Made My First 20 Bucks

Mark M · May 17, 2003, 08:38:33 PM

I was working out in the driveway today when a elderly lady approached. She said she lived a few houses up the hill and right away I figured she was going to complain about my log pile. Quite the contrary, she wanted to buy a board to make a sign. We looked through my slab pile but couldn't find much of anything. I told her I would saw her a nice one tomorrow when she spotted one of my ugly spruce boards and said it would work fine. She said she liked the bark and I said well if you like the bark then take a look at these. I had a couple of the aromatic red cedar boards in the garage that were about 6-8 inches wide and about 4 feet long - she said they would be perfect. I told her she could just have them but she insisted on paying. Next thing I knew she was on her way with 3 little cedar boards and I had 20 bucks in my hand. 8)

Haytrader · May 17, 2003, 08:47:36 PM

.0..Supply and demand.......it just keeps comin to mind.
Just think about it.
Mark does not have many trees to saw............but.........the locals there don't have to many trees to look at and even fewer sawed logs to look at and nearly nill fresh cut boards.
Looks like a win win to me.

8) 8) 8)

Frank_Pender · May 17, 2003, 08:54:23 PM

Now, if you have not already spent the 20 bucks. You might well take some of the same cedar a make a frame for it to be on display. ;D It then becomes a keepsake as well as a reminder of your initial return on your investment.

Fla._Deadheader · May 17, 2003, 09:05:40 PM

Really feels good, huh ;D Way to go, Mark. ;) :D

duke401 · May 17, 2003, 09:54:59 PM

i hope i make my first 20 someday .

duke

Paul_H · May 17, 2003, 10:39:51 PM

Now you are rich and famous 8)

Way to go Mark!

Welcome to the forum, Duke

Haytrader · May 18, 2003, 03:57:38 AM

Duke,

Glad you finally made it over.
Guess you got the new saw by now. How's it doin?

dail_h · May 18, 2003, 09:20:52 PM

Way to go Mark.now that you are a lumber baron are you ready to do a hostile takeover of the local competition and become a monopoly conglomerate?

Mark M · May 18, 2003, 10:34:15 PM

Well you know I was thinking about that Dail, but after Grandpa Joe brought me that load of logs yesterday I'm thinking him and I might have to form some sort of partnership. Can 2 timber barons have a monopoly? :D

Jeff · May 19, 2003, 03:15:02 AM

I would say if you own both trees in N.D., Yes!

Minnesota_boy · May 19, 2003, 05:37:13 AM

Monopoly means one owner. You two have to form a biopoly.

ARKANSAWYER · May 19, 2003, 05:53:31 AM

I knew some thing was up since I felt a bump in the cedar market. ;D Soon there will be many, many more standing there with cash in hand an it is hard to tell them no. With money like that coming in you can look at moving out of town and getting a real log yard.
ARKANSAWYER

OneWithWood · May 19, 2003, 08:26:18 AM

Mark,
Are you sure you've got this money thing right? I must be doing something wrong or maybe just backasswards - all my monetary transactions seem to go the other way :D :D :

So did you put in your notice at work? ;D

Bibbyman · May 19, 2003, 08:40:47 AM

Arky, I'll bet Mark will have a hard time finding a location out of town where he can build a loglot 30 feet wide and 400 yards long with excellent natural drainage.

Arky's log lot.

Arky's log lot looking twords the mill.

Mark M · May 19, 2003, 11:54:22 AM

Quote...With money like that coming in you can look at moving out of town and getting a real log yard.
ARKANSAWYER

A "real" log yard?

I have logs and they are in my front yard. Both are real, does that qualify? :D

biziedizie · May 19, 2003, 05:27:01 PM

Hey Mark do the neighbors ever complain about the noise of the mill and the logs out front? I was just wondering about this cause if anyone in town setup a mill there would be hell to pay!

Steve

Kevin · May 19, 2003, 07:38:14 PM

Try to remember... it's not a mill it's just a bandsaw. ;D

Jeff · May 19, 2003, 07:41:22 PM

Thats right. And those aint logs, they're shelving unit kits. ;D

Mark M · May 19, 2003, 08:21:24 PM

So far no one has complained. I usually saw on Saturday and Sunday afternoon when everyone is mowing and trimming their grass. It isn't any worse than stuff the neighbors have and I don't usually saw for very long. Also the people next door usually go out of town so they are not around. Our bedroom is right above the driveway and my wife still takes naps while I am sawing and she says she can hear it but it doesn't bother her.

What I worry about the most is the woodpile, some people just don't appreciate a nice woodpile. I try to keep it nice and neat (well as neat as a sawmill woodpile can be). I also clean up most of the sawdust everyday and hose everything down. It's really a pain to do all this cleaning but so far it has worked.

Here's what it looked like before Grandpa brought the poles.

The little logs on the left are my aromatic red cedar (don't know the proper name). A few of these go up to about 10 inches on the big end but they are pretty small. I really get some pretty boards. I'll post a few pictures net time I saw them. The rest are Birch and Spruce with the big ones being about 12 feet long and 16-18 inches. I have a load of cedar and apple on the trailer but don't have anyplace to put them.

