Speculative Milling

[firewood]

So, you have various lengths of Oak, Beech and Sycamore suitable for milling but you currently have no customers.

 

 

What would be the best dimensions / thicknesses to cut out of each type of wood now, with the aim of selling the milled timber on at a later date?

 

what sizes will maximises your chances of selling and at a decent price?

[Treewarrior]

You need to speak to the 'Alaskan King' Rob D:biggrin:

[tommer9]

That is an impossible question mate. When i started out (12 years ago) i aked this question and was told 1 3/4". I did that and still have one or two boards now!!!! Leave the oak in the round and mill to order- or do lintels and fat slabs from the outer parts of the log, and some 30mm or 40mm slabs from the centre- these are basically quarter sawn and will have superb figuring. I have a total nightmare getting rid of beech, as do other sawmills in this county. I know one mill that gets rid of it in 3"x3" which becomes wedges in the dockyard for the dry docks. Sycamore is loved by kitchen makers, and is also naturally sterile, so is good for food bowls, chopping boards etc etc. When you have milled it, stand it on end for as long as you can.......or you run the very very real risk of ruining it (i speak from experience and a 2.5k loss!!!!) Or you could slab it all into fat slabs, get it in stick and resaw it to order.

Sory if this gibberish is not much help, but it really is a hard question to answer. If you have loads of stock mill every log into a selection of sizes.

[Rob D]

It is a tricky question as whatever you mill those bits into you can guarentee someone will want a different size.

 

As Tommer says if you mill thicker slabs from the outside they will have less chance of cupping. Thinner slabs from the middle will be more stable but the very middle slab with the middle of the log will almost certainly split up the middle.

 

Finding a market is the trickiest part - I am still looking...! No one out there seems to realise there is a wealth of timber in this country ready to be used... also there is the drying aspect which is again another ball game. People near me want finished pieces of timber rather than raw planks....

 

Best bet is to slab a bit of wood up and knock up some shelves, tables and other bits and pieces. The best way I have found of converting sawn timber to cash is through making your own furniture. I'll be sticking some vids on soon and hopefully others will also do the same.

[plippy]

hey rob, i was approached by a pirmary school to make some benchs up, as a giant triangle, square, hexagon and circle as a feature to go in the playground, not sure wot to charge as this will be my first proper sale

 

any thoughts

[Rob D]

I suppose it depends on what you make them out of and how they're finished Phil. Maybe see how long it will take to make them (in days) and then put a price on the timber you're supplying to give you a final price. Make sure it's worth your while as a lot of people will see these...

 

Also with the kiddies you'll have to make sure there are no sharp edges or splinters so remember to account for this.

 

Try and come up with a design that makes it easier for you to do - nothing too complicated.

 

You'll have to put some pics up of the results!

 

 

 

[Gray git]

The way the firewood market has gone around us in N Yorks its no longer worth me buying in timber for logging but i can still get the big narley 'interesting' lumps that the the prosessor boys dont wont so my jappa is off out the yard and more room made for milling and making more big furniture. Might try and do a few shows demonstrating the mills and build up some interest in wot i make so any tips on a good display would be good.

[firewood]

That is an impossible question mate. When i started out (12 years ago) i aked this question and was told 1 3/4". I did that and still have one or two boards now!!!! Leave the oak in the round and mill to order- or do lintels and fat slabs from the outer parts of the log, and some 30mm or 40mm slabs from the centre- these are basically quarter sawn and will have superb figuring. I have a total nightmare getting rid of beech, as do other sawmills in this county. I know one mill that gets rid of it in 3"x3" which becomes wedges in the dockyard for the dry docks. Sycamore is loved by kitchen makers, and is also naturally sterile, so is good for food bowls, chopping boards etc etc. When you have milled it, stand it on end for as long as you can.......or you run the very very real risk of ruining it (i speak from experience and a 2.5k loss!!!!) Or you could slab it all into fat slabs, get it in stick and resaw it to order.

Sory if this gibberish is not much help, but it really is a hard question to answer. If you have loads of stock mill every log into a selection of sizes.

 

Thanks for the advice Tommer.

 

I suspected there was no easy answer, hence the question!

 

BTW, what happens to sycamore if not stood on its end after milling?

[firewood]

It is a tricky question as whatever you mill those bits into you can guarentee someone will want a different size.

 

As Tommer says if you mill thicker slabs from the outside they will have less chance of cupping. Thinner slabs from the middle will be more stable but the very middle slab with the middle of the log will almost certainly split up the middle.

 

Finding a market is the trickiest part - I am still looking...! No one out there seems to realise there is a wealth of timber in this country ready to be used... also there is the drying aspect which is again another ball game. People near me want finished pieces of timber rather than raw planks....

 

Best bet is to slab a bit of wood up and knock up some shelves, tables and other bits and pieces. The best way I have found of converting sawn timber to cash is through making your own furniture. I'll be sticking some vids on soon and hopefully others will also do the same.

 

 

Rob

 

are you making pieces first and then selling them or are you getting requests for pieces and them milling and making them?

 

I guess the nub of it is that you have to add value to your milled wood by making something.

 

I bunked of from woodworking class at school so I await your up coming pics and vids with interest!

 

 

A mill is going to be my xmas present to myself this year so will be in touch with you soon about a purchase.

[Rob D]

You don't have to be a woodworker to make furniture believe you me!

 

Forget about joints and all the rest - I'll be posting a vid on making a dining room table but it will be in a few weeks that one.

 

Previously I have just made tables and benches etc. just more to experiment and then sold them after. But this year I have had £6,000-00 or so of furniture made to order..... and that is what you really want.

 

Also memorial benches seem a good way to go as with the material at hand you can do something really unique, something that will last rather than the usual factory produced stuff. I have done 5 now all from one bench I made in an out of the way place last year..... Didn't even have my name or anything on it but from that people have found me.

 

I'm too busy to make too much at the mo but next year it's all guns blazing. April/May time is the best as that's when people will be looking for garden furniture.