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Nwe Ideas on marketing and getting a new sawmill lots of work!!!!!

Started by bikedude73, September 18, 2009, 07:05:42 PM

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bikedude73

Any ideas for a new sawmill to be busy as quickly as possible.... :P

LeeB

Start with some of your own logs to get a little experiance in before you tackle someone else's. Set up where you can be seen sawing while your doing this learning.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Captain

In this economy, I'm having trouble keeping an old sawmill busy.    :(

Captain

Frickman

If you need some practice sawing find low or no cost logs and just start sawing. Saw for yourself first, then start giving lumber away. Now when I say give lumber away, don't just give it to anyone. Do you have some local boy scouts working on some project? Supply them with the lumber. Got a local volunteer fire department? Saw out some cribbing for their rescue truck. Does the local park need some new picnic benches? Saw and build them some.

I'm a fifth or sixth generation sawmiller whose fairly well known in the area and I still find it beneficial to give some wood away now and then. I help out a good cause and get my name around. Sooner or later I'll get some more sales. This past August we sawed out two hundred feet or so of oak cribbing for a local fire company. Mostly 2 X 4's and 4 X 4's out of some oddball and firewood logs. It might have been worth a hundred dollars at the most on a good day. We didn't have alot of really good sales days this past summer so I figured what the heck, we'll give it away. That donation, along with a few others, have paid for themselves five fold only six weeks later.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

Magicman

During the first 2 months that I had my mill, I sawed my own logs.  It was near the public road and folks started stopping by and watching.  I sold every stick of lumber that I sawed.

A couple of months later I sawed all of the lumber to build a 16X24 building.  We hauled the entire load of lumber to War, WV, and built a Food Distribution Center.  I charged nothing for my work.  No fuel, no blades, no time, nothing. The newspaper covered the story and guess who got free advertisement.

In '05, I donated the logs and sawed all of the lumber to build this "Utility House".  All at no charge.  Again, the publicity has ment many $$$ to guess who.

Contact your local Forestry Ass'n.  Volunteer to set up and saw at one of their Field Days.  Again, when the public sees you sawing, it generates business for you.  You have to build a name for yourself to build a customer base.


16X24 Utility Building with 8" front porch and 20' carport  100% donated lumber and sawing.




Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

solidwoods

Can you further process with table saw, router, drill press?
You can make products from your #3 lumber.
The Sawmill shelf (cat not included).
Easy to make, Unique, versatile, outdoor deck preservative finish.








Outdoor furniture.
I make parts for 40 Adirondack chairs in 40hrs (using a 4 side moulder for the S4S)
It takes another 40hrs to assemble/finish (with a catch box/garden sprayer)
I sell them for $110. Oak/Cedar/Ambrosia Maple,, $120 Cherry/Walnut.
20bf each.
The tables come in size variations of the same design.

Wood pavers.
We mkt. Pine for $.25sf and hardwoods $.35sf.
The jig we use is capable of cutting 16sf per pass @ 1.5" thick.
Made from your junk logs/cut offs




Woodweave.
.25" on the mill scale to cut the weave.
Build it with green weave slices (dry frame).
Weave can be set into a dado or a rabbet with a strip to keep it in place (reason is it's not viewed from 2 sides)





Benches.
Make from low grade logs.
Center the cut on the pith, orient limbs/forks so you get bookmatched slabs.
Legs have a Lg. dia tennon and its mortise/hole is drilled with a hand drill with a drill holding jig to ensure accurate angles.

This set is a set of 2' long made from the same blank, when brought back together,, one can see its the same log.
I make my rustic legs from log centers, they are 3" or 4" squares with major defects and each is about guaranteed to get a crack (rustic design so no problem).




Or if all else fails.
Sell the shop cat.
Sawdust (Dusty) the shop cat



jim
Ret. US Army
Kasco II B Band mill
Woodworking since 83
I mill & kiln dry lumber, build custom furniture, artworks, flooring, etc.
If you mill, you'll be interested in some of my work in one way or another.
We ship from our showroom.
N. Central TN.

treecyclers

I put signs on my truck that offered free tree removal with my toll free number on them.
I also got the local TV station to cover me milling the logs on site.
It got me 300 calls in 3 days, about 85% who were kooks, but I figured my cost for the job was about $300, but I got well over $150K in work and free advertising.
SD
I wake up in the morning, and hear the trees calling for me...come make us into lumber!

Magicman

Set the mill up at a local "Feed & Seed" store and saw all day.  You won't need but a couple of logs.  Give the store owner the lumber.  You'll pass out hundreds of business cards that day.  Farmers need storage sheds, horse barns, and corral lumber..... :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

solidwoods

Also check for local internet sites that are free classifieds and (I hate to support them but Craigslist)

Also Value added manufacturing can add up to you had work today v.s you didn't.
Make some products instead of making the couch more flat (always stay busy, spec work will sell eventually if its a good product).

People here are sawing.
Circle mill $.15bf
Portable band $.15bf and hearing tale of $.10bf
Yep.
jim
N. Central Tn. Fentress Co.
Ret. US Army
Kasco II B Band mill
Woodworking since 83
I mill & kiln dry lumber, build custom furniture, artworks, flooring, etc.
If you mill, you'll be interested in some of my work in one way or another.
We ship from our showroom.
N. Central TN.

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