Mark

PS - you can see the chair where I spend most of my time. The man across the street said I look like Moses setting out there. I told him I would get a stick and see if I could round up some Israelites. :D

biziedizie · May 19, 2003, 08:38:44 PM

Hey Mark I think that's great that you can saw and not have troubles with the neighbors, I guess they must like ya! Now that I think of it the saw isn't much louder then a pressure washer so I guess it can't be that bad.
  BTW I think your woodlot looks pretty organized. 8)
  Don't spend too much time in that chair cuz I need to sit down soon. ;)

   Steve

Mark M · May 19, 2003, 09:18:00 PM

Hi Steve

One thing about North Dakotans is we are pretty DanG tolerant of one another. I think it has something to do with being numb for about 6 months of the year. :D A lot of people here came from the farm or rural areas and are used to doing things a little differently than most city folks. Could also be that there are so darned few of us (less than 600,000) that no one wants to pith anyone off because they might leave. Another good thing about the folks here is they pretty well accept everyone and trust you until you give them a reason not to.

Mark

biziedizie · May 20, 2003, 06:20:03 AM

Mark when we were in North Dakota we noticed that the people were very relaxed and kind. We had a flat tire and a cop pulled over and loaded the tire into his trunk and gave us a ride to the service station. We thought that was very cool!
The hotel that we stayed in even gave us a deal cause they heard about our problems. Now that's class!

Steve

ARKANSAWYER · May 20, 2003, 06:45:01 AM

Don't laugh about my "natural drainage" of the log yard as of lately it has come in real handy. But I did lose a nice cherry log yesterday over the edge. I think I can pull it back up with some chain if I can get some one besides Granny to help. :

   I try to keep 4 to 5 mbdft of logs on hand so if it rains for a few days I have something to do at home.
  Mark that is Eastern Red Cedar and is the good stuff.
   I was in North Dakota one time and after being in Saskatchewan for a day or so it looked good. I wished that you would quite cutting all the trees as we need them to hold that cold wind back as we are starting to get alot of snow down here now.
ARKANSAWYER

OneWithWood · May 20, 2003, 04:34:36 PM

I have driven in every state of the union except Hawaii and North Dakota. I will get to Hawaii next year for our 15th anniversary ( any woman who can put up with me for as long as she has deserves a trip to Hawaii :D )
I could never come up with a good reason to go to ND but now that there are two established milling operations in close vacinity to each other I think I had better get up there before all the trees are gone! ;D
Seriously, it sounds as if there are a lot of reasonable people in ND - despite what those SD people say. So now I guess I need to get some driving time in there. Is it like Montana where I can drive at speeds that are safe but prudent? 8)

Jeff · May 20, 2003, 05:25:37 PM

Quotenow that there are two established milling operations in close vacinity to each other I think I had better get up there before all the trees are gone!

I bet its to late

Bro. Noble · May 20, 2003, 07:06:16 PM

Heck, I been to that place. The only thing I remember about it is Mt. Rushmore :D :D :D

Noble

Mark M · May 21, 2003, 06:19:48 AM

Hey that's pretty neat Nobel, South Dakota has a Mt Rushmore too. 8)

Here is a good reason to come to ND - we actually do have some nice scenery out west. This one is the Killdeer Mountains just north of Dickinson. I put a few more big ones Here.

Come on up and see us sometime, but I got dibbs on that big tree in the picture :D

Mark

Duane_Moore · November 28, 2003, 10:12:17 PM

8)I want a mill too, everybody's got one, somebody send me a mill, please, excuse me A BANDSAW, :D

solidwoods · November 29, 2003, 07:45:09 AM

Mill. See Sawmill.
Sawmill. The buildings and plant necessary to convert logs or lumber to smaller sections.
The Complete Dictionary Of WOOD
Thomas Corkhill.

The mans got buildings, plant, logs being converted to smaller sections.
:D

:D

He got mill.
You may have mill.
We all may have mill.

Happy Holidays
JIM

Fla._Deadheader · November 29, 2003, 10:07:22 AM

:D :D :D 8) :D :D :D

Stephen_Wiley · November 29, 2003, 10:35:03 AM

Mark,

What 'big tree' in the pic ? All I see are shrubs. :D :D :D

Mark M · November 29, 2003, 02:47:46 PM

It's that huge 4-incher at the right side of the picture! ;)

Stan · November 29, 2003, 09:09:16 PM

Now that you got a fist full of cash, you need to get back to Queer Eye. That chair NEEDS a makeover.

solidwoods · November 30, 2003, 05:16:38 AM

I like that. It's a good life rule.
I live by: 10 Commandments, 7 sin's, The Golden Rule and The story of the "Little Red Hen".

people helping. I have a German friend that lives in Ge. she fly's quite often and always notices that in the airport, it's most always an American that will help someone with things like dropped luggage, opening doors, etc. (you can't count crowding in line or even stepping in front of other people in line, people from some cultures just do that, and look at it differently than most Americans). I lived in Korea for a year, the lines on the roads in the city's....just art work....has nothing to do with driving boundaries....if it's paved, it's for cars.

Fla._Deadheader · November 30, 2003, 06:26:53 AM

Quotethe lines on the roads in the city's....just art work....has nothing to do with driving boundaries....if it's paved, it's for cars.

I can relate to that. In Costa Rica, I have seen a 2 lane each way, with a grass and center wall barrier, become a 4 lane in each direction. Motorsickle riders is NUTZ. If one gets runned over, the rest simply drive around him, till he staggers off the roadway or gets scraped up by others. My buddy there had a tough time figgerin out why the car horns is always blowin.

He finally came to the conclusion that the horns are rigged to the wheels. Any time the car stops rollin, the horn starts blowin. :

:D :D :D :D :D :D