Ideas for more steady work

[4x4American]

Anyone have any suggestions as to places to look to sell rough cut lumber to?  I'm looking for new markets that are more steadier.  There's a pallet operation down the road who said a while back he'd buy everything I could saw, problem is, after I buy the logs there ain't much meat left on the bone.  He wants em cut to certain short lengths (45", 55", etc) and stacked on pallets (he'll provide) and delivered for not much $.  Hard work to go broke...  I'm getting mainly pine orders for siding and dimension lumber, which is my bread and butter right now.  Thing is, many people around here sell rough cut pine, so it's a whoever sells it the cheapest game.  I've got a small network of wood workers who I sell to but they only buy a couple hundred bdft at a time.  I just talked with a pallet company I haven't spoken with before yesterday, but he said that the market is saturated he can get what they need so cheap they aren't buying any cants and this warm winter hurt them with selling apple buckets or whatever because the late frost we had put a hurting on the orchards.  I did find a flooring mill about 2 hours north that said he'll buy white oak and pine had to be sawed through and through, and the smallest order he'll take is 3mbf, which is too much for my truck/trailer to haul and to make 2 trips doesn't really add up monetarily.  Besides I'd have to cross state lines and with that much weight, I believe that puts me in CDL and DOT number territory, and I'm not there yet.  I could hire a trucker, but that might put me over what the flooring guy will pay, and then I need something that can load a semi trailer..but I could also send more lumber.  I had a long talk with the owner a few weeks ago, and he told me to give him a price delivered, and when I called back (3x now) I haven't gotten to him, I've left messages each time and have heard nothing back.  So I take that as they are having their lumber needs satisfied.  RR ties would be another option, but the only tie place I have found so far needs each pack to be 20 7x9's and once I get a TT load they would send one but I don't have a machine that can lift that much weight right now.  I also had a local hardwood trim business who I could sell gooseneck trailer quantities of lumber to, but right now he's full and is waiting on his new kiln to be installed.  He is also building a whole new setup, and one of his regular suppliers is advertising his sawmill biz for sale on CL.  So I think that could be a good place for me to sell lumber to in the future.  He said his new DH kiln can dry wet oak in 7 days or something (not sure how) it's some big fancy thing I'm sure he's spending alot of $ on.  He has lots of $ tied up in milling equipment, and says it doesn't really pay for him to open up logs, even though he recently bought a new to him sawmill.  Not sure if it's up and running yet.. Right now I'm pretty much advertising on CL, FB, I'm putting flyers up and handing out biz cards.  I just recently moved into my new location so just getting the word out that I am where I am and doing what I'm doing is a slow process.  Especially since I'm a bit off the beaten path.  Any thoughts?

[Percy]

Up here in Canuckistan, I sell lots to the mining sector(drill pads) and logging road bridge timbers. You could try scaffolding companies for their planks. Apparently planed lumber is a  no no cause its much more slippery when wet. Another possibility might be making wanted products in your area out of the lumber you cut with your mill. ( give yourself a good deal) :D :D

[4x4American]

Good ideas, thanks!  Canuckistan  :D  :D  :D

I'll have to talk to the boss man and see if he'll work with me on some of those outrageous prices lol

[thecfarm]

Might take time to get going with the wood working bunch. WDH is really doing good with his wood workers. Need stock to choose from. I have no idea what wood you have to offer either,for the wood workers.

[4x4American]

Yea it's neat I've got a guitar maker, duck decoy guy, a couple cabinet guys, some hobbyists, and some guy who's buys what I have, air dries it, s2s' it and sells to wood workers he knows

[Chuck White]

If you land a sawjob in sight of a road, you'll most likely have a few stop by and inquire and you'll likely get some more jobs!   ;)

[Hiway40frank]

You still in the adk? I will let you in on my secret that pays very well but requires a long distance haul. NYC, people are buying live edge table tops like crazy down there. I sell rough and finished tops and the buyer puts it on something than sells it for 2-5k. I can go down with just a pickup truck bed load of some nice slabs and come back with a few grand. The trick is you have to find a buyer who builds with them or you yourself has to make a finished product. NYC is a huge market and has some of the wealthiest people in the country all you have to do is figure out how to seperate them from there $$ 🤔 I have learned in my short time milling that selling a finished product is the only way to make really good profit everything else is kinda breaking even or just side income. Also a good load of slabs can take me 3-4 months to work on. If you sell "rough" air dried slabs dont expect much more than 100-300 a slab depending on size quality and a whole host of factors, but plane it, sand it and steralize it then you have something worth close to 1000$.

