Considering custom sawing.....

[MikeD74T]

Rick, There's a lot of information on Forestry Forum but as you read threads look at how few are about marketing their product. Go talk to wood users. Many small shops don't use more than you can produce if you produce what they use. A lot of users want high quality in small sizes that can be delivered in a pickup truck or trailer. I talked to a shop owner this summer that couldn't get what he wanted anywhere. He happened to be visiting relatives & was fishing on my property near a pile of milled lumber & slab. Owns a woodworking shop in PA & uses white pine exclusively. He doesn't use anything over 4' long and as short as 8" in random widths but needs absolutely clear stock. Has one employee full time on a chopsaw roughing material from longer boards. Just think of how many pine trees have 2' clear sections between knots & can be had for free. A WoodMiser shingle attachment will make short boards without taper too. Tree companies often have short lengths of very large trunks, too big for the firewood market, that can be quartered with a chainsaw or split then milled. To get into the best markets you will have to get into some sort of kiln. If you have the room refrigerated box truck bodies are available in many sizes and make a good start on a kiln. Add an outdoor boiler & burn waste for the heat source. Plumb to your house & multiple small batch kilns.
I know a lady that makes cherry jewelry boxes from fallen trees. The semi-decayed cherry has very attractive staining she desires. She bought her own mill as she couldn't get anyone to saw what she wanted.
There's a lot more sawyers cutting good lumber than there are marketing their products for best return. Anybody can make barn boards & pallet stock. Unless you really like making sawdust invest some time in face to face marketing research. MikeD74T

p.s. If you ever get a kiln going I know a specialty flooring producer that will buy small lots of kiln dried hardwood but is continually pestered by sawmill owners that only sell green wood.

 

[linrick1]

Hi Mike, Marketing is definitely an area I have to address. We are not looking to market a finished product so much as our services. I would like to avoid purchasing saw logs and then market the lumber, especially considering the current economy. Our aim is to locate customers who have raw logs on their property that they want sawn to their specifications. At this time we are in the process of rebuilding the mill and have begun to advertise locally to see if we get any leads. We simply do not have the room to set up the mill on our property, much less set up kilns so this will be an issue we will have to address as we proceed. Thanks for your input and please continue with your thoughts on this, thanks, Rick

 

[MikeD74T]

Rick, At .25 per board foot I spent more for a friend to cut my lumber than I could have bought it for at the time. I had blow down logs to clean up & there was a glut at the mills and I had a ball working with him. Right now construction is down but I don't know how that affects your local market. Are other local mills buying logs? This will relate to what someone's willing to pay for custom cutting.

Please don't let me disuade you from your dreams but you're diving into a world where every customer thinks his logs are worth a fortune & your time worth little. I sincerely hope you do well as sawing is truly an enjoyable pastime. MikeD74T