> We probably have some good indie lumber yards around this town. There
> is
> one local chain that isn't an option: Sutherlands. I'm not going to buy
> lumber from a bunch of right-wingers.
>
But just a little while ago you said ...
> I've been going to Home Depot and Lowe's fairly regularly for the past
> 9
> months.
>
I'd guess that most of the 'right-wingers' in the independent hardware business are simply reflecting the POV that they (rightly or wrongly) presume to be that of their customers, their suppliers, and their bankers.
Quality at the independents can be well worth the couple of dollars extra you may pay. In a local comparison, Home Depot sells a 1/2 in cdx plywood for somewhere around $11, while the indie sells a like product for around $13. But the indie is a 5 ply board, while the Home Depot product is 4 ply. (The strength of plywood lies in the alternating direction of the strands in their adjoining layers.) I can't figure out how they can alternate 4 plys and still have the two outer layers oriented to the long axis. Maybe diagonally?
martin