Finding markets

[Mike Dempsey]

The market for green timber, apart from oak timber house builders, is probably pretty small. I have a kiln and kiln dry all my timber. I am limited to planks of 2.3m long for kilning. You have to make contact with local cabinet makers, preferably one person businesses who dont have a lot of room to store timber. Find out the thickesses they want. No point in planking it at 40mm for example if they are using a lot of 25mm timber to plane down to 20mm. There is too much wastage there that they dont want to pay for. I plank at 35mm and 55mm normally for myself which minimises any waste for me. I dont go out of my way to sell any timber but occassionally get requests for timber.

There are also a lot of hobby woodworkers out there who dont have the time or confidence to go around the big yards and would welcome the opportunity to be shown a smaller collection of planks. Some of them might not have the facilities to plane up bigger boards so if you can offer additional facilities such as this you might be able to service a niche but reasonably big market.

The unique selling point of selling local timbers where you can tell someone the exact spot a plank of wood came from is not to be underestimated either. Even better is if you can tell them who planted it and how old the tree was when it was felled. This adds up to a story the cabinet maker can tell his customer which helps him to sell the end piece of furniture or if its for their own house when he is selling it.

I know a lot of guys who work in their garage/home workshop but equally I dont know how many more there are out there either which is a potential market which I have yet to tap into should I wish to seriously get into selling my timber.

[the village idiot]

The market for green timber, apart from oak timber house builders, is probably pretty small. I have a kiln and kiln dry all my timber. I am limited to planks of 2.3m long for kilning. You have to make contact with local cabinet makers, preferably one person businesses who dont have a lot of room to store timber. Find out the thickesses they want. No point in planking it at 40mm for example if they are using a lot of 25mm timber to plane down to 20mm. There is too much wastage there that they dont want to pay for. I plank at 35mm and 55mm normally for myself which minimises any waste for me. I dont go out of my way to sell any timber but occassionally get requests for timber.

There are also a lot of hobby woodworkers out there who dont have the time or confidence to go around the big yards and would welcome the opportunity to be shown a smaller collection of planks. Some of them might not have the facilities to plane up bigger boards so if you can offer additional facilities such as this you might be able to service a niche but reasonably big market.

The unique selling point of selling local timbers where you can tell someone the exact spot a plank of wood came from is not to be underestimated either. Even better is if you can tell them who planted it and how old the tree was when it was felled. This adds up to a story the cabinet maker can tell his customer which helps him to sell the end piece of furniture or if its for their own house when he is selling it.

I know a lot of guys who work in their garage/home workshop but equally I dont know how many more there are out there either which is a potential market which I have yet to tap into should I wish to seriously get into selling my timber.

 

Great stuff, cheers Mike.

 

When you do get requests for timber, what are the most common thicknesses requested?

 

Giving the timber a story is a really good idea! I can even tell the customer the exact swear words I used when the tree sat back on my saw before falling in totally the wrong direction into another huge branchy Oak!

[Shane]

I was kinda hoping I could make sales over the internet. People tend not to take me seriously when they meet me face to face:001_smile:

 

Hmm.... based on your avatar maybe try dressing down a touch?

:lol:

[the village idiot]

Hmm.... based on your avatar maybe try dressing down a touch?

:lol:

 

Regrettably, being a poor woodsman, I only have the one set of threads. I don't think the only alternative available to me would stand me in very good stead.

 

 

 

 

[Mike Dempsey]

If someone is looking for a finished thickness of 19 mm I would sell them 50mm thick wood so they could resaw it or I can do it for them. I dont really want a workshop full of 5 or 6 different sizes. The biggest size I cut is 65mm and that is in oak for a customer who I make plinths for every year. I also do doug fir in that size for the Ecodecs as it dries pretty quick and is reasonably light. As I get older I have noticed that timber is getting heavier so my planks tend to be a bit thinner. I only use an alaskan mill and plank on site. I have to be able to shift the wood on its own and if I am not reasonably close to my van, sometimes it not as thick as I would like it to be.

[Forest2Furniture]

Local furniture makers are your best bet.

Finding a market won't be instant, you have to work at it and build a reputation and that will take time.

I've got the best part of 1000 cubic ft on stock in various stages of drying

[Logrod]

T

There are also a lot of hobby woodworkers out there who dont have the time or confidence to go around the big yards and would welcome the opportunity to be shown a smaller collection of planks. Some of them might not have the facilities to plane up bigger boards so if you can offer additional facilities such as this you might be able to service a niche but reasonably big market.

 

As a hobby woodworker I've bought most of my timber from a few suppliers (one of whom is now retired). The one I use most of the time now is near where my mum lives so makes a trip to see her worthwhile:) What's important to me ....

 

I like to be able to walk into the woodshed (assuming he's on site and if he isn't I have a number so I can find out when he will next be around) and move stuff around in order to see something I might like better. I don't want to be under time pressure when I'm browsing or unable to see most of the stuff cos it's stacked too high to move.

 

I like there to be a range of timber (sometimes I have a project in mind but as often as not I look on spec, buy a few pieces I like and then work out what I'm going to make with them).

 

It needs to be able to fit in my car so it helps if it can be cut down if necessary

 

If I am looking for something specific my supplier will suggest something and cut it down for me either while I wait or whilst I'm seeing my mum.

 

I never know what he'll have in but am rarely disappointed and normally leave with more than I intended

 

What would help...

 

I'm crap at thinking how many cubic feet there are in a board and therefore how much it'll cost. In fact I never know what I'm going to pay till I've picked my boards and ask what I owe. I've never thought that I've been done, normally pleasantly surprised but would probably help a lot of people if they had some idea in advance (but that doesn't mean you need to price up each board in advance)

 

My old supplier used to put out an annual sale list (in his case laboriously hand written!) which was a good excuse to go have a have a snuffle around and reminded you of the range available.

 

 

Don't know if any of that helps?

[devon TWiG]

Like many things , producing goods is one thing , selling them is another ... marketing is a whole industry / subject in its self ! ... and is often costly , this needs to be in mind when pricing goods to allow for marketing costs . Sometimes you may happen on an opportunity to bypass a lot of marketing , I would of thought your connection with the boatbuilding is a good area to explore further ... most bespoke furniture makers I speak to just buy kiln dried wood to customers specs for immediate use for commission jobs so do not keep a supply of wood air drying ,also as others have pointed out imports are pretty cheap .... good luck ....

[the village idiot]

Thanks for all the excellent advice peoples:thumbup:

 

The wood yard is coming together. My new log arch has been a god send. Now just got to find some buyers.

 

 

 

[scraggs]

Thanks for all the excellent advice peoples:thumbup:

 

The wood yard is coming together. My new log arch has been a god send. Now just got to find some buyers.

 

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I must have missed something, I didn't realise you now had a mill.

I have a couple of nice oak sticks I may want milling into 8x8 posts for a porch if you were interested ? but won't be until mid next year at the earliest.