Blessing or curse

customsawyer · July 17, 2005, 09:45:44 PM

I recently started milling for one of the bigger mills in our area, they run about 300mbf/day through thier mill but can't saw over 28" dia. so I get to go in and saw all that they can't. Sounds great right? What do I do with my other customers that I may not get time for now? What do I do when this thing plays out if I turned away from all my other customers? By the way I spent the last two weeks down there and every time I mill 10 logs they get 12 in to replace them. I spent the first two days sawing popular and have been on red oak ever since am open for advice if any one has up this creek before am searching for my paddle as we speak.

Dan_Shade · July 17, 2005, 09:48:11 PM

can you get set up where you only break them down into manageable cants for them? or are you expected to saw the whole thing up?

jgoodhart · July 17, 2005, 09:59:41 PM

( Blessing ) Might be time to buy another saw mill and hire on some help. (Curse) Mill sets up there own mill for large logs after you have lost your customer base.

Tom · July 17, 2005, 10:01:55 PM

Jake,

I was offered the same type job at the mill in Baxley until there was a management change. I had some good ideas of how to turn it into a lucrative venture.

The problem with a custom/portable sawyer is thatl he needs to keep his name in front of the public all of the time. There are some temporary jobs of 3 to 6 weeks that have your customers looking elswhere when they can't find you.

To get involved in a stationary or quasi-full-time job would require that you run two businesses. They just don't mix too good. If you are to be Portable and service your area, you must be able to do it in an acceptable time frame.

Captain · July 17, 2005, 10:19:22 PM

I would be too unwilling to put "all of my eggs in one basket". A landscaper friend of mine did that, cut all of his regular customers loose to service a condominuim complex exclusively. They dropped him this spring. He's out of business.

Captain

woodman · July 17, 2005, 10:34:36 PM

Tell them you can only cut for them four days a week that will give you one or two days to cut some were else.

Frank_Pender · July 17, 2005, 10:49:33 PM

Captain, you are exactly correct with your mini story. I have had some fella wanting to bring in 5 log truck loads of Oak a month and have it all sawed within that time period. I do not need that kind of pressure nor the business as I would not get to see some of my regulars. I have had some large mills offer the same kind of opportunities and told them that I would train a person to run Mobiel Dimension if they would purchase one for the jobs they want. I have never had any one of them take me up on the offer. That alone told me I made the correct decision. 8)

Ron Wenrich · July 18, 2005, 06:06:21 AM

23 years ago, I started working for one of the local loggers by setting up a mill for him. I am an independent contractor. I can work at the mill or do other contract work for other people. That includes doing consulting forestry work.

Turns out that I have pretty much dropped all the other work and do a 40 hr workweek at one place. I know that every Friday I will have a check for the amount of work I have done. There are other perks, such as lumber when I need it, firewood, and the like. I have no investments in equipment and spend very little time in repairs. But, that's my setup. I'm still free to do mill and forest consultation, and occaisionally will saw on other mills.

You have to decide between stability or variability. The stability leads to a constant paycheck, as long as everything falls into place. Sure, they could kick you out or they could go out of business. Then you're just back to starting over.

A lot would depend on the money. Is there more money and more free time by working for the big boys? If not, then work out a schedule.

Cedarman · July 18, 2005, 07:45:17 AM

How many days in a sawyers life does the amount of sawing that needs to be done equals the time in which to do it. Some sawyers are always looking for more work, others have to decide between jobs.

If you do not saw all of your big customers wood, then it opens the door for someone else to come and take the business or the company does it themselves. How about partnering with someone else in your area and both of you saw the big companies logs.

Make a long term contract with a clause that they must give you so much notice before cutting you loose with a penalty if they do not. Tell them that this helps them and helps you.

Since they have so much wood to saw, it is time to brain storm to make yourself as effiecient as possible. Ask yourself, what can I change to get more logs sawn to their specs each day?

If you face the choice of giving up regular customers or giving up the big boy, which way are you going to be happiest with?

