Diversifying into milling to utilise oversize timber.

[arboriculturist]

I have been thinking about this for several years now, following the forums, reading the posts and I am still undecided.

 

We get a quantity of timber delivered in the load that is not user friendly or just far to good to process into firewood. We can process up to 19" Dia. but some comes in larger and some with crooks, dog legs, burrs and misshapen etc. etc.

 

I know there are many that consider small bandsaw mills with small width blades like the Woodlands a bit of a toy. But others would disagree who have spent time milling with the smaller mills and learnt their limitations.

 

I have been looking at a Woodlands Mills HM 130 MAX Woodlander, with a cutting length of 5.1 m and 30 dia. petrol.

 

My main concern is marketing sawn live edge boards going to be a major hurdle? Some posts say yes and sell a lot direct to wholesalers other appear to think there is a strong market for the quaility hardwoods air dried.

 

I have unlimited space, rough terrain forklift with 2.5t lift capacity and 7.5tonne ex. with grab, so handling and stacking any size roundwood is straight forward.

 

Any advice, comments etc. would be gratefully received. ?

 

 

[Squaredy]

8 minutes ago, arboriculturist said:

I have been thinking about this for several years now, following the forums, reading the posts and I am still undecided.

 

We get a quantity of timber delivered in the load that is not user friendly or just far to good to process into firewood. We can process up to 19" Dia. but some comes in larger and some with crooks, dog legs, burrs and misshapen etc. etc.

 

I know there are many that consider small bandsaw mills with small width blades like the Woodlands a bit of a toy. But others would disagree who have spent time milling with the smaller mills and learnt their limitations.

 

I have been looking at a Woodlands Mills HM 130 MAX Woodlander, with a cutting length of 5.1 m and 30 dia. petrol.

 

My main concern is marketing sawn live edge boards going to be a major hurdle? Some posts say yes and sell a lot direct to wholesalers other appear to think there is a strong market for the quaility hardwoods air dried.

 

I have unlimited space, rough terrain forklift with 2.5t lift capacity and 7.5tonne ex. with grab, so handling and stacking any size roundwood is straight forward.

 

Any advice, comments etc. would be gratefully received. ?

 

 

Of course the most money is to be made by selling direct.  But you need to take into account the time it will take to deal with customers.  A small sale could take an hour or more.  You will spend many hours answering enquiries many of which will result in no sales.  How will customers view timber?  If in a stack they may want the boards near the bottom!

 

So the quickest and most efficient way is to sell wholesale to someone who retails timber.  But of course this will yield half the price or less.

 

Or find bulk purchase customers, but that may take years.

 

So yes there is money to be made, but just like a farmer growing carrots, it is usually simplest to sell them wholesale rather than find hundreds of customers.

[topchippyles]

22 minutes ago, arboriculturist said:

I have been thinking about this for several years now, following the forums, reading the posts and I am still undecided.

 

We get a quantity of timber delivered in the load that is not user friendly or just far to good to process into firewood. We can process up to 19" Dia. but some comes in larger and some with crooks, dog legs, burrs and misshapen etc. etc.

 

I know there are many that consider small bandsaw mills with small width blades like the Woodlands a bit of a toy. But others would disagree who have spent time milling with the smaller mills and learnt their limitations.

 

I have been looking at a Woodlands Mills HM 130 MAX Woodlander, with a cutting length of 5.1 m and 30 dia. petrol.

 

My main concern is marketing sawn live edge boards going to be a major hurdle? Some posts say yes and sell a lot direct to wholesalers other appear to think there is a strong market for the quaility hardwoods air dried.

 

I have unlimited space, rough terrain forklift with 2.5t lift capacity and 7.5tonne ex. with grab, so handling and stacking any size roundwood is straight forward.

 

Any advice, comments etc. would be gratefully received. ?

 

 

Where about in the uk are you ??

[arboriculturist]

14 minutes ago, topchippyles said:

Where about in the uk are you ??

Right in South West - Exeter 40 miles

[topchippyles]

I know the area and i would be 1 million percent buying a mill

[Woodworks]

For a bit of research it might be worth a nosey here 

Anton Coaker and Sherberton Farm index page

WWW.ANTON-COAKER.CO.UK

---

Anton Coaker English Timber Ltd and Sherberton Farm - Dartmoor farm selling sawn green or dried timber particularly...

 

[arboriculturist]

22 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

Of course the most money is to be made by selling direct.  But you need to take into account the time it will take to deal with customers.  A small sale could take an hour or more.  You will spend many hours answering enquiries many of which will result in no sales.  How will customers view timber?  If in a stack they may want the boards near the bottom!

 

So the quickest and most efficient way is to sell wholesale to someone who retails timber.  But of course this will yield half the price or less.

 

Or find bulk purchase customers, but that may take years.

 

So yes there is money to be made, but just like a farmer growing carrots, it is usually simplest to sell them wholesale rather than find hundreds of customers.

Good advice there and I appreciate you are one of the most pro-active sawn board retailers around.

The bonus I have is there is no collection of transport required - crane offload right to site.

 

Still unsure what thickness to mill at, as always less variables is good? Get a lot of Chestnut, Alder, Beech, Oak, Sycamore, Ash and Field Maple.

[topchippyles]

49 minutes ago, arboriculturist said:

I have been thinking about this for several years now, following the forums, reading the posts and I am still undecided.

 

We get a quantity of timber delivered in the load that is not user friendly or just far to good to process into firewood. We can process up to 19" Dia. but some comes in larger and some with crooks, dog legs, burrs and misshapen etc. etc.

 

I know there are many that consider small bandsaw mills with small width blades like the Woodlands a bit of a toy. But others would disagree who have spent time milling with the smaller mills and learnt their limitations.

 

I have been looking at a Woodlands Mills HM 130 MAX Woodlander, with a cutting length of 5.1 m and 30 dia. petrol.

 

My main concern is marketing sawn live edge boards going to be a major hurdle? Some posts say yes and sell a lot direct to wholesalers other appear to think there is a strong market for the quaility hardwoods air dried.

 

I have unlimited space, rough terrain forklift with 2.5t lift capacity and 7.5tonne ex. with grab, so handling and stacking any size roundwood is straight forward.

 

Any advice, comments etc. would be gratefully received. ?

 

 

Spoke to chris yesterday who is the woodlands main dealer for our south west region . 2 hours from you give or take but all motorway 

Edited March 30, 2020 by topchippyles

[Squaredy]

2 minutes ago, arboriculturist said:

Good advice there and I appreciate you are one of the most pro-active sawn board retailers around.

The bonus I have is there is no collection of transport required - crane offload right to site.

 

Still unsure what thickness to mill at, as always less variables is good? Get a lot of Chestnut, Alder, Beech, Oak, Sycamore, Ash and Field Maple.

Whatever thicknesses you go for someone will want a thickness you don't have.  Best sellers will be 25 to 50mm probably, but maybe some large slabs should be thicker.  I do sometimes buy from other mills if you are not too far away.

[topchippyles]

Never buy off me ?