75 – Find Lumber at Auctions with Tommaso Valeriano

Other Ways to Find Lumber

I have spoken about some other ways to find lumber in past shows from cooperative buying to contacting your local cabinet or millwork shop.  Today I have Tommaso Valeriano on the show and he gives us some tips on how to find lumber at auctions as well as a few other less obvious methods.  Over the years, Tommaso has acquired 30,000 board feet of lumber through these methods and has some great stories about incredible deals he has made.  Surprisingly his methods don't often involve actually bidding on items at the auction but more in making friends with others at the auction and doing some deals on the side.  It seems the best way to find lumber at auctions is just showing up and being observant and asking questions.  This can lead to other auctions or sources of lumber where the savvy buyer can get in on the action before the auction ever happens.  If nothing else is gained from this conversation, just being aware of lumber auctions can go a long way.  A quick Google search in my area provided a number of examples of choice lumber ready to be snatched up.

Recently, Tommaso has bought a sawmill and is now in the game of buying or finding logs and turning them into lumber himself.  We spend some time talking about this venture and how the investment to get into sawing is much less than you might think.  I want to thank Tommaso for his tips and advice and for the great conversation.  Find him on his Facebook page, Toilwood where you can spend the day hacking away in the sand traps or diving in the water hazards.