How did you market your lumber ???

[Shaggy]

Here is my situation, I have ONLY hardwoods on my property. Here is a partial list Oaks (res and white) Maple (soft and hard) I have a few leads, I can trade some hardwood for cypress. I can also sell some dried hardwood to 2 mills but want to hear how ya'll marketed and sold YOUR hardwoods and services to others and best ways to make a profit (though this isn't going to be my major income as I'm only going to have a manual mill so max would be 1000 bf a day).

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Shaggy, do some reading. Get on Craig's List and see what's listed in the materials section.
Narrow the search down to lumber or slabs.
Read your states market bulletin to see what others are selling or looking for.

Having a manuel mill is not bad at all. You can get into the Slab business selling to wood workers who make tables and bar tops.
You can also re-saw for customers who may have beams etc. Just because you have a manuel mill and can't saw producing a truck load of boards a day absolutely does not mean you can't make money.

Member WDH has a slab business. For years he air dried his slabs and finally is building a kiln to dry lumber.
He does well.

I know a guy that saws slabs and after air drying them, takes them to shows and hands out business cards.
There is income to be made in Oak and Maple slabs.
Advertise your slabs with pictures on Craig's List. I've had folks drive 100 miles to buy slabs for bar tops because I posted pictures of my product.

Find out where the nearest KILN is to you. Customers will buy green slabs and take them to the kiln themselves.

Just start sawing, stack and sticker them. It's good to have some slabs on hand so when you start meeting folks and they come by your place, it looks like you've been working.