Ideas on marketing my salvage cypress?

[Kelvin]

 Title: Any ideas on how to market my salvage CYPRESS?
Post by: kelvin on October 13, 2007, 02:26:45 PM
Howdy all,
I'm looking for some ideas on whether i have firewood or something golden.  What i found a long time ago was a couple of 15' diameter barrels.  They were all disassembled and stickered when i found them in a guys barn.  He said he bought the place and was going to burn them all.  Did i want them?  I spent a million hours transporting them, as i thought they were redwood.  Now i've kilned dried a bunch and planned them to see yellow pine mostly.  Its weird, i pulled a couple of samples and they were maroon colored and light, and i showed them to some knowledgable people and everyone said "redwood"  Well, maybe some of it is, but not much.  They are 2x6's, 8' long, with a notch cut in the bottom to house the wooden bottom and dowl holes on the edges.  They plane up a 1 1/4" thick, and 5 1/4" +/- wide, and after cutting out the notch, about 7' 4" or so in length.  I think they were pickle vats, as those are the only vats we have up here in michgan.  Some of them are even finger jointed, but most are clear and tight growth rings.  I don't know why they would use yellow pine, but it appears to be.  There are a lot of nail holes from straps that went around the thing that have left a lot of stains in the lumber that won't plane out, as its as deep as the nails were.  I've got quite a bit, maybe 1,000 bd ft, of which 20% might be real nice w/o much staining.  What do you think?  Do a lot more work and make cheap yellow pine flooring?  Can i call it "heart pine"?  I thought it was real old when i looked at it, but after seeing the finger jointed boards i doubt that.  What would be the best way to market?  Any ideas?
Thanks for any help,
Kelvin

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Tom on October 13, 2007, 02:48:21 PM
the first thing to do is make sure it is pine.  The only barrels I know of tht were made from pine were dry cooperage, nails and such.

Vinegar, wine, rum and whiskey is usually in oak or beech.

Whatever it is, I wouldn't think "cheap".

Make porch furniture, maybe some fine tables and push the idea that it was made from old barrels, from wood that is difficult, if not impossible, to get today.

Do some research and try to find out where they came from and what they were used for.  Any history that can be afforded, especiallly written on a "certificate", will increase the value.  Anytime you have something that nobody else has, you can demand a high price.

Look at selling the items at craft shows, Old engine shows, art shows, on the web, or to artisans that would appreciate the "old" wood for their projects.

When selling you need patience.  The faster you "get rid of it", the cheaper it becomes. The value that you add to old wood is quadruple the value that you add to new wood.

If you don't act like you have something valuable, it isn't valuable.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Furby on October 13, 2007, 05:40:53 PM
Kelvin, try cypress. ;)

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Fla._Deadheader on October 13, 2007, 06:03:54 PM

Furby may be correct. We sawed lots of Cypress with very close rings, both reddish purple and yellowish. Looks somewhat like fuzzy Pine, only much lighter in weight.

  If that's what you have, $4.00 and up is what we got in Florida, where it grew, over a century ago or more.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: fencerowphil on October 13, 2007, 06:30:30 PM
After you verify:

                        "For sale.  Salvaged  rare old growth Cypress.
                         Unbelievable find!  Unusually thick.  Available
                         with rustic look, or planed.  $3.50 to $5.00/ft."

Your glass is more than half full.   DO NOT DEPEND UPON YOUR LOCAL MARKET! >:(
       ;D         

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: customsawyer on October 13, 2007, 07:59:56 PM
I saw alot of yellow popular that will get a purple color to it once is gets to the air. As you saw it, it is green then it will turn purple. The best advice I can give you is take a pic. of it and WDH will tell you what it is. Once you know for sure than you can market it. There is no better way to look like a fool than to market something that is something else. Don't be scared to just call it old salvage lumber if you don't know what it is.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Logwalker on October 13, 2007, 08:09:05 PM
Out here on the left coast they used Alaskan Yellow cedar much the same way they used Redwood. Also called it Port Orford Cedar. Similar species but from a different area. It has excellent rot resistance. Does your smell like Pine when you machine it? That ought to be the telltale. Joe F.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Furby on October 13, 2007, 08:42:52 PM
Naw, if it was a pickle vat.......... it'll smell like pickles every time you nick it for a looooong time!
I have some from a vat sitting 10' behind me right now. Came from the Heinz pickle factory near here.
Jeff has a piece of it on Uncle Tom's cabin.

