My daughter and I are getting ready to start her canoe, first step is to head to the lumber yard and look for some good cedar. Has anyone found anyplace (I know I'm asking a lot) that has good, clear, long 1X's

I'm hoping that I can find some locally, but you never know.

bcon

You will need to go to a specialty lumberyard as the Big 3 dont carry knot free cedar. Knots ARE BAD. You can get precut strips from NorthWest canoe in StPaul MN. They are a board sponsor and great guys to work with.
They actually sell the entire kits, everthing(except the strongback). Good deal for a first time builder. All the right materials in one place.
CB

Thanks. This will be our second canoe. I will try to post pictures of the one my oldest built. I'm pretty tight, so buying the pre-cut kit (although is tempting) is out of the picture. Any ideas on "specialty" yards to try?

Last time I priced NW, they offered strips at $0.38 per linear foot. These are not bead and cove strips. For comparison Bear Mountain offers bead and cove at $0.84 per linear foot.

I bought clear 5/4" x 6" x 16' at $3.18 per linear foot. I ended up making my planks about 7/8" wide to reduce waste. After cutting my strips, I figured that they cost me $0.24 per linear foot.

When you think about the work involved with ripping planks, the NW strips are a bargain.

Oh, I found my clear cedar in the racks of a local building supply store (Do-It Center). They were left over from a job long, long ago. I bought the whole bunch (7 boards)....... If you can get back in the yards of small time shops, take a look around. Sometimes they don't have a clue what is back there.

Is it Youngblood Lumber that carries it? Seems they were located off Hiawatha in Minneapolis somewhere, can't say for sure.

The local lumber yard in Hayfield, MN has some redwood, more than enough to build a canoe. I got my strips for a skin on frame kayak there.

Youngblood is a great place. Had to get ash for my last boats gunwales. Needed 20 plus feet for it.
CB


Like a kid in a candy store!

Just thought I'd mention that occasionally I will find a nice clear cedar post 4 x 4 etc at Lowes or Home Depot. Well actually I've only found 2, but you know what I mean. Just mixed in with the other stuff. Sure you'll have to scarf your strips but you can get some nice stuff and super cheap if you find one. Since then I always check the aisles for clear lumber, not really expecting to find something but you never know...

Moonman.

I did the same thing as Moonman. I found some really nice 8 foot 2x4s at a local lumberyard. I picked through their stack and got 12 of the clearest and best figured ones I could find. It took twice the cutting and some careful joinery, but it turned out very well.

JD

Went to local lumberyard today, and one of my former students that works there is going to get me some prices on clear cedar in 1 X 8 X 18' Will be interested in the pricing. I asked about white cedar, said it would be tough, but might be able to find some in shorter lengths. If I can get some, think I'll get a board or two to use for accent strips.

Getting excited to start on this project, the boat is headed for storage in the next week or so, and the canoe will have a stall in the garage for the foreseeable future.

I too will be interested in what you find.
Where do you live anyway? (I don't see a whole lot of info in your profile)

I finished my bead and cove work today 1,314 linear feet of nice wood. I followed Michne's suggestions on milling the perfect strip.

Keep us posted on your wood discovery, and good luck.

I will post what I find, my former student feels fairly confident that he can find what I need. I have been told that shipping costs are built in to the price of what they have, so even when I buy in-stock items the shipping cost is still part of it, so not as big of a deal for them to ship in something as I thought.

I told him I needed clear cedar "D" Grade or better, fewer knots is better, but some knots add character (not to mention the fact that I need shorter lengths anyway).

I'm not going to go crazy, but the cost of the lumber is not a major concern of mine, I know there is a limit to this, but for a few extra bucks I'm not going to worry about it.

I'm from NCentral Iowa (Algona), a small group of builders here that include a few of my retired or nearly retired friends who have taken my daughters and I under their wings.

I'm planning to be in Brookings this fall, pheasant hunting, and to visit my daughter who just started school there. She is the primary builder of our first effort, a 18' Osprey.

If I can figure it out, I'll post a few pictures.

This weekend, we clean up the shop.

Stop by and visit if you are in Brookings. I would like to meet you.
I live on the south end of town and generally easy to reach off I-29
Give me a call at 692-9653

High Plains Drifter,

Your picture kind of got me going a little bit tonight. Will post the above picture of the first canoe with my oldest, I'll post as we go with my middle daughters canoe. It will be fun to compare notes as we go.

bcon

What model is that canoe? length? The picture also looks like it was taken on the SDSU campus. Very nice work on that canoe.

Looks like built-in air chambers. I have thought about those. They serve an important function....... buoyancy and maybe best of all, they reduce the amount of back breaking work that it takes to get the inside bow and stern cleaned up and looking good.

Color of the thwarts and seats are a nice contrast to the hull

It is an Osprey / 18' hull / we cheated and just purchased the seats / yoke / thwarts, but turned out good.

The air chambers were the idea of a friend of mine who has built 19 boats, so we went with it, the design on them is, according to my daughter, a butterfly, her design.

The picture was taken a few years back on our high school campus.

Finally got around to purchasing the cedar for my daughters canoe. 1 1x12 X 16 and 3 1X10 X16...a lot of sorting at the local lumber yard, but few knots and some nice coloration. Hopefully will cut some strips this weekend!

bcon
and so it begins! Good luck
have you told us what canoe model you are about to build?

Not sure, but we will be building another Osprey. A bit shorter at about 17'. Should be a real adventure! Will be fun!