I’m excited to share one of my absolute favorite shop secrets: cull packs. If you aren’t familiar with the term “cull,” let me break it down.
At most big-box stores and local lumberyards, you will find piles of heavily discounted wood. This is lumber that employees or customers have cast aside because it isn’t perfect. Some boards are warped, split, bowed, or even broken. Typically, these individual culled pieces are marked 25% to 50% off. It is a fantastic, budget-friendly place to source materials, especially if you only need short sections or have the tools to plane the wood flat. You will find a mix of dimensional lumber, plywood, trim, and paneling. Over the years, I have built dozens of projects on a deep discount using these piles.
Of course, buying less-than-perfect wood means dealing with waste. You will inevitably end up with a pile of truly unusable scraps. To offset this, I like to design small fixtures, brackets, and quick knick-knack projects to stretch every dollar and use up as much material as possible.
But the real holy grail of discounted lumber is the official “cull pack.”
When a lumberyard’s discard pile grows too large to manage, staff will strap the entire mess together and sell it as a single unit. This “bunk” contains a little bit of everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly, all banded together. The best part? You can usually score these packs for 75% to 90% off retail value. In fact, most of the lumber you see in my own shop came from these packs. I make a habit of scouting local yards once a week for fresh bundles. Just recently, I picked up a pack valued at $982.31, and walked out the door paying only $98.23.
If you decide to go hunting for cull packs, a quick word of advice: bring a trailer and a cordless circular saw. I usually roll up with my 12-foot trailer, a saw, a drill, and a tape measure. You never know what you’ll find—I’ve bought packs containing massive LVL beams, 20-foot boards, and even roof trusses. Keep in mind that lumberyards rarely provide loading or cutting assistance for these clearance lots. You are entirely on your own.
Ultimately, cull packs are the single best way to stock your shop without breaking the bank. Next time you head out for supplies, take a detour to the back of the yard. Your next weekend project might be waiting for you at a 90% discount.
BONUS TIP: Don’t overlook local sawmills! Ask if they have a free discard pile. They frequently throw away great material they can’t use for regular orders. Most yards will let you load up for free just to help them clear out space.
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