[red]

I would rather you take them to Boston . . .

[paul case]

It sounds like to me that you are looking it all over. These things take time. Be patient. Don't be afraid to try something new. When I first started I cut a lot of pallet lumber. You cant make any money making4x6. They are common as dirt. You can make a little dough cutting specialty parts. Find someone making heavy skids or building odd big pallets. Ties on the heart and pallet lumber is the only way to go with rough logs over 12''.
Do you have a good supply of logs?
Look into a forklift? Find a sawmill near you that is making ties and you may be able to sell them your ties in bundles of 20. You could stack them 5 at a time on your trailer with a what loader you have maybe?
Keep looking. something will break open for you.
PC

[Kipper]

Kiln dried slabs delivered to the New England and NYC area sounds like a viable market. Look for the tourist and artsy folks. By the way I will be in Gansevoort the 12th-15th of June, you up for a visit?

[red]

I sound like a broken record but there is a ton of info at www.Tomssaw.com  learn to be the best sawyer you can be and do a good job . Any contractor must sell the job then perform the work and then get paid .  It does not always work out that way . If it was Easy everyone would be doing it .

[starmac]

It sounds to me that you are in dire need of a forklift of some kind. I can't imagine getting in any kind of lumber business without one.
I was lucky and had an old forklift before I picked up a mill, it is old decrepid, didn't cost much out of pocket, but is very dependable and has been a lifesaver.

[Luke_Eames]

I'm in a similar situation as you are.  We sell a lot of pine and hardwoods but not enough to really give us a lift and keep a good steady income coming in.  One thing you can try is to talk with your loggers and get them involved as well.  I talk with my point of contact every week and he knows that unless I have more buyers, I wont buy a large quantity of one log type.  He has a lot of contacts in the area and is working with me on finding additional buyers.  If I have buyers, he knows I'll be going to him for more logs. 

Other things to make yourself aware of are inefficiencies in your operations.  Once I started paying attention how many times I was handing a board.... well... i knew things had to change...  ;D  The less amount of handing time, the more time you have for sawing, the more bf you can saw, and the more appealing those lower paying jobs look.  If you want to remain steady, profitable and efficient, you need to invest in the business and in equipment.  My wife gives me that look every time I say that to her.  :D :D :D ;D ;D

[Magicman]

I have no idea how large the market is but my customer has plans for these edged slabs.


 
I have seen them used in lodges and cabins for baseboards, crown molding, window & door facings, corners, inside wall paneling, outside siding, as well as fences.

[Hiway40frank]

Kiln dried slabs delivered to the New England and NYC area sounds like a viable market. Look for the tourist and artsy folks. By the way I will be in Gansevoort the 12th-15th of June, you up for a visit?

"Artsy folk" I had a guy buy a 40inx8ft oak slab that he put a hanger on and hung it over his couch. He paid 500$ for it.

[4x4American]

You still in the adk? I will let you in on my secret that pays very well but requires a long distance haul. NYC, people are buying live edge table tops like crazy down there. I sell rough and finished tops and the buyer puts it on something than sells it for 2-5k. I can go down with just a pickup truck bed load of some nice slabs and come back with a few grand. The trick is you have to find a buyer who builds with them or you yourself has to make a finished product. NYC is a huge market and has some of the wealthiest people in the country all you have to do is figure out how to seperate them from there $$ 🤔 I have learned in my short time milling that selling a finished product is the only way to make really good profit everything else is kinda breaking even or just side income. Also a good load of slabs can take me 3-4 months to work on. If you sell "rough" air dried slabs dont expect much more than 100-300 a slab depending on size quality and a whole host of factors, but plane it, sand it and steralize it then you have something worth close to 1000$.

