimulus isn't it.

All the big unemployment payments and other money the government is giving away. Add to that the "quantitive easing" the Fed does from time-to-time and it is a clear recipe for inflation.

 

[INTJ]

Not necessarily. I subscribe to this analysis (published 5 May 2021):

View attachment 1253653

It's a game they play. They exclude items that they should count.

 

[INTJ]

I just read a story at Slate about a lumber mill in Maine that's running full tilt, yet shutting down next week for maintenance and upgrades. Only during flush times can they afford to invest in equipment.

The Reason Wood Prices Are Completely Out of Control

There’s plenty of timber—and plenty of buyers. What’s gone wrong?

slate.com

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I read that too. It's a bit different market than in the West, but similar principles. A mill can only run so hard so long before equipment breaks hard. Better to take a little planned downtime to avoid that and overall throughput will be higher in the long run.

 

[Brians356]

I read that too. It's a bit different market than in the West, but similar principles. A mill can only run so hard so long before equipment breaks hard. Better to take a little planned downtime to avoid that and overall throughout will be higher in the long run.

When my dad was a kid in Elk River, Idaho during The Great Depression, the most venerated man in the sawmill was "Grandpa" Vevlee, the old master saw filer. Whatever kept him comfortable and happy came to pass. I've got a knife he made from saw steel and gave my dad.
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[markT]

I’m thinking some buckets of copper for 1 sheet 7/16” OSB for an even trade?

 

[Earnhardt]

I bought a single 1x6 yellow poplar 10-ft board today at Home Despot for $49. Eat your hearts out, boys.
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that can’t be right?...is this true?

 

[JJMoody]

North Idaho mills are stacked sky-high. Heard a while back, they were paying up to $500/1000 board feet. Barely higher than average, but higher. I’m convinced that they’re the problem.

 

[jdh47]

This latest fiasco with shutting down the oil pipeline is going to be exciting for those that weren't in on Carter's oil crisis back then.

 

[timeout]

This latest fiasco with shutting down the oil pipeline is going to be exciting for those that weren't in on Carter's oil crisis back then.

Refresher course. Gas Stations closed on Sundays. Gas went from 49 cents a gallon to $1.49. Claims that the world was out of oil. I had a 71 Chevy pickup 307 CI two barrel carb with an engine smog control system that barely got 13 mpg on the highway. Later installed some older power pack heads, an older intake and carb, changed the springs and weights in the distributor to bring it up to 17 mpg. Also equipped it with a second gas tank and depending on the distance to my hunt or field trial destination carried a spare 5 gallon gas can or two. Oh the good old days!

 

[L.Sherm]

There never has been an oil shortage, its a refining shortage if anything. I believe the last refinery that was built in the U.S was 1975. I remember as a kid seeing oil tankers anchored up off shore for ever in Anacortes, Washington in the early 70's fiasco.
I worked in the oil fields in Saudi for 2 years and had conversations with Aramco company guys telling me about the early 70's. It was all about price.

 

[rijndael]

I believe the last refinery that was built in the U.S was 1975.

North Dakota and Texas have had new refineries built. There may be more, but it's the last couple I'm aware of.

 

[L.Sherm]

The one in N.D I was told was for diesel

 

[L.Sherm]

If you dont think Aramco and the other middle east countrys don't manipulate oil prices then better think again.
Then u.S companys prices follow suite