They just sold a large pile of cypress from some vats, two days ago via auction.
Got $270 for the pile, don't know how much was there.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: beenthere on October 13, 2007, 09:42:39 PM
Historical places often are looking for cypress...back when it was mostly heartwood.
A few years back, the Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesen site in Wisconsin (near Spring Green) was looking for cypress to repair and replace boards on the old wood windmill. Looked high and low for some, and finally resawed boards that were used for siding to get enough to restore it to it's original species.

There is a preservation board, that might be contacted, to see if they might still have interest in the species.
http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/aboutus/index.htm

Never know... roll_eyes


Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: fencerowphil on October 13, 2007, 11:29:53 PM
Kelvin,

Back to the thought of this wood potentially being old Southern Yellow Pine...:

Long Leaf Yellow Pine has almost the identical density as White Oak.
The old growth version is even more dense and smells like turpentine throughout.
Even Loblolly which is another type of SYP is almost as dense.  When you said
that this wood of yours is light in weight, that ruled out these woods.

On the other hand,  the density of new growth Cypress and Yellow Poplar are very
similar.   Old growth, dense Cypress is heavier, with very tight rings.

Where da pics?   End grain, flat grain, edge grain.

Phil L.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: WDH on October 14, 2007, 12:46:22 AM
Get the Swamp Donkey to come down and take pics.  He takes some of the best end-grain close-up pics that I have ever seen.  Also, Stew is quite the pic man when it comes to high quality close-up pics.

Some pics would be nice since you have our interest piqued.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: treebucker on October 14, 2007, 06:47:11 PM
Hello Kelvin,
I read this post from the beginning. I was also thinking cypress before I read Furby's response. Any time you mention wooden pickle barrels chances are that it's cypress. But it does retain that pickle smell for a long time. So does it smell like pickles?

If you use Tom's marketing approach may I add to keep some unfinished pieces to show (and prove) what it looked like before you started.


Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: kelvin on October 14, 2007, 10:19:10 PM
Howdy all!
Some pictures of the said lumber.  The one picture shows the board i had pulled first to show people.  It looks kinda of reddish, so we thought it was redwood.  I guess cypress is a cousin of the redwood and sequioa, so maybe the grain could be similar?  What do you guys think?  Hope these photos come through with enough sharpness.  I made them pretty small.  Any ideas?  Grain sure looks like yellow pine to me.  The weight might be not as light as pine i'm familiar with, Red pine and spruce, but maybe more like soft maple weight.  Its definitely not anything in the hardwood family.  The grain looks like the veneer home depot uses on its pine BC plywood.  Ideas?
KP






Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Furby on October 14, 2007, 10:25:21 PM
Cypress!

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: ellmoe on October 14, 2007, 10:39:56 PM
   Cypress does not have annual growth rings like most timber. It can lay many rings down in a year. Therefore, it usually has a very dense appearance. The end grain definitely looks like cypress.
Mark

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: kelvin on October 14, 2007, 11:06:00 PM
Hmmm....
Cypress eh?  Does anybody in particular use it?  Like i know boat builders like a good piece of redwood to make a strip canoe.  Do these look like they have old growth type rings?  Pretty tight for most trees i've seen up north here.  Some are so tight you can't count.  Who do i market to?  I like the Frank Llyod Wright thing, thats the kind of market i could use.  $3.50-$4 a ft.  Does what i have in the pics look good enough for that?  Thanks for help out there.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: WDH on October 15, 2007, 12:23:57 AM
I,too, am in the Cypress camp.  That is what it looks like to me.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: fencerowphil on October 15, 2007, 06:46:24 AM
Looks like Cypress.

