Additional Income???

[KiwiCharlie]

G'day Guys,
OK, heres the senario.  Not enough local work to keep a portable sawmill viable on its own.  What suggestions for added services to make up a well rounded service?
Things I have thought of are offering firewood sales, providing wood-turning blanks, producing some finished products (such as coffee tables etc), and limited aborist services.
Any other ideas out there?! ???
Cheers
Charlie.

[Frank_Pender]

I have gotten in a great deal of consulting.  MOst of which is for free, but that had brought about a great deal of sawing.

[DanG]

G'day K'Charlie. Sorry to hear things are going slowly. Sounds like it's time to get creative. Do you have access to plenty of wood, so that you can produce a product to go along with your sawing service business?  Is the building business where you are brisk enough that you might be able to market flooring, siding, or panelling, directly to the builders?  The coffee table, etc. idea sounds good if you're good at that sort of thing. I'm not, but I may try it, anyway. Anything you can do to add value to the products you produce will mean more money in your pocket. Adding a kiln or planer, or both, could be a wise move.
Can your mill cut long stuff?  My very first customer's very first question was, "can you cut 20 feet?"  That was more important to him than the price. Farmers love long boards.
I'm sure others will have more ideas for you. G'luck!  

[Mark M]

Hi Kiwi-C

I got an idea from my employer (a Caterpillar dealer). Most heavy equipment dealers and possibly farm equipment dealers need big timbers for blocking equipment. At least 12x12 or bigger. They are hard to find around here. I found out we are buying ours from about 400 miles away. I intend to make up a few free samples for my company.

Mark

PS - Gough, Gough, and Hammer is the dealer in NZ.

[Jeff]

Charlie, I remember the picture of your slabs. I know if I could afford one I would buy one of those. Awesome. Then again is that at common to your area? If not I think I would try to make a finished product there and see what happens.

I went back and found the pics.

https://forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=general;action=display;num=1036473060;start=0

[ARKANSAWYER]

Portable storage buildings.  I need to build more as they sell quick here and I use cull lumber most of the time.  I also build picknick tables.
ARKANSAWYER

[Tom]

Purple Heart Picnic Tables? :D

[KiwiCharlie]

G'day Guys,

Thanks for the input, its good to get some ideas from "outside the square" one usually ends up thinking in!
DanG - I probably should have given some more info.  I was ready to get going with a large bank loan, and a flash mill, when I finally did the market research!  Thats where the viability came in.  So Im ok right now, but still really want to get something going.
Thinking along the lines of a smaller manual mill (I guess I could see that as good exersize, not having hydraulics!) for dimension timber, the chainsaw mill for the slabbing, for those great ugly logs!  And then some other add-on type things.
I like the look of the table and benches Ark.  Any chance of you emailing me a larger pic?!! ;)
As for the slabs Jeff, a few people are doing it but not really many full time.  It would be worth cutting up a nice batch, and then taking them to the "big smoke" to sell there, where your more likely to get a better price, even for raw slabs.  I would like to do a few coffee tables etc for end markets.  That would be fun.
Nice idea for the large blocks Mark.  See, these are the sort of things you dont think about, but when told, you give yourself a big "Duh" !! ;) :D
I did think a bit of the consulting thing Frank.  What sort of work were you advising people on?
As Tom said elsewhere - Ive got to make my own groove.  Nice words Tom, you grizzly old wise man   (now dont get het up, thats a compliment round my parts!! ;D)
Cheers everyone,
Charlie.

[Tom]

[Frank_Pender]

The consu;ting, Charlie, ranges all the way from how to totaly manage their land to marketing their timber.  As well as reforestation to land preperations available to them.   I also help some people on marketing their sawed lumber, after i sw it of course, as well as poccibly drying the sawed lumber for them for special home projects.  Right now I am sawing the flooring for a 2000 sqft log home for one of my students and his wife also a student of mine.   They have brought in the Big Leaf Maple logs in a state of half spalted.  Wow!  They also will have me do the sheeting for the roof.  The flooring will be kil dryed as well and t&ged for them by me.  

[HORSELOGGER]

I also build picknick tables.
ARKANSAWYER
    
             SWEET 8)

[Geoff]

I eat on picknik tables!!!    ;D

As far as other income, a guy used to say that when they process pigs, they make money from everything except the squeal....

We bale and sell slabs, kiln-dry the uppers for cabinet makers, do some (not much) custom sawing, and even take the sawdust and mix it with the horse crap for topsoil triple-mix.

I found the key is to find the best home for each product.  Sell, sell, sell.

Good wood keeps them coming back!!

[Larry]

Mark,
I like to cut blocks.  The kids play with them at Christmas and then some guy comes over to pick them up after they get tired of them.  Think he uses them to set his rock crusher up on.  They measure 17"X17" and are 20" long and weigh about 250 pounds or so.

[Mark M]

Hi Larry

Do you sell them? and if so how do you go about pricing them? I don't want to overcharge my employer but I want to get what they are worth.

Mark

[KiwiCharlie]

G'day Guys,
Thanks for all the input - really helpful.  I did think about the sawdust thing.
I also wondered if there was enough of a market to sell something like Anchor-Seal down here, as right now, no one is.
Cheers
Charlie.

[Fla._Deadheader]

Mark, who's the buyer at yer company?? A little "good will" should seal the deal !! :