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Mantel Business

Started by POSTON WIDEHEAD, April 17, 2017, 09:48:02 PM

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POSTON WIDEHEAD

In my area out Mantel business is really growing.
I now keep Red Oak and White Oak logs off the ground and in the weather for 9 - 12 months and let them spalt.
Its really important not to let them lay for more than a year as the sap wood will start breaking down.

We then saw them into mantels and let them air dry to around 14% before we sand and finish them per customers order. We spray for Powder Post Beetles after each mantel comes off the mill and once again 2 days before we sand them.  With the high dollar homes going up in the Charlotte, NC area and the neighboring cities of Fort Mill, S.C. and Indianland, S.C......most of my mantels are purchased by contractors for outdoor, undercover fireplaces.

This is a Spalted Red Oak and stained with a Chestnut stain. The black spalt really stands out and will match black cast iron pots and pans that will be displayed on the customer's stone fireplace.

The face edge was stripped of the bark and sanded but left with the natural rolls and natural indentions.
Its 5 inches thick x 10 inches wide and sawed at 9 foot 6 inches in length. This will allow enough length for the contractor to get an exact length after the stone is put into place. Rebar will hold it up as if its floating.
Looks nice and is solid as a rock.

  

  

  

 
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

tule peak timber

persistence personified - never let up , never let down

YellowHammer

They look great.  So you mill them to order then air dry them for the customer?  How long is the delivery time? 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: YellowHammer on April 17, 2017, 10:42:38 PM
They look great.  So you mill them to order then air dry them for the customer?  How long is the delivery time?



We saw them over sized, spray them and put them up for a year or so or until the MC gets low. We got stacks of them, White Oak, Red Oak, Cedar, Poplar and Walnut.

I'll saw a 7 inch thick Mantel and put it up.....if the contractor needs a 6 inch, we then resaw the 7 inch mantel down to 6 inches. We keep different sizes, some live edge and some squared up.
When one is chosen out of the dry stack, we will pull it out and spray for beetles again. We can sand and finish a mantel in a day. So when one is picked out they can pick it up in 3 days. So its a 3 day delivery time.  ;D
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Ljohnsaw

And they all sell for $300, right? ;) :D
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

ToddsPoint

Your stained red oak mantel is beautiful.  Gary
Logosol M7, Stihl 660 and 290, Kubota L3901.

thecfarm

Those look mighty nice. Good job!!!
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Bruno of NH

Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

4x4American

3 day delivery time if you ain't got 3 other mantel orders lol
Boy, back in my day..

YellowHammer

I'm impresssed that I'm not seeing checking when sawing that thick.  How are you managing that?  Last time I tried that thick I got all kinds of cracks when air drying.  Anchorsealing the ends, but what about the faces?  Is it because they lay for a year before you saw them?
 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

kelLOGg

How long does it take you to air dry 5" thick oak to 14% MC? Do you make core measurements?

BTW, beautiful mantles.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

Ohio_Bill

Well done, Congratulations. 
Bill
USAF Veteran  C141 Loadmaster
LT 40 HDD42-RA   , Allis Chalmers I 500 Forklift , Allis Chalmers 840 Loader , International 4300 , Zetor 6245 Tractor – Loader ,Bob Cat 763 , Riehl Steel Edger

Magicman

Good job David identifying and meeting the need for a niche market.   smiley_thumbsup
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

WV Sawmiller

   Another good point about making them as long as Dave mentions is this allows the builder to make the corbels out of the same piece if they want to.

    I make a few when I get a good log but I only cut mine 3 to 4 inches thick because I don't have the MHE to handle something that heavy. I also have not been finishing mine just selling rough cut. Most of what I have sold were cherry.

Dave,

   Do you just sticker and stack them on top of each other to dry or do you have individual racks for each mantel? I've thought about making something like that  but wonder how bad they would bow and cup if stored like that or even stacked on their sides.

   Real pretty wood. I know the new owners will be real proud of them for years to come.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: YellowHammer on April 18, 2017, 06:53:50 AM
I'm impresssed that I'm not seeing checking when sawing that thick.  How are you managing that?  Last time I tried that thick I got all kinds of cracks when air drying.  Anchorsealing the ends, but what about the faces?  Is it because they lay for a year before you saw them?



Ok....pay attention.....you know and I do that ALL hardwood mantels will face check over time when drying. Thats ok.
This is one reason they are sawed over sized.
When we resew them, most or all of the face checking is removed. Some face check will return over time and thats what we want....a mantel that looks really old.
The mantels are installed with rebar on the fire place. I've never seen a mantel yet that had warped after being installed over rebar.
Over time some face checking will return, thats fine....thats what the customer is looking for.

After a year of air drying I just check the moisture content with my meter that has the prongs on it. There are no core samples taken or X-rays or MRI's or anything like that. A mantel being outside will be going up and down on MC content anyway.

The worst thing about selling a mantel is when the customer says it don't look old enough.
I had a lady that bought a Cedar mantel 2 weeks ago and stained it a Red Oak color. Her husband hit the ceiling.


The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Magicman

Actually that is OK.  She got what she wanted and he's got her whether he still wants her or not.   ::)
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

WDH

The good thing is, even though the mantel is not dry to the core, that after a year or so, most of the wood movement that will happen has already happened, and when re-sawed flat and square, the mantel block is likely to stay that way.  It can finish drying in place.

I sell them too, and you have to think way ahead to have stock that has had enough time to dry down to a usable level.  I have dried walnut and maple with no checks or splits, or just minor ones, but oak usually behaves worse with cracking and splitting.  Rustic is in, so the cracking and splitting is not so much of an issue.  If you want perfect wood with no cracks or splits or checks, you can laminate the wood, otherwise, unless you have a vacuum kiln, a solid beam of wood will do what it wants to do.

I have tried to develop a consistent pricing methodology.  I take the 4/4 price for a species, like red oak, and double the 4/4 bf price for a 16/4 mantel.  So if I am selling kiln dried red oak for $4.50/bf, the 4" thick mantel beam will cost you $9.00/bf.  That is still a very good deal for a customer that wants a unique, custom mantel.  And, that is just for the wood.  That does not include making the mantel, cutting corbels, sanding, etc.  I will plane it for you, though.   

One of the real advantages to this market is that it brings people in for a custom piece, and they see other wood that they have to have  ;D.  The lady looking for a custom piece for a high end home is not your average barn siding customer  :)
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Joe Hillmann

Quote from: WDH on April 18, 2017, 08:41:52 AM

I have tried to develop a consistent pricing methodology.  I take the 4/4 price for a species, like red oak, and double the 4/4 bf price for a 16/4 mantel.  So if I am selling kiln dried red oak for $4.50/bf, the 4" thick mantel beam will cost you $9.00/bf.  That is still a very good deal for a customer that wants a unique, custom mantel.   

At $9/bdft is it worth it on your end?  After having to keep it around for a year or more to dry and then hoping someone will want it? 

POSTON WIDEHEAD

You can never sell anything if it's not available.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

YellowHammer

You guys must have better logs. I just cut these 4 or 5 days ago and if I look closely I can already start to see some slight drying cracks. Maybe I should have used more Anchorseal.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WDH

Those are very rustic.  Worth a fortune  :D. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Deese

You should easily get $301 each for those.
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

tule peak timber

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

BradMarks

When days turn into decades, minds wander aimlessly ;D   Poston:  Good stuff!  And yes, copied from a very smart business man, "if it aint on the wagon, you can't sell it".

ChugiakTinkerer

@YellowHammer

I believe it was mentioned in the original post, but you have to get them off the ground!   8)
Woodland Mills HM130

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