Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/8/2008

Question
Howdy Jamie,
I live here in vegas and im tring to find "locally" some Quilted Maple veneer. I am looking to cover the front of an electric guitar so I need some real pretty graining like a quilted or burl Maple. No more than .125" thick.
Do you have any sugestions as to where to go here in Las Vegas for veneer or even hard wood supplier.
Thanks for any help you can give.   
                         Russell

Answer
Russell-

I've had a difficult time finding decent wood here in Las Vegas. I've really had to search to find suppliers, most people seem secretive about who they use. But I've found a few places I'll tell you about, and I hope you'll have some luck with them. Just off the top of my head, I think you are going to have trouble finding quilted Maple, but hey, you might get lucky.

My first recommendation is Peterman Lumber, down on the south end of town. I just visited there yesterday, and I'm amazed at what they keep in stock. There is a great deal of exotic wood, like Wenge, Purpleheart, Zebrawood and more. They're located at 4280 W. Windmill Ln Suite 111. I'd call ahead to see if they have what you need, (702) 430-3433. They are quite willing to bring in wood from their California location, so if they tell you they don't have what you're looking for, ask if it's available at their other facility.

My next recommendation would be Rugby, sort of near the airport. It's a huge lumberyard/home improvement center. Once again, they have good prices and a good selection. Their number is 702-248-0050. It's funny, I have no idea why more people don't use them, their prices are much better than some of the other places.

Another place I would call is National Wood Products, I can't find their number right now, but it's sort of off Polaris, by the airport, as well. I have purchased both plywood and lumber from them. Rugby has better prices, but National sometimes has obscure stuff you can't find anywhere else. An example would be aromatic Cedar; I use that for the bottom in chests that I build, and they carry a Cedar plywood that I've never seen anywhere else. So if you're looking for something unusual, they might have it.

Last thing- I don't know if this is a private question, or if it will be published on the All Expert's web page. Because of that, I don't want to say something that could come back to bite me. But let me just say this- I would not recommend most of the other lumberyards in town. I'm not going to mention any place by name, but there is one place in particular that is horrible to deal with. I don't purchase anything from them anymore. Even if I pay a buck more a foot, I will never shop there again. Let's just say they're a little short on the customer service aspect of their company.

If you can't find what you're looking for in town, I'd check Rockler and Constantines. (www.rockler.com and www.constantines.com) Both are specialty woodworking stores, and you can order the exact stuff you need, in the thickness you need. Most of these places I've mentioned (above) will only have thicker stock and you're going to need to surface it down to your desired thickness.

OK, good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this. And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com