@mike g. posted:As for the used wood, I think a lot of people in this hobby use it. I know I bought new wood for my first try but everything from then on has been used or given to me.
Mike, Mark had the intent right, it was an observation and bit of a tease. For what its worth, I used some old wood I picked up in the 70s in my layouts. Its moved many times from home to home. I can't bear to throw that stuff out. The pine boards from them have a much tighter grain than the new stuff and were far more dimensionally stable. At the same time recycling has its limits and after a while too much splicing together produces marginal results.
My former boss built his own log cabin in Western New York. Being frugal he bought a LOT of building materials on closeouts and other discounts paying a fraction of normal. When it came to property tax assessment time, he convinced the assessor the house should be taxed at a lower rate due to all the "seconds" material. From then on it was the "seconds house" to the assessor.
