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battens as stickers for B&B siding

Started by brdmkr, October 09, 2006, 11:21:54 PM

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brdmkr

I have a potential customer that is wanting me to cut a board and batten pattern for decorative purposes.  The B&B will be installed rough for a rustic appearance inside a metal building.  This will be a relatively large job for me (about 5000 bdft).  I have cut very little for the public, but when I do, I cut stickers free of charge.  I will do the same for this fellow, but I have been thinking about a way to actually kill 2 birds with one stone.

The boards will need to be 12 feet long.  Would there be anything wrong with using the battens for stickers?  I am thinking that I could have a 4' wide stack, skip 4' and have another 4' wide stack using the battens for stickers.  My thinking is that this would allow adequate air flow within the stacks.  My concern is that the 4' space between stacks may allow the battens to move too much.  Do You think this would work?  Do you think the battens would benefit by having a 1' wide stack in the middle or would that restrict air flow throug the end stacks?

Just trying to get maximum yield from the logs and reduce the time I have to spend cutting something for free.

Many thanks!
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

scsmith42

Here are the problems that I would forsee.

First - moving the piles.  A 4' wide pile can be loaded / unloaded with a forklift.  An 8' pile cannot.  You'll have to hand stack / destack everything.

Second - sticker stain.  It's always a good idea to use dried stickers, rather than green.  Of course, it's starting to get cool out so stain / mold will be less of a problem.

Third - 4" wide battens will be more prone to staining the underlying boards than a 3/4" wide sticker.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

Ga_Boy

Something elese to consider, charge for cutting stickers.

If my blade is in the wood, I charge for it.  Others do not work free for me, so I do not work for free.
10 Acers in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Brad_S.

I completely agree with Ga_Boy about charging for stickers. Stickers appear deceptively easy, but if you add the time and material involved in making stickers you will see you are giving away a huge amount of wood and time which translates directly to income lost.

I try not to cut battens to size unless the siding is going up green. If stacked, narrow battens tend to bend and warp as they dry. I cut full width boards and suggest to the client that the battens be ripped from dried boards shortly before installation.

At any rate, my opinion of using the battens as stickers is similar to scsmith42's.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

brdmkr

Moving the stack may not be a big issue as the lumber would be sawed on site and could be unstacked as needed.  The other issues may be more of a problem.  As pointed out, I do realize the amount of effort and wood that goes into cutting stickers.  On a decent sized job, it can be significant.  Maybe I should cut a bunch of stickers ahead of time and either charge for them by the foot, or charge a deposit that is refundable when the stickers are returned.  I just don't feel right charging the customer the same bdft rate for wood that he won't be able to use once the stack is taken down.  Maybe I should get over it.
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

Radar67

Stickers can always be used as tomato stakes once they are done.

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Dan_Shade

the economics of stickers is crazy.  it takes 2 cuts to make a sticker, which pretty much doubles your board foot rate. 

I was thinking of selling stickers to people when I saw that were already dried, and I came up with around $0.75 each, and that honestly wasn't ripping anybody off....

think about doing a huge job with "free" stickers.

i've sort of come to the conclusion that if they don't want stickers, they can dead stack it, and deal with the problems that causes.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Brad_S.

Quote from: brdmkr on October 10, 2006, 09:56:51 AM
I just don't feel right charging the customer the same bdft rate for wood that he won't be able to use once the stack is taken down.  Maybe I should get over it.

Pumpkins, Christmas trees and annual flowers are three things that come to mind that are of no use after their reason for purchase has passed, but that doesn't stop the garden center down the street from charging big bucks for them. :D
As Dan said, they are serving a purpose, without them the customer would have real problems. If the customer can't find another use for them afterwards, that doesn't negate the value they have/had and they served a real need.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

I still remember the days of gathering a few drink bottles and taking them to the store.  The little dusty lane was only 300 yards or so.  We would sometimes take a couple of cartons of bottles and get a drink with that deposit money.  Of course, that deposit change would not cover the Moon Pie. 
 smiley_big_grin3
The good old days !
My thought is that I can't afford to give away stickers, but I am more than happy to consider paying some amount to get them back.  If it eases your conscience any, charge a reasonable amount, then offer  that "deposit money" back to the customer - perhaps 1/3 of the retail value of a sticker.  I saw a lot for myself and am always in need of some dry sticks!

DanG, you could even give them a Moon Pie as a bonus!
:D
Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

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I have yet to cut stickers for a customer. For the most part, I saw only their wood, and charge by the hr. If they wanted stickers, it would be the same hrly rate. I usaully tell them that dry wood is best for stickers anyway.  If I were selling the wood, I would not even consider giving away stickers. Takes way too much time and materials to be giving it away.

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