Busy Busy Busy (Photos)

[Texas Ranger]

Joey, went to your web site, you sure thats not southern YELLOW pine?

Me? I'm just 5'11" and 200 pounds, but I was the runt of the littter.

[Don P]

Phew, I was starting to feel a little...peak-ed :D

[JoeyLowe]

 :D  Heck Don, I'm too much of a novice to know the difference between trees much less pines.  I'm just going on what the farmer called it.  Here's a a closer pic of a piece that I lopped off since it was infected with metal.

[Bud Man]

I vote SYP  sure got some healthy rings !!

[JoeyLowe]

   I downloaded the xat.com image software and now I are capable of making not so big pics.  Thanks! ;D

[Don P]

I think it must have been a local name for one of the yellow pines, I think the southern end of the whites is the GA mountains?

Southern Yellow Pine (oil finish)


Eastern White Pine (unfinished)



Heavy latewood in your closeup Joey, a good sign of strong SYP...4+ rings per inch and a large proportion of (dark) latewood.
.

[Gordon]

 I downloaded the xat.com image software and now I are capable of making not so big pics.  Thanks! ;D

That is a nice program to work with, I've been toying with it as well for my pics. Works great. I'm a camera newbie as well. Having a blast with it so far. Went to a wooden castle yesterday, one big playground and the kids wore me out.

Gordon

[JoeyLowe]

 ;D  Hmmm, guess I might add another busy to this message.  Got a call from a little town in Arkansas, just north of Texarkana, yesterday.  Guy wanted a "couple of logs" milled next week.  So I off I went to scope things out and when I got there, his couple of logs were actually closer to 40 logs.  His neighbor also had a couple of logs too. (Closer to 10).  They are part-time woodworkers and want all 3/4" stuff cut from oak, pine and sweetgum logs averaging about 20" in diameter.  I scheduled them for next weekend and they told me that they had another buddy that will probably drag a couple (who knows how many) logs over for the milling next weekend.  8)  Seems the highway is clearing a right-of-way for a new freeway and the logs are for the taking.  

On the way home, I get a call from a fella in Texarkana who has 15 hardwoods that he wants milled into 1x6's and wants me to cut on the shares.  I swing by his place and the trees are felled but have not been limbed or bucked.  They are laying in an empty lot inside a subdivision with expensive homes.  I told him that all I do is mill the logs, no limbing, bucking or stacking.  He pleaded with me to take a larger share and have that done for him and he needs it done within the next two weeks.  These trees wil produce probably 3-8 footer 18" logs each and they are all walnut, sweetgum and oak.  So I agreed to do this too since I have now found a market (a local lumberyard that will buy all of my excess roughcut hardwood for .40-.60 cents a bf.) ;D ;D ;D

To top it all off, the fella that I cut for last week that let his children ride on the slab being towed behind his truck, called me back.  He has another 50-60 logs that he wants milled into log cabin cants and he wants me to start on next Weds.

[JoeyLowe]

 :D :D :D  I forgot to add that so far this has been too much fun to be work, although I could barely stand the day after finishing that 1500BF by myself.  Whew!   8)

[Bibbyman]

Mary and I attended the Wood-Mizer open house yesterday. We got home way late and found a large gooseneck trailer load of red oak logs parker on the log lot. (He had arranged ahead of time to do this.)  

I started about 9:00 am to unload these logs when a neighbor pulled in with about a 15 cedar logs 12' long and 12' on the top in.  I unloaded him and he said he'd be back with another load.  Unloaded the red oak and put them on the skid blocks to the mill.  Just got the last log placed when yet another neighbor pulled in with 40-50 cedar logs 8' by 10-15" diameter to sell us.  Got him unloaded.  He didn't get out of sight before the other neighbor was back with his second load of cedar.  Unloaded him and visited a while.  

Went in he house to eat a sandwich and got about half way done when the doorbell rang.  It was yet another neighbor with a trailer load of cedar logs to be sawn up. He just left the trailer so we didn't unload it.  

So from 9-12:30,  we received about 7,000 bf of logs to saw.  

Good thing it was Sunday so I could have a day of rest! :

[JoeyLowe]

 8) 8)  Just goes to show you that it's all relative.  I can't imagine that much business on Sunday nonetheless.  I guess it will happen soon enough! ;D

[macurtis]

  What started the rush? Which one of your marketing ploys
did the trick?

Thanks ,
macurtis

[Bibbyman]

Some of our rush was planned.  Most of the customers knew we were not going to be there on Saturday to unload them. Too,  a major rain storm is moving in and they wanted to get their logs out and over here before the rain started.

[macurtis]

Senior member Bibbyman, my question was directed to
Mr. Joey.

[JoeyLowe]

 :D  Hi Mike:

I would have to say the ads in the Thrifty Nickel did it for me.  I sent you a private message with all of the details.  For others who are interested, you can go to the Thrifty Nickel website and place your print ads there.  My strategy has been to make this a 5 step sales process since I'm new to the area and don't know a lot of people and since I'm also new to sawing and have no reputation established yet.  

The first step occurs when the prospect calls in response to my ad.  I take the time to inquire about what they have and what they want and then I explain a little about what I do and I try to set up a face to face meeting in order to go to step 2.  This weeds out the tire kickers most of the time.  Step 2 entails the face-to-face.  During this meeting I take a look at the site, the logs, and explain what has to be done by the prospect prior to me bringing my mill out.  Step 3 is combined with Step 2 in that I have them sign a custom cutting agreement prior to scheduling an appointment.  Step 4 is the actual cutting day.  My custom cutting agreement establishes the date and time that I will arrive, so I make sure that I'm on-site at least 15 minutes early. (As the new guy, reputation is the only thing right now).  As of late, my father-in-law and sons have taken to wearing vright orange T-shirts too!  Anyway, I try very hard to actively involve the log owner in the process, explaining everything along the way.  The information provided on this forum has been a godsend, in shortening the learning curve in that regard.  Using Tom's wisdom, I make darn sure that the customer has the better end of the deal and has all questions answered prior to my leaving.  (As a side note, I recently started bringing along a couple of 4 x 4's and cinder blocks to build the initial base for stacking the lumber.  It gets the lumber well of the ground, and establishes the location where I want the cut lumber stacked. Afterall, neatness counts when you're the new guy.)  I collect my money and leave, but three days later, I complete step 5 which is really the beginning of another sales process.  I call the customer back and ask if they were satisfied with the lumber and if they could refer me to someone else.  So for, they have all referred me to others and I have gotten 5 jobs strictly off refferals. 8)  As the lumber that I cut early on, begins to dry out, I plan to call these same customers back at 30-45-60 and 90 day intervals just to check on them, their lumber and to ask for additional referrals.  Afterall, you never know until you ask. ;D  I figure that eventually, I will be able to work off of word-of-mouth alone, but until then I have to go hunting. ;)

[Bibbyman]

Joey,

Your Step 5 is a particularly valuable idea.  I guess I've done this on an informal basis when I've seen a customer at the gas station or something but haven't formally made any effort to do this.  

I do something similar when we sell kd lumber,  I ask them what they are making and if it's something interesting (normally is),  I'll ask if I can come over a take a picture of their project when they've got it done.  This allows for another visit and an opportunity for the customer to show his pride and joy.  I'll always ask how the lumber worked for them, etc.

I don't go so far as to ask them for referrals.  I figure if they are pleased, they'll tell others.

macuris,

Sorry to butt in on our question to Joey.  Hopefully no harm was done.