Yes still in the ADKs...as much as that sounds appealing...having to go down to NYC is about one of the worst things I can think of doing.  It would be neat if I could get a buyer to come up here and get them from me...I can only saw 28" wide slabs...seems like everyone always wants 3' and sawed 3" thick...I tell them that they can come tail the mill then  :D

It sounds to me that you are in dire need of a forklift of some kind. I can't imagine getting in any kind of lumber business without one.
I was lucky and had an old forklift before I picked up a mill, it is old decrepid, didn't cost much out of pocket, but is very dependable and has been a lifesaver.

I have an '81 john deere 2640 70hp..it does ok but is hard to start below 50 and the hydraulics are weak and it leaks alot.  I think it needs to be split to fix that hydraulic leak.  Which could be why it's weak.

Kiln dried slabs delivered to the New England and NYC area sounds like a viable market. Look for the tourist and artsy folks. By the way I will be in Gansevoort the 12th-15th of June, you up for a visit?

Stop on in!  BYOG (bring your own grits).  I'm only about 30-40mins north of Gansevoort in Fort Ann.

It sounds like to me that you are looking it all over. These things take time. Be patient. Don't be afraid to try something new. When I first started I cut a lot of pallet lumber. You cant make any money making4x6. They are common as dirt. You can make a little dough cutting specialty parts. Find someone making heavy skids or building odd big pallets. Ties on the heart and pallet lumber is the only way to go with rough logs over 12''.
Do you have a good supply of logs?
Look into a forklift? Find a sawmill near you that is making ties and you may be able to sell them your ties in bundles of 20. You could stack them 5 at a time on your trailer with a what loader you have maybe?
Keep looking. something will break open for you.
PC

Good ideas.  Yes I can get logs...paying for them is another thing lol  I have a good chunk tied up in logs right now...it'd be on thing if you could sell the whole log but to fill an order not everything I saw out of the log go to the order...that's my side lumber.  Which I stack on pallets the way Jim Rogers described in his "my lumber storage story" thread.

[4x4American]

Back to that slab thought....I did a sawjob for a guy a few months ago and I sawed out all sorts of pine slabs and his plan was to take them down to NYC and charge alot of $ for them..how do people carry them slabs into their apartment anyways?  Do they ride the subway with them?

[YellowHammer]

Do you have a webpage?  There are companies which troll the web looking for lumber suppliers, many of them out of "word of mouth" range. 

When I first started, I literally drove up and down every major road I could in town, trying to identify any business that uses wood, even if it's unconventional.  I'd stop in and talk to the owner.

Among the normal things, here's a few of the off the wall but excellent jobs I was offered.  A big trailer shop that builds many trailers a day wanted me to supply them with white oak decking as an alternative to normal pressure treated decking.

A major concrete contractor wanted me to cut all their form boards.  They use a LOT of wood for their forms, and like it long and straight, things they can't get easily.

Fence companies and landscapers call me routinely for fence slats and post for pastures, swimming pools and backyards.

The swimming pool contractors always looking for cedar decking.

A shop that sells a lot of machine tools wanted me to supply the lumber for their crating. 

[paul case]

4x4
It does seem like you would find 1 person who wanted the whole log, but it doesn't usually work that way.

I find I can't get by with 1 option for the cant and 1 option for the lumber. I seem to need at least 2 for each as some logs ya get wont tie and some lumber ya make wont grade more than 2com. Then there are some that wont buy this species or that. That's where the pallet buyers are good. They usually don't care about species or grade just that it must be sound and the right size.
When I first started making cut to length pallet stock, I made a load on my flatbed pickup. Seemed like it took me forever.  Probably 1200 boards. I thought I may never do it again. I changed my cut off setup a little and tried some more and got it done faster and easier. I don't even think about it now. We just do it.
The thing is we have to figure out what we make the most doing. For me, it is custom work. When we cant get that it is ties and grade and If the logs make poor grade lumber or are odd species then they get made into pallet lumber.
Keep looking. The best advertisement is a happy customer. They will tell everyone they know.

PC

[Czech_Made]

In my neck of woods - horse snobs of Virginia  ;D - there is always market for 6"x1" - 16' fence boards.

[WV Sawmiller]

In my neck of woods - horse snobs of Virginia  ;D - there is always market for 6"x1" - 16' fence boards.

CM,

   Don't they have to be white oak or are they buying other types of wood for horse fences too?