If you put ads on Craig's list, they are free.  Pick a big city out of the state, such as...
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mat/

Quote
After you verify:

                        "For sale.  Salvaged  rare old growth Cypress.
                         Unbelievable find!  Unusually thick.  Available
                         with rustic look, or planed.  $3.50 to $5.00/ft."

Your glass is more than half full.   DO NOT DEPEND UPON YOUR LOCAL MARKET!

You might want to add this:  " Will sell all rough for $3 per board foot."

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: ellmoe on October 15, 2007, 07:20:23 AM
   I sell cypress a couple of times of year to people who are building canoes out of wood "strips".

Mark

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Fla._Deadheader on October 15, 2007, 08:12:49 AM

  Woodbender would be your expert on Strip Canoes. I'm pretty sure you need as near perfectly running grain as you can find.

  It makes great outdoor furniture.

  Definitely play up the Historical side and value. It did NOT grow where you are.

  Build some furniture with it. Does it have the odor of Pickles , or, was that just a guess in what it might have been machined for ???

  Back in the day, it was used for window casings and trim in Mega $$$ houses. Search the Internet for remodelers.  That stuff is running scarce in the market place.

  We had to do a lot of talking, but, finally sold thousands of bd/ft for $4.50-$5.00 to a local lumberyard. IT was Pecky, but, yours is OK .

  Go to the other photo Gallery archives, and look in my gallery. I had lots of the old cypress in there. Some, you have to use razor blades to seperate the rings for counting. They are closer than stacked business cards.

  That's what we were diving for.  8) 8) 8)  Ya got some cash there, kelvin. DON'T give it away.  8)

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: joeleisner on October 15, 2007, 08:16:56 AM
Regarding whether people use it.....

My neighbor, a cabinet maker, has the entire exterior of his house done in old growth swamp cypress.  It is board and batten.  He just completed another addition and it looks just as good as the original section from about 1980.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: Fla._Deadheader on October 15, 2007, 08:20:14 AM

Just before my first wife passed, we had established a market with a cabinet shop. Soon after we gave up the diving and our supply about ran out. Ed has been selling benches and end table with some of the 2" stock, for good bucks.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: WDH on October 15, 2007, 11:05:23 AM
My house siding is cypress.  I love the way cypress smells when working with it in the shop.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: customsawyer on October 15, 2007, 09:43:12 PM
I lean towards cypress as well. Just for a example I sold some cypress the other day it was 1 1/8X16X22' sold green fresh off the mill for $3.00 per ft.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: WDH on October 15, 2007, 10:09:27 PM
Quote from: customsawyer on October 15, 2007, 09:43:12 PM
I lean towards cypress as well. Just for a example I sold some cypress the other day it was 1 1/8X16X22' sold green fresh off the mill for $3.00 per ft.

At $3, I would be listing hard to the right :D.  Of course, boards of that width and length are few and far between.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: customsawyer on October 15, 2007, 10:17:36 PM
That is right see you go by supply and demand. He demanded it so I was the only one he could find to supply it. 8)

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: WDH on October 15, 2007, 11:46:13 PM
Lumber Economics 101, Professor Customsawyer ;D.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage yellow pine?
Post by: fencerowphil on October 16, 2007, 07:30:42 AM
Maybe all the dollar figures in Kelvin's ad should go up by at
least...          another Dollar. ;D

And, if a customer wants to pick and match, way more than a dollar.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage CYPRESS?
Post by: BruceR on October 17, 2007, 12:37:07 AM
My #1 customer (a timberframer) has encountered people who are prepared to pay big $$ for homes made from salvaged wood. The nail/bolt holes are fine -- they just prove the wood is, in fact, salvaged.

Some of these folks want to be seen to be environmentally conscious. Others simple want well-seasoned timbers that aren't going to shrink or move. This applies equally to structures, finish trim, and furniture.

In many cases the home buyers don't know where to look for the salvaged material. Instead, they expect the timber-framing contractor to find the material for them.

This would suggest that you want to be marketing your material to specialty builders -- ones that supply the high-end market. Usually they don't care what the price is, because they're just going to pass it on to their clients anyway.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage CYPRESS?
Post by: Fla._Deadheader on October 17, 2007, 09:48:57 AM

Kelvin BruceR is dead on. Ever hear the saying "You will never get rich working for a working man" ???