Please keep us posted as you sort this out.

woodbowl · July 18, 2005, 09:21:22 AM

I'm in a little fix like that myself. It seems to be feast or fammin. Down here close to the gulf coast, every few years, the hurricanes will put a lot of trees on the ground. I may have only a few jobs for the month then wham, I'm backed up for over a year. How do you tell a customer your backed up for a year? You can't hardly tell them your backed up for a month or two. They may say, OK I'll wait, just give me a call when your caught up, but there probably looking around for another sawer. It's just like cedarman says, it is an open door for someone to come in and set up buisness. I've learned that in this day we are living in, people want what they want and they want it now. And I can't blame them really. I'm a little like that myself sometimes. It is an oportunity the way I see it. It is time to make a decision. Gear up if you can deal with the extra expense and hassel, or stay where you are in the currant style of sawing. As for me, I'm trying to gear up in a way that I can stay sane and make a little more money. Some things are not worth the money when the hassel gets too great. Others are.

Ron Wenrich · July 18, 2005, 06:03:25 PM

But, won't there always be an opening for someone else to set up business in your area?

We have one mill in the area that was going to run everyone else out of business. His theory was to get really big (he has a 50 million foot mill) and buy up most of the timber by offering higher prices. Then, when everyone else couldn't compete, he'd have all the timber at cheap prices and the lumber markets to boot.

It didn't work out that way. He still has the large mill, and even bigger headaches. But, most of the other mills have stayed and expanded and some other big mills sprouted up. Consulting foresters have been in competition for stumpage, since he fired a good deal of them and they are expanding. The big mill has been forced to go even greater distances for both lumber markets and timber.

The point is no one has a market locked up or can they lock it up. If you look at your customer base now as compared to 5 years ago, I imagine they would be quite different.

woodbowl · July 18, 2005, 08:00:41 PM

Your right Ron. My customer base does looks a lot better today than it did 5 years ago. Maybe it just seems like a good thing to worry about. I'm still gona' gear up all I can stand. ;D ;D ;D

ARKANSAWYER · July 18, 2005, 11:31:58 PM

I saw for the big boys from time to time. The most I ever stayed at one mill was for 4 weeks and sawed just shy 40,000 bdft for them. It was good coin and if it had been closer to home might have put me up a roof and stayed.
On long term deals I just saw 3 days a week for them and spend the other 3 on my other customers. But if the coin is right go for it and when it peters out you will find it is easier to re-boot your mobile service back. Something to be said about steady coin for a spell.

thedeeredude · July 19, 2005, 04:30:25 PM

QuoteWe have one mill in the area that was going to run everyone else out of business.

That woudn't be the one I work for would it Ron :D

No really, was that Weabers?

sigidi · July 21, 2005, 06:01:52 PM

Customsawyer,

haven't been around for a little while because of this exact situation. I had some guys with 80 acres to mill up, initially I didn't have any other jobs on the books, so too easy I jumped in with both feet and was set to be sawing all week.

Then the phone started ringing, and I got worried (I don't want to turn anyone away!!) so I told the 80 acre fella's I have to cut 4 days this week, but will be back monday and start again, and so on. They seemed happy enough with that.

So I'd say like most have mentioned before me, talk with the big boys arrange a 3-4day deal and do your customers outside of that. It may mean some long weeks, but it's feast or famine at times

customsawyer · July 22, 2005, 05:29:30 AM

Thanks to all for all the advice.
I have done some talking with them and we will have some more to do in the near future but what I think will work best for me and them is 2-3 weeks there and then 1-2 on my other customers. I decided aginst the 3-4 days a week for them and then a couple of days for my other customers . If I do my work in bi-weekly shifts then I can eliminate alot of set up time each week that will make it more productive. I did tell them that as we were just starting this it might take some time to work all the kink's out and we will have to be flexable with each other. The bigggest plus right now is I put a small 10' by 20' portable carport up for my hired help and I mounted a umbrella to my sawhead so that way we get to work in the shade.
Thanks.