I saw a local shop charging $200 for a slab glue-up and it got me thinking

I was at Miller's Hardwoods in Columbus last week checking out some maple and noticed they had a sign offering panel glue-ups for $200 per slab. That seems like a lot to me for just gluing and clamping boards together. On the other hand, they're using a jointer and sander that probably cost more than my whole setup, so maybe the price is fair for the machine work. I've always done my own glue-ups at home with pipe clamps and it takes me forever to get everything flat. What do you all think, is $200 a reasonable price for a 4x8 slab glue-up or is that shop trying to make a quick buck off folks who don't have the tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

mitchell.lee2mo ago

That "per slab" part is the catch nobody's talking about. $200 might be fair if they're doing the flattening and thicknessing too, not just gluing.

graydavis2mo ago

Last time I got burned on that I had to run every board through the jointer myself after paying upfront.

david5622mo ago

Yeah, that's the thing with these sellers now. Everything's got some fine print or hidden add-on these days, feels like you gotta read a contract just to buy a piece of wood.

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