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Hairy shipping day

Started by Percy, June 27, 2004, 06:00:40 PM

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Percy

As some of you may already know, we have started a collaborative milling effort up here in Terrace B.C. The Kalum Sawmill Association. Its actually workin out pretty well. I asked for advice on this board last Oct/Nov. about shipping overseas and was told by everyone not to do it without being paid up front.......heh... we shudda taken that advice as  the  Australian customer is not a good one...infact Ive named my forklift after him :D



Anyways we ship loads of WRC cants and clears about every week and a half. Well on Friday(shipping day) the trucking company has no Super B trailers available so we got two trucks, one tandem trailer and one with a triaxle trailer, Net result is both trucks were underloaded


 ...so... to take advantage of lower shipping costs, we all burned the candle from both ends for a day and cut a bunch more lumber. My millsite looked like a war zone.


I cleaned up yesterday(Saterday after helping  load the truck at 6 AM.


My old freind is always nearby ;D


And I got room under the roof

for more lumber...

Just a thought, I kow most sawmillers, fulltime or part time, are an independant lot, but if you can find some other mills that  you can team up with, it opens doors for markets. It is workin for us. It aint easy by a long shot, we started with six mills and are down to four, but I think its a good concept......once you find a compatable bunch...heh....
We(Kalum Sawmill Association) have applied for a Crown lease of 40 acres to set up on. Still not approved but lookin good. Local and provincial governments are going out of their way to assist us in dealing with the beauracracy and Im optimistic.  8) 8) 8)
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Fla._Deadheader

  Percy, ya still shippin to the Aussie??? Is he getting any better ???

  I got a few very good friends in Aus. that are Prospectors. Might pay the guy a visit, if ya know what I mean. ::) ;D ;D ;D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Percy

Quote Percy, ya still shippin to the Aussie??? Is he getting any better ???

  I got a few very good friends in Aus. that are Prospectors. Might pay the guy a visit, if ya know what I mean. ::) ;D ;D ;D
Heya Deadheader
NO, we arnt shipping to the Aussie.  The advice given  on this board about 6 months ago on the subject was right on the money. I quit contributing to his orders months ago and his dislexic ;Dbookeeper inadvertantly sent me all my money but he is waaaaaay behind with all the others. One fella in our group, the guy with the D&L mill, gave the Aussie more credit than the rest of us and is owed in excess of 25,000 dollars and it aint lookin good for him. The Aussie is scrambling for wood now and has suggested a "international letter of  credit" which could be a good thing but he aint getting anymore wood from us till all our members are paid up in full. We told him to buy his wood from a broker but he wont cause the brokers are smarter than us and dont get hosed by guys like this. Id really love to mention the name of his company in this post but that aint what this board is about. If anyone on the west coast of North America wants/needs to know the name, pm/email me and Ill gladly give details.

Deadhead...about those prospectors, are they ornery?? :D :D :D :D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Shamus

     I've always thought that a milling co-op has merit, like you say if everyone is compatible and on the same page. Great for small communities with private land owners that aren't afraid of a little work now and then.

     Nice setup ya got there, have to build me a millshed before next winter. Tarps and poles are a tad primitive, its time for me to move out of the dark ages.

     I'm about a week away from getting my D&L Doublecut mill. Gotta road trip coming. How does your partner like his, and do you know what model? Things gone wrong with it?

Also curious who's buying your cedar, and prices of course. ;)
D&L Doublecut Synchro sawmill, Procut chainsaw mill, John Deere crawler loader,  F350 4x4 flatdeck, 20 ton logsplitter, running Stihls

Fla._Deadheader

  Percy, these guys spend weeks out bush. By the time they get back, Tasmanian Devils steer clear. ;D ;D ;D ;D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

slowzuki

I think that looks like a beautiful building! I'd live in that if you put some walls on it. 8)

QuoteAnd I got room under the roof

for more lumber...


