walnut & maple slabs

[rathbone]

Good day all,

I have a number of walnut & maple slabs I've recently sawn out.  I've sawn them at 4" thick, I have 1 maple slab that is about 10' long, the others (a mix of walnut and maple) are about 48" long.  They are all cut from crotches, the one walnut is about 50" wide. 
I will try my hand at posting some pics but am wondering how and to whom you would market these as well as how a person should charge, by the BF? by the pound?

Any advise is greatly apprceiated.

Thanks,
Rathbone

[Tom]

Rathbone,
In my opinion, what you have is a specialty product that, like art, commands its own price.

Experience will be the only way to determine the worth of the figure.

If it were me, I would let the word out to the local wood working clubs.  That would be a starter, even though they probably wouldn't buy the stuff.  Most of those guys are dumpster divers looking for free wood, but, they will be a good avenue for getting the word out, even if its because they think you are crazy for asking too much money.

The catch-all is Ebay and other auctions.  What you need is visibility first.  Consistancy is important if you plan on this being an on-going venture.  You have to have product for customers to turn down, even if they aren't buying it.

With a limited amount, you're best shot may be to build something with it yourself and sell that.  It's a lot easier to sell a table than a rough slab of wood.  The market that understands the product is bigger.

[Larry]

I’ve never had much luck selling green slabs...most customers don’t have room, patience, or the knowledge to properly dry the stuff.  Brings a lot more money when its dry anyhow.

The very best medium for selling wood is an ad on an active Craigslist.  I’ve sold woodworkers more than 300 miles away.  Your ad must be well thought out, have excellent pictures, and the price must be right.

[Kelvin]

drying them is the tough part.  i"ve cut some, and even the simple 8/4 maple seems to check on me.  Maybe they have to be slowed way down, but apparently most surface checking occurs about 40%MC, which is right away off the saw.  Cherry too, though i left that kinda of exposed, but not to direct sun.  Checked like a SOB, now its only good for garden bench or firewood.
I find that the additional effort is not worth what people expect to pay for it.  THey ask, do you saw this 8/4?  I say, well i will if you want to pay 2x's the price of 4/4.  They don't want it then.  I guess they think it should be the same price with all the savings going to them.  Slabs are the same way.  People make things out of them when they steal them from people who can't get a market.  Ebay sells a few, but look at the prices.  If they are priced high enough to be profitable, nobody buys them, and if they are priced low, someone steals them.   I stick with 4/4, kiln dry it and tell everyone else to glue it back together if they want 8/4!
Good luck
KP