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do you sell your lumber green

Started by yukon cornelius, April 13, 2014, 09:11:07 AM

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yukon cornelius

well im struggling for an income stream, I have no kiln, I have a mill, and I have no time to sit on lumber while it dries. is green lumber sellable? how do I find buyers? I don't think there are any ff members really close to me to be competitors. I don't want to step on toes on here. thanks if you can help.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

drobertson

Not sure where you are,  for me, it boils down to selling oak side lumber to a local flooring mill, ties to the tie yard.   As far as custom work goes, cut as required,  for me custom work seems almost feast or famine. Every good week end for one individual is the same for many more.  It all works out I suppose, 
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

yukon cornelius

we are a couple hours north of you. about an hour north of springfield. thanks for your your input
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

Peter Drouin

Cut it stick it and tell people you have lumber for sale, just cut the common stuff,like 8' 2x4 and one " boards . Go after the farmers for their out buildings. Green is OK
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

jclvsall

What drobertson said.  Not sure how far you are from these guys.  http://www.havco.com/about-us/ We sell to their Vonore TN plant.  I know they have one in MO.  We get very good money for our oak tie siding ungraded.  They only ask to separate out the Red Oak due to drying schedule and include no pith center. 

Good luck!
Brian
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.  Ben Franklin

Lakeerieloghomes

This question has been posed by just about every person that has decided to turn a buck sawing. I started with a small manual mill shortly after college. Like any ambitious soul, I was going to be successful making sawdust from the logs I acquire with my tree service. It would seem that the first inclination for any novice sawyer is to just start sawing green dimensional lumber. The issue with this avenue of income is that we can not compete with large commercial operations in terms of production. Money can be made sawing dimensional lumber. However, why break your back sawing random 2x4s when you don't have a specific outlet? The small sawyer has a leg up on larger mills for our ability to produce products a larger mill can not cost effectively produce. A niche market is where a small sawyer can thrive. Who does nt want to saw less and make more? The internet is a vast market place. Websites such as woodplanet, ebay and similar put opportunities in front of you. Pick and choose which jobs you are able to complete, make contact and develop a business relationship with what you hope is a repeat customer.  Small custom jobs are far more lucrative than sawing in hopes of selling 2x4s after them sitting for days, weeks, or months taking up space. Just my $0.02.
Woodmizer LT 70 diesel
Newman 4 side planer;100 hp International
25" wood master molder/planer
Glue line rip saw
16" Dewalt chop saw
16" pop out saw
Table shaper
2500 bd ft Kiln
Misc woodworking and support equipment

taw6243

Here is one of my craigslist ads for around here:


I have wood for stalls barn repairs or hay wagons.

I can cut fresh oak, or pine boards for use in barns for repairs or additions, custom cut to your needs for length, width, and thickness. Uses can be for board and batton, stalls, to replace beams, flooring, hay wagon repair or replacement boards, I can size to almost any use in most local species of trees. From your logs or mine.

To see over 800 of my pictures,
Copy the link below and paste it into your web browser website will open up for you to look at some of the wood I have, what I do with wood, or what you can do with the wood I have available.

(At this point in the ad I have a link to my web page so they can see examples of my work)
(I use a free photo storage website) (photo-bucket)
Call for directions to find me in Muskegon.

I take calls until 11:00 pm

231*830*7253
Tim

I get very good response this way
4500 hours on my 2004 LT40HDG28, CBN sharpener and auto setter, 25" woodmaster planer with 9'auto leveling bed and trac vac chip handling system, 1998 L3010 kubota, 2010 L3200 kubota Festool TS75 rail saw with 42", 75" and 106" rails.

yukon cornelius

thank you guys for the responses! I don't need to make much money I just need to make some. we survive on a very little. its just been a little to slow lately. thanks again!
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

stavebuyer

Another vote for ties and flooring. They are in high demand and readily salable. When you factor in over-run; you can net a respectable sawing rate.


ladylake

 
I sell most of mine green for trailer decking, fences, horse stalls etc.  Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

dboyt

Depends on the mill & what support equipment you have.  If you cut ties, you'll need a way to load and move bundles of 10 (20 is better) at a time.  There's always a demand for boards, but it does take a while to establish the markets.  True woodworkers don't mind drying their own lumber, because they know that's the way to get the good stuff.  Lots of woodworkers around Springfield.  Maybe the Grizzleys outlet would let you put up a notice, or at least keep some of your cards on hands.  CraigsList is a good outlet.
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

petefrom bearswamp

I sell Hemlock both green and air dried.
I try to keep the high demand items in stock.
2x4x8 and 1x10 and 12 in 8 and 10 ft lengths.
If i run out i sell green and also any custom stuff is green.
Pete
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

LittleJohn

That would imply that I saw my lumber green; most of my logs sit for at least a month; til I get enough to make it worth my while (hobbist, not professional)
I almost exclusively air dry all my lumber; got three stacks, 12' Soft, 8' soft and 8' hard.  On rare occassion 12' gets a 8' second level if 8'  getting to high

But if customer, has green logs and green bills -> I can MAKE time
RARELY do I sell lumber, from my wood; almost always customer wood = customer boards

dboyt

Quote from: LittleJohn on April 15, 2014, 11:24:42 AM
That would imply that I saw my lumber green; most of my logs sit for at least a month; til I get enough to make it worth my while (hobbist, not professional)

But if customer, has green logs and green bills -> I can MAKE time
RARELY do I sell lumber, from my wood; almost always customer wood = customer boards

Whether the log is milled fresh off the stump or a year later, it is still green off the mill.  It won't lose enough moisture to make much difference, except for the ends.  A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they can dry the logs and mill air dry lumber.  It just doesn't happen.
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

JamieT

As of right now, everything I sell is green. But I always sure to tell folks that call that it is infact, green and will need time to dry. I also use the internet for advertising and mention wood is green. Some people need dry, some people plan ahead . Just depends on who calls. Where do you guys sell ties to? I'd love to get hooked up with a business or company!!
Learned just about everything I know, from the greatest man ive ever known. My father! Everything else was self taught thru the school of HARD KNOCKS ;-)

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