The cheapest way to buy lumber is green and rough cut from a sawmill in your area. However if you purchase the lumber while it is still fresh means it can't be used for a while. The only alternative will be by purchasing dried lumbers from home improvement shops , that is if you have a lot of money but personally I'd like mine rough cut and prepared by me.

After you have planned everything from the project to your desired materials it is now time to make a purchase. Going to a sawmill and choosing the best lumber for the project is our next step, and if you go to a sawmill you will find lumbers that are just laying around that you can choose. But remember this, "green lumber will shrink while drying!" So make sure you pick stock that is a little over sized.You should find that the price you pay here will be very good, so don't try to haggle the price down. If they like you and you become a repeat customer they will probably give you even better deals later on.

For quite a few very good guidance on woodworking plans why not try visiting the blog page.

After you get your lumber home, you'll need to decide on how you will dry it. Air drying is on of the ways to dry you green lumber this is done by piling your boards directly under the sun but protected from the rain Each 1" thick board will take a year to dry up so if you have like a 4" thick board it takes 4 years. A lumber can b allowed to dry inside the workshop after a year because it usually has 12%-18% moisture therefore it is not yet ready to be used.If your shop has low humidity you can let your lumber finish drying for a few weeks in there. I suggest that you buy a thermometer/hygrometer from Radio Shack. It is only about $40 and you can buy remote sensors for it to monitor other areas. The humidity in your shop should be under 50%RH to allow your lumber to finish drying down to 8% moisture content.

Another way to dry your lumber is by using solar kiln and if you still don't have it you can find the plans online. These kilns can be built for only a couple hundred dollars. As soon as the lumber gets home you can immediately put inside the kiln to have it dried. Drying the lumber can sometimes depend on your location and the temperature however it usually takes 30-60 days to have it dried or reach the 6%-8% moisture to make it ready for use.

As soon as the lumber is all dried up you can now make it ready for your project. The very first thing you want to do is joint one face of your board. This can be achieved by hand with a hand plane or the simple method by having a jointer. You can then cut the board to your lose to the final length needed. The thickness planer is the next stop for that board. This process will make the board equal in thickness. Once you plane the board right down to your final dimension, then you joint one side either manually or by using a jointer. Cutting the board to the final width is the next process after you have planed the it to your desired thickness. You can do this with a table saw, band saw, or even a skill saw with an edge guide. To set your board to the desired width you can used the edge of the board as guide. You are now close to starting your project. Cutting your own board from scratch surely saves you a lot of money