Hobby Mill

[Burroak]

Did Hobby Mill just close their business or sell to someone else? I have heard good things about their wood products.

 

Thanks

 

Greg H.

[mtaylor]

Jeff retired from the premium lumber business.  

 

Crown Timberyard has taken over, in many ways, from Jeff. 

WoodProjectSource also has a variety of timbers.

 

Have a look here... http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/384-where-to-buy-wood/   It lists these and other suppliers.

[Boatsinc2000]

Have some inventory left over and I'm planning on having a sale after the Holidays.  I'll post details here on MSW when I am ready for the sale.  Also I would recommend Crown Timberyard as a great alternative to my products.

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff Hayes

HobbyMill

[BRiddoch]

Great tease Jeff. Looking forward to your sale.

 

Bob R.

[Nirvana]

Oh oh, another sale from Jeff.

Better be ready with the wallet, was lucky last time.

[Guest Tim I.]

I have bought from Jason at Crown Timberyard for my Essex project, and I have to say his work is top notch. You will not be disappointed with your order.

 

- Tim

[Nirvana]

Tim,

I have no doubt that Jason work is top notch, I am to order from him when it comes to my Syren, if not before..... ​

Edited December 29, 2015 by Nirvana

[Nirvana]

We should be very fortunate of having Jasons and Chucks companies around.

Saves a lot of extra time instead making your own blocks and lines.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Nirvana

[glbarlow]

On 12/25/2015 at 1:59 AM, mtaylor said:

Jeff retired from the premium lumber business.  

 

Crown Timberyard has taken over, in many ways, from Jeff. 

WoodProjectSource also has a variety of timbers.

 

Have a look here... http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/384-where-to-buy-wood/   It lists these and other suppliers.

I see Crown Timberyard is also now out of business. Anyone have a good source still in business as of February 2020?

[Chuck]

No unfortunately in the USA there are no longer sources for milled strips of Boxwood,  holly or Swiss Pear.   There are only a few businesses left and they are all outside of the USA.  I am afraid that the only way folks are going to get stripwood like this moving forward is to invest in a good hobby saw like the Byrnes and buy sheets to mill your own strips.  Not only is it cheaper but after a short time you will get really good at it.

 

you can find domestic stuff like basswood or cherry but the sizes are limited.  Taking your models to the next level means learning how to use a saw like the Byrnes saw to rip your own strips.  Its not a good business to be in and it is unlikely that anyone will jump into this space to replace hobbymill.   

[glbarlow]

I have a Byrnes saw and can do a reasonable job of ripping my own, in fact I did for my current model since I couldn’t find anything and still had a few billets from Jeff. It’s just that I prefer not to, I don’t do it enough to be good at it and I don’t have the proper ventilation to rip something like ebony. 
 

Even with that, I’m still looking for a source for quality woods in sheets in 3-5mm thicknesses. I’ll try some of the sites listed.  I do miss Hobby Mill, didn’t realize how good I had it with Jeff. 

[Chuck]

Yes Jeff certainly spoiled us all.  I miss the service every day.

[BobG]

On 2/18/2020 at 5:25 AM, Chuck said:

 Taking your models to the next level means learning how to use a saw like the Byrnes saw to rip your own strips.

I'm a long ways away from being able to scratch build a model from the architectural drawings but I would like to be able to substitute better quality wood for the wood supplied in some of the kits that I'm interested in building. So many kits have mediocre or even poor quality wood in them that it's difficult to get the kind of sharp edges and smoothly sanded surfaces that I want on the model. So maybe a Byrnes saw will be the first tabletop machine that I buy.

 

Bob

Edited February 20, 2020 by BobG

[ASAT]

That saw and his thickness sander will take you a long ways in improving your models and your modeling capabilities.... I’ve had mine over 20 years and they are still my most valued modeling tools. They have paid for themselves many times over and I am amazed that they are still as accurate and powerful as when I bought them.  

