So, I don't use much HW molding but I have bought about 50ft of base and 100ft of casing from a major west coast manufacturer (through a dist), all maple. They usually have stock and thus don't charge a knife setup fee. The base and casing were good quality, just a few mineral streaks.
I decided to add a 5&1/2" crown molding and after unpacking I could not believe that they shipped this with a straight face - several 1" knot holes and nowhere near the ends. Bought 4 14' pieces at $10/ft. The crown costs twice that of base and casing probably because they have to start with thicker stock.
When I started this project, I looked into getting a molding machine and doing it myself but hard to justify for the amount I needed. However I saw that many pros finally get a molding machine and they reap big cost savings. In my area I get maple for about $6 a bd-ft and depending on size of molding you could get 2 or 3' thus a molding cost of $2-3 per foot. Probably not as simple as just pressing a button though.
I checked my area (very large metro) and not much besides this manufacturer unless you want to pay a knife setup fee. Upside is quality will be guaranteed because you see it before accepting delivery.
Picture is the face of 5&1/2" maple crown, all 4 pieces have major defects! I'll will contact manufacturer but will probably have to cut out defects and splice.
I decided to add a 5&1/2" crown molding and after unpacking I could not believe that they shipped this with a straight face - several 1" knot holes and nowhere near the ends. Bought 4 14' pieces at $10/ft. The crown costs twice that of base and casing probably because they have to start with thicker stock.
When I started this project, I looked into getting a molding machine and doing it myself but hard to justify for the amount I needed. However I saw that many pros finally get a molding machine and they reap big cost savings. In my area I get maple for about $6 a bd-ft and depending on size of molding you could get 2 or 3' thus a molding cost of $2-3 per foot. Probably not as simple as just pressing a button though.
I checked my area (very large metro) and not much besides this manufacturer unless you want to pay a knife setup fee. Upside is quality will be guaranteed because you see it before accepting delivery.
Picture is the face of 5&1/2" maple crown, all 4 pieces have major defects! I'll will contact manufacturer but will probably have to cut out defects and splice.