Percy

Heya Shamus
Julius has the grandaddy model of D&L mill. It will cut a 48 inch log, has all the hydralics and the live logdeck as well. He likes it very much. The thing is amazing on large dimentional lumber. Cutting 20 foot 2X12's, you can have amazing production figures. The problem Ive noticed with Julius's mill is the clamping system. It has several clamps and it helps hold the log/slab strait very well but  they jam up often. Its not a big deal, he just has to walk there and givem a hand so to speak.

I wouldnt be scared to buy one as you will make lumber quick and easy with one.Their biggest strength is cutting dimentional lumber. No edger required. Julius has done some Birch(grade sawing) but the band mills have an advantage there.

DeadHeader...Tasmanian Devil? Issat like a Wolverine, only meaner? :D :D :D

Slowzuki...Thanks for the compliment on the building. The digicam is very forgiving. The building is great but its a millshed, lotta dead-rekkoning when being  built.  ;D ;D

GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

slowzuki

Thats called character!  I love old farmhouses where nothing is square but everything opens and closes correctly.
Shows good workmanship despite limits of the tools used to build with :)

QuoteSlowzuki...Thanks for the compliment on the building. The digicam is very forgiving. The building is great but its a millshed, lotta dead-rekkoning when being  built.  ;D ;D

lamar

I noticed the floor.I was wondering if it would be cheaper to build a floor or pour cement? I have plenty of syp and can get it treated at .10 bft. I had a wrc barn in Wash. state that had cedar plant floor.I parked my A John deer with loader in there and it never moved.

Shamus

     Thanks for the info Percy. How many members does KSA have, and do your logs all come from the member's land, or do you buy from log sorts, etc.? Do you have logging equipment as well, and do your own harvesting?
     I am getting a smaller D&L, but it should still get the job done: 36" diameter and 16'6" length capacity, 30 hp Kubota, hydraulics, 8"x12" cut, electric lift, etc. I'll be picking it up July 7th in Lac La Hache.
     I have been wondering what the finish looks like (eg roughness of sawn lumber), better or worse than a band saw? Also, when you say that a bandsaw is better for cutting hardwoods for grade, are you referring to the wider kerf of the D&L?
     Always curious...
D&L Doublecut Synchro sawmill, Procut chainsaw mill, John Deere crawler loader,  F350 4x4 flatdeck, 20 ton logsplitter, running Stihls

Percy

Heya Shamus
The KSA has just 5 members(4 mills). We purchase our logs wherever we can, usually from brokers around here and loggers as well. We dont have any logging equipment.

The finish of the cut of a D&L is as good as a  Lucas or Peterson. The sharper the blade, the better the finish of course. Ive seen Julius's boards look like they were bandsawn almost, the band leaves strait lines which arnt as noticable as the curved lines of a circular saw. One pass on a good planer and thats all she wrote.

Julius never turns a log and the D&L has no provision for dealing with taper so you cant see whats comming in the log.
When we worked together on an order(2X12X20) Julius's daily production was similar to mine. When cutting Birch, I out produce him substantially.

Everyone has their own way of doing things and a different D&L owner may have a better method than Julius for cutting hardwoods. Every mill type has strenghts and weaknesses that everyone deals with in their own way. D&L has been around for quite a while now and have sold alot of mills. That says alot. I will PM you Julius's phone number and you can talk with him directly if you like ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Percy

QuoteI noticed the floor.I was wondering if it would be cheaper to build a floor or pour cement? I have plenty of syp and can get it treated at .10 bft. I had a wrc barn in Wash. state that had cedar plant floor.I parked my A John deer with loader in there and it never moved.
Heya lamar
The floor was elcheapo, lotsa traded stuff. I cut everything myself and used the uglier stuff that I didnt sell. Cement would been more Im sure and harder on the feet, just a bit more level...heh...then my wood floor.
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

lamar

Percey,thanks for the answer.I moticed you carry some loads on your floor so I figure syp should work if I support it right :P Is you shed pole barn and do you have concrete on the bottom of bost?It looks stought.Are you using cedar or treated post.Sorry for all the Questions Larry






