: I am looking for clear grade wood planks in either Western Red Cedar or
: Redwood. I live in Iowa and I occasionally get up to Minnesota. Can anyone
: give me a lumber yard source for this type of wood in Iowa or Minnesota
: (or surrounding states of Iowa)? I will be using the wood to build a
: kayak.

Almost any lumberyard should have some cedar and redwood, but I think your problem is that you are looking for a very expensive grade: Clear.

Why?

Just last night I found some notes about the cedar I bought for my canoe. I got it at the local Builders Square (now out of business). The boat was only 14 1/2 feet long, so I only shopped for boards up to 16 feet. 5/4 x 6 cedar for outdoor decks was the material I chose. It was graded as select S4S. In 16 foot lengths the store was asking $14.30 a board. They had shorter lengths too, of course, and as I was trying to economize I compared the price per boardfoot for each length and found that the 10 foot lengths at $6.70 each were the most economical.

The price I calculated per boardfoot was $1.38, and now that I think on it, the wood was probably 20% to 25% less than that. 5/4 lumber is an inch thick, so I figured 2 running feet of 5/4 x 6 to a boardfoot. But probably I should have figured that a boardfoot is 2 running feet of 1x6 stock. Since a 1x6 is actually only 3/4 inches thick, I got 1/4 inch more wood for my money. Even the 16 foot boards were reasonable, costing about $1.78 per boardfoot (or maybe I should say "nominal square foot")

I got knots.

Some of them were big and some were tiny. Some of my strips were totally clear and a few broke into three pieces -- right at the substantial knots. I cut those off square and used them -- it looks like clear wood. The tiny knots are no more visible than the staple holes, but they influence the grain that swirls around them and add some pleasant texture and color to the wood. It looks like wood, not plastic. Half of the knots turned into sawdust as I ripped the strips.

I think you would be happy with a lower grade of wood than "clear". Clear grade wood is easily twice the price of what I used, and if you want longer lengths, I think you might be looking at over $6 a board foot -- over 4 times what I paid. Above that you will probably have to pay shipping for a special order.

If you find wood with a tight grain and even color, a cheaper grade will be more cost effective. With the difference in price you can afford to buy an extra board or two (or many more) and give yourself more strips to chose from. The best ones go on the boat,and you can save your worst strips for stirring paint. If you plan to make bead and cove edges, the ugly strips are the ones you use (and waste) to set up the router.

Of course butt joints and scarfs can be used to create longer pieces of "clear" strips, too. These joints are less noticeable if the wood color matches, or is close. Care in handling your strips after you cut them will allow you to join sections of strips that were cut sequentially. These strips will have the best grain and color match, and joints between them will look great.

Hope this helps.

PGJ