Finding Good Woodworking Stores (And Avoiding The Lousy Ones)

Last year I drove 45 minutes to a specialty woodworking store because the reviews said they had the best selection of hardwoods in the region. Got there. They had maybe eight species total. And the walnut looked like it had been sitting in their warehouse since 2003.

That is when I realized reviews lie sometimes, and finding a good woodworking store takes actual legwork.

The Different Types of Stores (And What They Are Actually Good For)

Not all woodworking stores are equal, which seems obvious but took me years to figure out. Each type has tradeoffs.

Big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes are fine for construction lumber. Pine, poplar, basic plywood. But their hardwood selection is usually picked over. I have spent 20 minutes digging through their oak boards trying to find one that was not cupped or twisted. Sometimes you get lucky. Usually you do not.

Specialty woodworking stores are where things get interesting. Rockler and Woodcraft are the big chains. They carry stuff you will not find anywhere else – router bits I did not know existed, jigs that actually work, finishing supplies beyond the basic Minwax lineup. But holy cow are they expensive. I have walked out of Rockler feeling like I just bought a used car when all I got was a couple clamps and some sandpaper.

Local lumberyards are my favorite but they are dying out. There is one about 30 miles from me run by a guy named Carl who has been selling lumber since the 70s. He knows every board in his inventory. Told me once which oak would look best for a specific dining table I described. He was right. You can not get that kind of advice at Home Depot.

What To Actually Look For

Here is what I have learned after wasting time at bad stores:

Check the wood in person. Online ordering is convenient but I have received warped boards, lumber with hidden knots, and one memorable shipment where half the cherry had weird discoloration. With wood, you really need to see it and pick through the pile yourself.

Ask about moisture content. Good stores have moisture meters and will let you check boards. Bad stores look at you funny when you ask. If they do not know what you are talking about, their wood probably was not stored right.

See if staff actually know anything. I asked a kid at a big box store once what the difference was between red oak and white oak. He said one is redder? That is… not helpful. At real woodworking stores, staff should be able to answer technical questions.

Services Worth Paying For

Some stores offer extra services that seem expensive but save time:

Cutting services are hit or miss. My local lumber yard will rip boards to width on their big table saw, and the cuts are cleaner than what I can do at home. But the big box stores use whatever teenager they hired that week and the cuts show it.

Tool sharpening is underrated. Woodcraft sharpens plane blades and chisels for a few bucks. I sent in my grandfather hand plane blade once and it came back sharper than new. Worth every penny.

Workshops and classes vary wildly. Some are basically sales pitches disguised as education. Others teach you stuff you would struggle to learn on your own. I took a hand-cut joinery class at a specialty store and it was genuinely useful. The finishing workshop at another store was just use our products for two hours.

Online vs Local: The Real Tradeoffs

I order plenty of stuff online. Sandpaper in bulk. Hardware. Finishing supplies when I know exactly what I need. Amazon and the specialty store websites are fine for that.

But for wood and expensive tools? I want to see them first. Bought a bandsaw online once because the reviews were good. Should have tested it in person. The table was not as solid as I expected and the guides needed constant adjustment. A store demo would have shown me that.

The instant gratification thing matters too. When you are in the middle of a project and realize you need one more clamp or a specific router bit, driving to a local store beats waiting three days for shipping.

My Actual Store Rotation

After years of trial and error, here is how I shop:

For rough lumber: Carl lumberyard, period. Nobody else comes close on selection or price.

For hardware and fasteners: Home Depot because it is close and screws are screws.

For specialty tools and supplies: Woodcraft, but I watch their sales and never pay full price if I can help it. Their monthly specials are actually decent.

For wood finishing: A small paint store downtown that carries General Finishes. The owner mixes custom stains and actually understands how different finishes interact.

Red Flags At Woodworking Stores

Watch out for these:

Dusty inventory. If their wood has been sitting so long it has accumulated dust, it has been sitting too long. Good stores rotate inventory.

Aggressive upselling. A staff person who keeps pushing premium products when you explained your budget is not helping you. They are making commission.

No return policy on tools. Even good tools sometimes arrive defective. Stores that will not take returns are hiding something.

Prices wildly above online. Some markup is expected because they have overhead. But 50% more than Amazon? No thanks.

Building Relationships Actually Helps

This sounds old-fashioned but it works. I have been going to the same lumberyard for about eight years. Carl knows what I am working on, holds good boards for me when they come in, and once let me return a piece I had already cut when I changed my mind about a design.

Try getting that treatment from a big box store.

I bring him coffee sometimes. It is not bribery, it is just being decent. But it does not hurt that I get first pick of the good walnut when it arrives.

The Sad Reality About Small Stores

Independent woodworking stores and lumberyards are disappearing. It is cheaper to order online, and big box stores have more locations. I have seen three specialty stores close in my area in the last decade.

So if you find a good one, support it. Buy stuff there even when Amazon is slightly cheaper. Take their classes. Tell other woodworkers about them. Because once they are gone, they are not coming back.