Timbr App

[dokkodo]

How do all. First post on this forum after a few guest visits and its a pretty specific one but ill stick around, I am a woodworker by trade and have recently got a mill for my chainsaw with a view to milling my own small quantities of timber to eventually use for furniture etc. More for the romance of seeing it through and ecological concern than because itll make me rich. Im not really into the idea of buying exotic hardwoods from heavily deforested places thousands of miles away, but if the chance to get something interesting and locally grown comes up, id like to be able to make the most of that. Plus, as a woodworker, I have heard some horror stories about certain timbers being chopped into firewood and burnt

This is in fact how my idea came about, and Id like to sound you all out on it. If you think it would work, if you think it wouldnt, whether it would be too much bother and would need simplifying, whether it would only work in certain ways. Constructive criticism welcome. Im totally open to the fact it might not be something that could actually work in reality.

The app would have to be called Timbr, for one because its entertainingly close to Tindr (Stump Grindr i guess is another app for another day).

The general idea is to facilitate local timber trading and processing networks for ecological and economic efficiency and because local resource networks and community are  one good way to avert imminent climate collapse (another story as well). This would work by people registering a one off Tree Job, or themselves as a Tree Caretaker (this could be owner of land where the tree(s) is/are), Tree Surgeon/Arborist, Tip Site, Portable Mill, Sawmill, Dryer, Storage, Distributor, Woodworker/workshop. Basically the whole cycle of those involved in a productive tree's timber. In each category it is possible to list what gear, skills, qualifications etc are applicable, and maybe some sort of availability listing and review/star rating system based on previous interactions, where a 4 or 5 star rating is hopefully the norm.

Essentially the idea is to take this network and facilitate a localised network of tree work, timber felling, milling and processing, drying, storing, and eventual distribution from tree owners right through to makers and manufacturers (and wood burners). This reduces global impact on unsustainable forestry practices, makes better use of local, smaller supply chains that otherwise aren't economically viable to go through all the trouble of networking. This can be whole trees to be milled and kiln dried, right down to someone wants an apple tree cut down and some local woodturners would like to collect the highly prized wood when it comes up on the local timber listing for free out the goodness of the owners/fellers heart.

The tricky part is the monetisation, which could get complicated. Personally, my main concern is the environment, but obviously there is money to be made and it would be naive not to think of the economics involved will be peoples primary motivator if this was a functioning idea. I have some ideas but I dont work in the industry and so Id love to hear any suggestions as to how this might work. 

I have sketched out a few examples completely off the top of my head of how it might work:

1) Young couple buy a house and want a yew tree removing from their new garden because they think it looks too spooky and they are scared their youngster will try and eat the berries. Being young and savvy, they find the app, register the tree job. Local arborists chuck in a few quotes and availability, and (maybe based on a built in rating system?) the young couple make their choice. They decide to keep the tree as it comes down, and list the timber on the app under the 'timber' section. Local enthusiast John buys some of the smaller timber off them for his bowl turning club and another man called Lucas buys the larger pieces, which he will use it for fine furniture making after taking to the sawmill himself. Young couple offset some of the cost of the work and tree isnt wasted, some carbon is sequestered into bowls and furniture.

2) Old lady Margaret has large cedar tree that needs felling because its going to make her house fall over. It is in her back garden, in a town, access is by a drive into the garden and the garden pretty roomy. She calls tree surgeon David from yellow pages, who comes to fell the tree.

 

2)a)Margaret pays him, and is into the idea of saving the timber so she gives permission for milling on site. Tree Surgeon David Tree doesnt have to bribe her, but he could have, because he knows the timber has value. Canny David has already used the app to find local portable sawmill or someone with a large enough alaskin mill etc and knows he could get it milled. At this point, they have ___ amount of timber, which they can only store so long. So, they list on the 'recently milled' listing, hoping to find someone with a barn in which to dry/store the timber. 
At this point, the extra value of the timber (ie the payment for this extra work) is obviously still locked up until all or any of it is sold, which could easily be a year or two. So either the timber is bought outright by the person with the means to store, dry and distribute the timber, OR (and this is where it might get a bit too complicated) an agreement can be reached between there and then between the parties involved and a share can be registered so that when the eventual sale is made, the payment is redistributed through the app as it comes in and according to the terms originally agreed. The potential for people getting ripped off could be negated by a system of profile feedback/reviews like with ebay, so that thieving bastards are quickly weeded out. 

2)b)Margaret isnt into the idea of having the tree milled in her garden because its a day of noise and mess but David points out there might be some cash in it for her. She agrees, and David lists tree as coming down and local portable sawmill owner Rob comes to mill it and take it to his barn. Rob agrees to pay David and Margaret ____ upfront for the timber. They make friends and Margaret brings them all tea suspiciously often, everyone makes a few quid, lots of lovely wood is saved and eventually turned into a beautiful sauna by young and environmentally conscious architect Alice who found the timber on the app and makes a pretty penny designing this sauna for her rich aunty and uncle and hires a couple of woodworkers in the process.

So, as is obvious, the number of ways it could go is infinite and it could get very complicated, so the system would need to be set up right. It would also need a good number of users to be effective, but I know that it would interest people across the wood-based professions that Ive talked to. As a furniture maker and part-time sculptor myself, id love it. Plus, it wouldnt rely on tree owners to register their timber because the first person to come and work on that tree could be the first port into the app for that timber.  

There would probably be a cost to buying and using the app as a professional, though timber and job listings could be made by anyone with an account for free.

This is all a rough sketch and a dream at the moment, depending on how a bit of research goes and once its better thought through Ill decide about taking it further. Until then, all intellectual property rights reserved, im hoping to be a multi-millionnaire in time for christmas. 

Cheers all, have a nice weekend.

[trigger_andy]

1 hour ago, dokkodo said:

Timbr, for one because its entertainingly close to Tindr (Stump Grindr i guess is another app for another day).

What have I just read?  

[dokkodo]

33 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

What have I just read?  

Ha, I hope thats not the one that takes off...

[trigger_andy]

Just now, dokkodo said:

Ha, I hope thats not the one that takes off...

Ha ha, no that could up a disaster, or maybe not, depending on your persuasion.  

[Mark Bolam]

I really like the sentiment, but I just think it’s too niche for an app to work.

The general public will be unaware of its existence.

 

I really hope I’m wrong!

[WesD]

56 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

I really like the sentiment, but I just think it’s too niche for an app to work.

The general public will be unaware of its existence.

 

I really hope I’m wrong!

Added to that not many want to pay for it and without sentiment firewood makes more £ 

[Steve Bullman]

Marks hit the nail on the head.  Its too niche a market and no one will want to pay for it, at least not an amount of money to make it worthwhile.  The apps that make money are the ones that have millions of downloads, something an app like what you propose will never achieve.  Then you have to take into account the hassle of app developement and the ongoing expense.  Is this something you are going to develop yourself or use a developer?  Be prepared that the app will crash 9 times out of 10 every time Apple changes its iOS.

If you're going to take this on then do so by all means, but be under no illusion that it will make you any more

[Steve Bullman]

PS, look into PWA's

[dokkodo]

Ok, really appreciate the feedback! I suspected as much. 

Its a nice idea and im not really imagining it would make me rich, I just like the idea of what it could achieve. But I accept it may be a pretty idealistic vision. 

Thanks though!

[Dan Maynard]

I think woodlots website is founded on the same idea so there is a kind of demand, they appear to have some funding to keep them going rather than just making money from the advertisers.