[Czech_Made]

From what I bought and used - yes, i admit we had a "free" horse for few years - they were oak, maple, willow oak, hard to say once it's just a board.

But you are right, it should be oak.

[dustyhat]

A buyer around me wants 1x6x16 foot poplar for there fence co. i guess they treat it.

[Hiway40frank]

You still in the adk? I will let you in on my secret that pays very well but requires a long distance haul. NYC, people are buying live edge table tops like crazy down there. I sell rough and finished tops and the buyer puts it on something than sells it for 2-5k. I can go down with just a pickup truck bed load of some nice slabs and come back with a few grand. The trick is you have to find a buyer who builds with them or you yourself has to make a finished product. NYC is a huge market and has some of the wealthiest people in the country all you have to do is figure out how to seperate them from there $$ 🤔 I have learned in my short time milling that selling a finished product is the only way to make really good profit everything else is kinda breaking even or just side income. Also a good load of slabs can take me 3-4 months to work on. If you sell "rough" air dried slabs dont expect much more than 100-300 a slab depending on size quality and a whole host of factors, but plane it, sand it and steralize it then you have something worth close to 1000$.

Yes still in the ADKs...as much as that sounds appealing...having to go down to NYC is about one of the worst things I can think of doing.  It would be neat if I could get a buyer to come up here and get them from me...I can only saw 28" wide slabs...seems like everyone always wants 3' and sawed 3" thick...I tell them that they can come tail the mill then  :D

It sounds to me that you are in dire need of a forklift of some kind. I can't imagine getting in any kind of lumber business without one.
I was lucky and had an old forklift before I picked up a mill, it is old decrepid, didn't cost much out of pocket, but is very dependable and has been a lifesaver.

I have an '81 john deere 2640 70hp..it does ok but is hard to start below 50 and the hydraulics are weak and it leaks alot.  I think it needs to be split to fix that hydraulic leak.  Which could be why it's weak.

Kiln dried slabs delivered to the New England and NYC area sounds like a viable market. Look for the tourist and artsy folks. By the way I will be in Gansevoort the 12th-15th of June, you up for a visit?

Stop on in!  BYOG (bring your own grits).  I'm only about 30-40mins north of Gansevoort in Fort Ann.

It sounds like to me that you are looking it all over. These things take time. Be patient. Don't be afraid to try something new. When I first started I cut a lot of pallet lumber. You cant make any money making4x6. They are common as dirt. You can make a little dough cutting specialty parts. Find someone making heavy skids or building odd big pallets. Ties on the heart and pallet lumber is the only way to go with rough logs over 12''.
Do you have a good supply of logs?
Look into a forklift? Find a sawmill near you that is making ties and you may be able to sell them your ties in bundles of 20. You could stack them 5 at a time on your trailer with a what loader you have maybe?
Keep looking. something will break open for you.
PC

Good ideas.  Yes I can get logs...paying for them is another thing lol  I have a good chunk tied up in logs right now...it'd be on thing if you could sell the whole log but to fill an order not everything I saw out of the log go to the order...that's my side lumber.  Which I stack on pallets the way Jim Rogers described in his "my lumber storage story" thread.

Heres an idea that wont hurt, throw an add on NYC craigslist and specify its pickup only, tell them its enviroment friendly whatever and see what happens.

The pine slabs end up as "bar tops" and as far as only milling 28in, if you have time to work on them and joint smaller slabs or do huge butcher block table tops it might be worth it. I only move a few finished slabs a year as in ready to put on legs and use, but when someone does buy one its a really nice pay day. I was down in nyc a month ago and visted a decent size store that only sold live edge tables. Some where no more than 12in wide. The cheapest thing they had was 1900$ and the store was packed with people buying them.


Also if nyc make you as crazy as it makes me Boston is just as close also Montreal if you have a passport.

[paul case]

I think I should add something here,

Be careful what you ask for. You might just get it.

I really have only had the new mill going. Scott, my 21 yo son, is sawing with it. I have been busy sorting, strapping and staging logs and lumber. I have probably only sawn ten logs in the last 30 days. Scott on the other hand has sawn 11k ft of walnut, 100 ties and 7k ft of 4/4 hardwood. Not to mention a few smaller custom orders.

I get to edge some.
PC