What is my future sawing only as a hobby?

[opticsguy]

Having access to literally hundreds of trees at my back door and a manual mill, I have somewhat gotten myself into trouble. I simply have too much wood. Since this is a hobby, how much more wood can I cut and use in a lifetime?  Already a stack of lumber and slabs or should I say, way too many stacks of lumber and slabs around my house. 20% undercover, the rest sticker-ed and stacked outside in the elements.  Yet I love to open up very interesting trees, spaulted and straight grained and 1/4 sawn and ..... so much variety.
NO, not interested in selling wood and dealing with that part of the market.
Yes, I do give some away. Friends and family and...
Should i just keep cutting or sell off my saw?  or? 

[JustinW_NZ]

Find a murchant to sell cut wood too?

you get to keep sawing without running out of room then
(and get your fuel paid for!)

Cheers
Justin

[4x4American]

Just sell some lumber, than you can justify doing what you like to do, plus, now it's not going to go to waste.  Plus, you can cherry pick your favorite pieces out of logs and sell the rest.  Or do what I do and sell the best stuff and keep the stuff that dont sell for myself lol

[Percy]

If you like cutting, you should figure a way to keep cutting...I dont see your situation as a problem....If you dont want to sell, find a place to store it all...instead of being a crazy cat hoarder, you can be a crazy lumber hoarder....besides the exercise is good for you.....and all the younger guys will point and whisper when you go by saying "Thats the crazy old s.o.b. with all the wood"  ;D ;D

[Kbeitz]

If you dont like the selling part just hual a load every so offten to the auction.
They will sell it for you.

[Satamax]

I don't know the market on your side of the pond.

But over here, fully dried, not roten, good quality wood sells well.

If you have means to make a big barn, are sure to have insects away. And you have kids. You could do them a nice inheritance for the future (may it be far far away)

For example, if you would do 100 cubic meters of good quality wood here, you would easily get 50000€ for it. It's not that hard to make even for a hobby sawyer i would think. If given to them discretely. They could even avoid tax  ;D

[Bill Ragosta]

I hear ya.  I don't even have a mill yet, and I'm asking myself what I'll do with the wood.  I sit on over 100 acres with some nice timber and I really just like wood and like seeing the videos of a nice log being opened up.  I keep telling myself that I want/need a mill as a "hobby", but to what end?  I do work on wood a little bit, but I'm not furniture maker and could never use all that I cut and don't really know that I want to be bothered by selling it.  Like I said, I hear ya.

[thecfarm]

Hobby sawing,hobby farming. That will take up some lumber in buildings to house the chickens,pigs,goats,sheep,horses,cows,geese,ducks.   ;D  :D
Sell off your mill         
Use some of that lumber to get what you have sawed undercover.

[red]

There must be some local organization that could use some of this wood. If you donate or sell it is your business. Churches, schools, boy scouts, local elks club, park commission for picnic tables, little league for benches even Habitat for Humanity. Any group that could make bird houses , storage sheds even Out Houses . Have a Great Day

[killamplanes]

If u weren't so far away I could take some of that lumber of ur hands :D ;D

[John S]

Try your local vocational school.  I am sure that their carpentry/cabinet shops would be interested.

[Sixacresand]

At one time my focus was milling "for the sport of it".  But I soon outgrew my ability to shelter lumber or use it.  So, I try not to mill ahead of my need any more.  I do enjoy milling other people's logs.

[Magicman]

I saw as a hobby.  We saw logs, have a good time, and I laugh all of the way to the bank.   :D

[paul case]

I saw as a hobby.  We saw logs, have a good time, and I laugh all of the way to the bank.   :D

Lynn,
You sir are a quitter. And a fine sawyer. And a leaver.

PC

[WV Sawmiller]

If you dont like the selling part just hual a load every so offten to the auction.
They will sell it for you.

Several good suggestions here including donating to a votec school but I like this one from kbeitz the best.

Another option to delay the inevitable is to use some of the wood to build more wood storage sheds then fill them up. Then ask this same question again.

[sealark37]

The formula for success in any business:  "Early to bed, early to rise, pay your debts, and ADVERTISE". 

[YellowHammer]

There must be some local organization that could use some of this wood. If you donate or sell it is your business. Churches, schools, boy scouts, local elks club, park commission for picnic tables, little league for benches even Habitat for Humanity. Any group that could make bird houses , storage sheds even Out Houses . Have a Great Day

It depends if you want the money or not.  If you want to saw for the enjoyment of it, but don't want the hassle of selling, why not do as Red says and find rewarding places to donate the wood you don't want to keep?  We donate a fair amount of wood, and it is one of the more enjoyable things about owning a business.  Giving something (time, product) to someone who really needs it is a great hobby sawing goal.

[justallan1]

I agree with Red 100%. Donating to the schools, 4H, FFA and the Scouts is probably a tax write off also.
Another idea would be to get in touch with your local Rusty Zipper Gang. These folks live to help out people in need and cheap or free wood benefits everyone. You're getting to do what you love, you are giving a great group of guys a chance to help more people and you are basically helping someone in need when possibly that is the only way they would get it.
Some things that I do is donate different things that I make to Toys for Tots or the local Christmas Tree program and donate cribbage boards to some of the benefit auctions. I help Toys for Tots simply because I was one of those kids once upon a time. Donating to a benefit auction is two sided. It helps someone out and is free advertising, I give away one board and sell 10 or more because of it. ;D

[deepsouth.us]

Good suggestions above.

Here's my proposed plan and order of business.
1. Keep some
2. Give some
3. Since you don't want to fool with sales, find a Sawyer in your area who does. Have him pick up a load once a month, every other month, whatever. Give him a deal. He's happy, and you have some pocket change to cover operating expenses and a few cups of coffee. You'd deal with one guy several times per year rather than jockying customers and such.

[drobertson]

I to or should I say did end up with extra lumber sitting around, I too find it hard to rid of stock at times, what I have sorta discovered on hording, is make your hord piles of usable common sizes, with a litre mention here and there folks will be showing up giving you some extra pocket cash

[clintnelms]

Another option to delay the inevitable is to use some of the wood to build more wood storage sheds then fill them up. Then ask this same question again.
[/quote]


I like this suggestion the best lol.