SwampDonkey

 :)

Thanks for sharing the info on your mill shed and milling cooperative. Too bad about the mess with the foreign buyer, but some of the voices in this forum have alot of experience with shipping and selling forest products. I can't tell ya how many times cedar mills in my area went under leaving marketing boards and their members empty handed. Three years ago a softwood mill went into receiver ship leaving the local board $189,000 plus levies in the red. I think they got 1/10th of that back when the waters settled. Then there was a sawmill/marketing board venture with 3 boards that lost $500,000 from in 6 months.The first mill was wood hungry and had to pay high prices to keep the mill fed from private sources. The second mill was run by folks with big ideas who didn't do their homework and couldn't run a wheel barrel, let alone a full time mill. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Percy

QuotePercey,thanks for the answer.I moticed you carry some loads on your floor so I figure syp should work if I support it right :P Is you shed pole barn and do you have concrete on the bottom of bost?It looks stought.Are you using cedar or treated post.Sorry for all the Questions Larry






Hey lamar
The construction of the floor is pretty tuff ya BUT it is by no means craftsmanship..What I did was level the gravel as best I could. Then laid 8X8  Western Red Cedar cants, tuff lookin ones but solid, on the leveled gravel about 10 feet apart. Then I cut 10X10's outta what ever I had on hand(Aspen Spruce Hemlock Cedar)and spaced them on the  8X8's  so there was about 14 inches of space between them(one every 24 inches). I then nailed full sawn 2 inch (mostly Spruce as it is tuff) to these 10X10's and hadda floor ;D ;D ;D It is tuff, I drive the Shyster up there all the time while carriin a lift of lumber.
I built the roof on top of this floor, hence all the bracing as I couldnt bury the uprights as others have done around here. Ive had 3 feet of wet snow up there and no problems but Im sure glad Im outta the city limits as Im sure I've violated some sort of building code. ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Percy

Quote:)

Thanks for sharing the info on your mill shed and milling cooperative. Too bad about the mess with the foreign buyer, but some of the voices in this forum have alot of experience with shipping and selling forest products. I can't tell ya how many times cedar mills in my area went under leaving marketing boards and their members empty handed. Three years ago a softwood mill went into receiver ship leaving the local board $189,000 plus levies in the red. I think they got 1/10th of that back when the waters settled. Then there was a sawmill/marketing board venture with 3 boards that lost $500,000 from in 6 months.The first mill was wood hungry and had to pay high prices to keep the mill fed from private sources. The second mill was run by folks with big ideas who didn't do their homework and couldn't run a wheel barrel, let alone a full time mill. ;)
Heya S.D.
I hear you on the problems a mill can face and the bankruptsy issue. What these small portable mills have going for them is low cost. I paid $62,800 Can for my LT70 and Ive seen uptown one ton pickups selling for about the same money. I can go get a "real" job and still make my payments allthough lately the setup is making money. Its a hard road to hoe but it can be done. As these smaller portable mills become more technilogically advanced, they will become  a significant source of lumber products for  the open market...in my opinion anyways, ;D ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

doublecut

Hey percy have you heard of the EDC [export developement corp] Join them and they will look after that fella in austrailia which i know who you are talking about. If you want more info just send me an email and i would be glad to help you out.
doublecut 8)

Percy

QuoteHey percy have you heard of the EDC [export developement corp] Join them and they will look after that fella in austrailia which i know who you are talking about. If you want more info just send me an email and i would be glad to help you out.
doublecut 8)
Heya Doublecut.
Thanks for the info. I am familiar with EDC but its a little too late for that. The "guy " wasnt interested when we approched him  with the plan and we took a chance,oops. I was lucky.
Thanks again
Percy
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

sawmillsi

Percy,

Where is this Australian thats been causing you grief?

Email me if you like simon_ceglinski@mullum.com.au with his details.

Thanks

Simon

doublecut

Hey percy we will be at the fall fair in smithers hope to see you there maybe we can meet up. Aug 26, 27, 28.Let me know
Doublecut

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