[glbarlow]

You’ll find all across this forum people rave about the Byrnes saw, I like everyone else love mine.  I use it all the time along with my Byrnes Sander.  I haven’t sprung for the thickness sander yet, but based on the seemingly shortage of quality strip wood it may be next.  

[blumenfe]

Still hoping to find a source in either Canada or the US that sells precision milled hardwood for model ships.  Anyone find another source that is taking over from Hobby Mill and Crown Timberyard?  I'm hoping to not have to rip my own.

[mtaylor]

21 hours ago, blumenfe said:

Still hoping to find a source in either Canada or the US that sells precision milled hardwood for model ships.  Anyone find another source that is taking over from Hobby Mill and Crown Timberyard?  I'm hoping to not have to rip my own.

 

Not yet that I'm aware of.  Some of the wood companies on this side of the pond sell wood in manageable sizes but not much in way of what we traditionally use

[blumenfe]

6 hours ago, mtaylor said:

 

Not yet that I'm aware of.  Some of the wood companies on this side of the pond sell wood in manageable sizes but not much in way of what we traditionally use

Well, crap.  What is everyone doing, then?  I guess I need to get a Byrnes saw.

[Bob Cleek]

4 hours ago, blumenfe said:

Well, crap.  What is everyone doing, then?  I guess I need to get a Byrnes saw.

 

Yep. And then some. Get a Byrnes saw, a Byrnes thickness sander, a bandsaw, and a perhaps a decent hand plane if you don't want to spring for a jointer. That will enable you to mill whatever you need from billets cut from many species of excellent modeling woods that can be had for nothing. Box, pear, and the other commercially sold species are great, but you have so much more to chose from once you become self-sufficient. Even some woods from old discarded furniture can be turned into fine modeling stock. The machines do cost money, but you get a good return on them if you ever sell them used and the savings over buying milled wood pays for them in short order. One of the biggest benefits is that you can always cut the sizes you want, rather than hunting for hard to find dimensions.

 

[glbarlow]

I’m buying billets of precut thickness and ripping what I need with my Byrnes saw.  It’s kind of rewarding to mill your own.  But even the billets are getting harder to find. You won’t regret buying the saw, it’s a great tool for more than milling planks. 

[knightyo]

I've ordered pear for my Syren (below) from The Lumberyard (based in Ohio).  It's supposed to arrive sometime this week.   I've also been tempted to purchase a Byrnes, but six bucks for the material I need is fantastic, assuming the quality is good.

 

Item:1 - Qty:4, Pear Wood - 2` x 24` (1/16), Price:$6.00

 

Alan

[glbarlow]

The quality of the boxwood I bought a while back from the Lumberyard was so bad I sent it back.  Hope you have better luck.

 

[knightyo]

Oh no.... That figures..   Maybe I'll also end up being a candidate for a Byrnes saw.  Maybe we can all get a group discount. lol

 

Alan

[grsjax]

5 hours ago, knightyo said:

Maybe we can all get a group discount.

Maybe site management can explore that idea further.  I have seen group buys on other sites that provided members with quality products at a discount.

[glbarlow]

Many of us already have one, plus Jim Byrnes deserves full retail for providing such a superior product. 

[Kevin]

its the import taxes and postage to the UK that kills any discounts offered, i just recd a kit from CAF 5KG, 1/3 of the kit total price was just just that 

[Thunder]

There used to be a loop hole where if you got a company to post to someone in the US and they forwarded to you marking the item as a present you didn't pay the duty. I believe they have closed that now.

 

My wife brought me the Lauck Street 'Fair American' and really got stung. To be honest, if she had known about the extra cost, it would not have got purchased. I have never brought anything direct from the US since.

[glbarlow]

Seems like that’s a UK thing not a US one. I buy lots of modeling related stuff from the UK and have none of that. 

[Edwardkenway]

5 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Seems like that’s a UK thing not a US one. I buy lots of modeling related stuff from the UK and have none of that. 

Yes it seems  to be a one way thing, as the majority of products from the states attract either import duty , VAT or both!!