Wood prices on the rise

[lightsoutcalls]

I swung through Tulsa this weekend on the way to hunt on the other side of OKC and stopped at Woodcraft to look at wood.  The first bin I saw was canarywood. The price they had on canarywood was $24.99 a board foot.    Holy Cow!  I paid around $11 a board foot for the last couple of boards I got this year.   I can remember when it was around $7-$8 a board foot a few years ago. 

I paid $27.99 a board foot for some bocote.  I haven't had any in the shop in a while and don't get to hand pick my wood very often.

I haven't raised call prices in 2 years, but will likely have to consider doing so for next season.  Everything is going up.

[Treeninja]

WOW thats crazy. The place where I go has a ton of canary for around $11 per brdft, and I just paid a ton for a sweet piece of bocote myself. I guess that I'm blessed to have a hardwood place about 5 minutes away, I was looking at some beautiful red heart last time I was in there. But they wanted like $75 for a 4/4  6"x48" piece, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

[stone road turkey calls]

next year, as a call maker has all ready began, we are buying wood, surface materials, glue, replacing tools, shipping materials, sand papper, finishing supplies, drill bits, the list goes on. these things have all gone up, I see a price increase coming also.

[lightsoutcalls]

I have purchased some materials, but tend to do that on an ongoing basis rather than all at one time.  It hurts less that way.   

I do like to have most of my materials needed for a season of callmaking prior to the start of that season.  It also helps on taxes... for what that's worth...

[Old Gobbler]

I feel your pain - 


Last year , I took much of my  revenue from making pushpins and went and bought up plenty of ebony .....well lets say that was a good move on my part because the price has shot up %50 - %100 in one year, and finding good quality , or workable sizes is becoming very difficult - as I speak - I  may have to again.... go out and "futures" buy up even more Gabon Ebony in particular - just so I can have some calls to make for turkey hunters a couple of years from now 

I put some serious work , effort , and time into my calls - I like making them , and I get compensated for my time and materials , but there is no way I can absorb the materials cost into the cost structure

I will simply have to collect slightly more for each call that use substantial quantities of specific woods that are costing more to obtain - AKA Ebony  , Im sorry that I will have to do this , but I wont make calls at minimum wages 

[lightsoutcalls]

Since canarywood is one of my staple exotic woods, I checked a couple of places this AM where I have bought online in the past.  One seller had only pieces under 4" wide available.  Another seller had only 3 boards of 4/4 canarywood, but has 8/4 and 12/4 that can be resawn.  I put in an order for 12 board feet, which should last me for at least a year. 
I just bought padauk and yellowheart about a month ago... 2 of the other primary exotic woods I use.  I wanted to have some "extra" money to be able to play with, but I may be best served to snatch up supplies for next year...

Is it just me, or was it much simpler to deal with the economics of callmaking even 2 years ago? 

[Lonehowl]

And dont forget the online sales tax bill thats probably going to pass here shortly...

As much as I love the exotics, its just getting to expensive to get nowdays for some styles of calls. I turn mostly predator calls, but have been using mainly domestic woods last few years. Its hard sometimes to match the sound quality of some of the harder exotics when using domestic stuff, but they can work. Stabilized wood is a good option sometimes to.
Mark

[lightsoutcalls]

And dont forget the online sales tax bill thats probably going to pass here shortly...

Unfortunately one of my congressmen is one of those pushing the bill for internet sales tax.  He received a long, heartfelt email from me yesterday.  I question if the thought of "small business" ever crossed their minds as they developed their legislation.

[Old Gobbler]

And dont forget the online sales tax bill thats probably going to pass here shortly...

Unfortunately one of my congressmen is one of those pushing the bill for internet sales tax.  He received a long, heartfelt email from me yesterday.  I question if the thought of "small business" ever crossed their minds as they developed their legislation.

Its nothing more than another tax , aka extortion to pass onto the general public and yet slow down the economy even more --- and they wonder why the economy in anemic

[Redfish71]

If you have a klingspor wood shop near by check them out. I purchased 15bft of canary and 15 BFt
Of yellowhart for 7.39 a bf today.

Dave