  FIND the highend contractors, around lakefronts or other high $$$ developing areas. Details are not too important, unless the contractor asks where they were formally used. $$$ people BRAG about paying a BIG price for something that the friends can't find.

  Ya gotta step outta the box and look at the other side of the picture.  GO FOR IT  8) ;D ;D  ALWAYS have a couple pieces with you when you meet people. Ya NEVER know who you are talking to.

  Try Architects. They design these Mansions. When you figure an Architect can make 30-40 grand DRAWING a house, material cost is nothing  ???

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage CYPRESS?
Post by: fencerowphil on October 17, 2007, 02:30:54 PM
I am quite unashamedly piggy-backing on BruceR and FlaD.
on this, but...

Why not take one or a couple of your boards; cut 8" long samples; attach
small labels with the promo about the wood, your information, etc.;
and present them to some to these key folks:  Architects,  high-ender
builders, etc.   You can hand deliver them or even mail them.  In person
is better.   Do it with any other woods that you think would be worthwhile.

Hey, Kelvin, you could be headed from half-empty, on to half-full, then to...
"My cup runneth over!  Surely goodness...."  Well, you probably know
the rest of the quote I am getting at, don't you?  Those verses are meant
for the real world and real living.

Phil L.                P.S.  Take the pet frog with you.  Then they SHORE won't
                                forget Kelvin!

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage CYPRESS?
Post by: Fla._Deadheader on October 17, 2007, 02:49:40 PM
Kelvin, todays homework assignment. http://www.heartpine.com (http://www.heartpine.com)

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to market my salvage CYPRESS?
Post by: kelvin on October 17, 2007, 08:33:58 PM
Thanks for the good ideas guys!
Goodwin pine doesn't seem to have their prices listed, but i guess if you have to ask....  Maybe i just couldn't find it.  They said it was reasonable.  I'll have to find some rich people, and people who work for rich people.  Are they in the yellow pages under "rich"?
Thanks for the time,
KP

[logwalker]

I am certainly not an expert on cypress but that sure looks like redwood to me. The darker one is consistent and so are the lighter ones with my limited knowledge of redwood. Were the barrels ever used,  do you know? Joe

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

So, Kelvin,



What's your plan?

[Kelvin]

Plan?  Whoa!  I'll probably horde it till i die, and which point my estate will sell it for a nickle with the rest of my lumber i can't let go of.  HA!  No, i'm too young.  I'm looking for ways to sell it, but i haven't planed much to see if the rest is much good.

I've seen redwood, and its pretty red isn't it?  Maybe some of it is redwood, which would explain the dark ones.  The light ones look like yellow pine, but must be cypress.
Thanks for the ideas,
KP

[logwalker]

Don' rule out Alaskan or Port Orford cedar. But seeing as you are one the eastside of the continent you are likely right about the cypress. Joe

[ronwood]

Kevin,

We have a member on the forum who builds outdoor furniture with old growth cypress from pickle barrels and it sells quite well. One reasons that is sells well because of were the wood comes from. I will pm his user name if I can find it. You might want to get in touch with him.

Ron

[johncinquo]

If you could just find and cut wood, and hire a "marketing" person to sell all the stuff you come up with, you' be set for extra funds! 

Bring it all back over here to the west side, where they are "rehabbing" all the factories and warehouses into office spaces and condos/apartments.  It is now "reclaimed limited growth forestry product".  This fine wood once served a valued purpose in the making of delicacies for the tables of lumber and pickle barons during the faboulous 1800s to the roaring 20s.  You can feel the vibrancy of the workmen of (Heinz, Leinenkugels, oscar meyer) reverberate through the wood and into your new home.  Custom flooring and wainscoating starting at $6.95 per square foot. 

If they can tear out all the stained glass windows and sell the pieces, broken, and put into high dollar condos, you can find someone to buy what you have.  Maybe check with some of the general contractors that are putting in all the work. 

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

There !
You have it!