Small Job?

Magicman · October 22, 2014, 09:06:52 AM

Yup, probably the smallest job that I have ever traveled for.

One Cherry log from a yard tree. No metal, but it did have a scar on the side that produced some nice figure on a few of the boards.

Why move the sawmill and saw this one log? Because the customer had one log and wanted it sawed. Just mark it up to goodwill and doing a deed for an 87 year old guy that wanted his log sawed.

When I looked at it last week, I told him $75. It took 1½ hours to travel, set up, saw, and move back home.

drobertson · October 22, 2014, 09:31:29 AM

I'm sure he was very happy you made the trip over, he most likely will be bragging about his cherry boards for awhile at the coffee shop!

terrifictimbersllc · October 22, 2014, 09:37:23 AM

Yep, commendable and a good compromise. It looked like being not far from home helped out.

I had a job last week, 1.5 hr out to back, to make one cut in a beam. Being very careful not to ruin it took half the time.

I do usually have a minimum charge, but less than a mile from home things get fuzzy. This was for a business and because I know who their customer is, I know they wouldn't have cared what it cost. But I made it 1.5 hr plus one blade hit metal. Figure looking reasonable works better in the end.

Tree Dan · October 22, 2014, 07:01:31 PM

Only 1 log...but a very fine cherry log at that...Good man Magic!

yukon cornelius · October 22, 2014, 09:45:34 PM

way to go! a job is a job.

Chuck White · October 22, 2014, 09:59:42 PM

I've done a few jobs similar to that, and with only 1 log too. ;)

Many times, they're more rewarding than some of the big jobs!

LeeB · October 23, 2014, 03:03:00 AM

$50 an hour. Not so bad. Made someone happy. Good deal at any price.

Magicman · October 23, 2014, 07:56:40 AM

Since the "other" sawyer in my area has a 1Mbf minimum charge, I decided early on that I would not have one. That decision has paid huge dividends over the years. My foremost objective is to make the customer happy. Happy customers are repeat customers, plus they tell their neighbors. ;D

terrifictimbersllc · October 23, 2014, 08:27:06 AM

MM what do you do when a customer calls about a couple hours of sawing, 50-75 miles away?

Magicman · October 23, 2014, 09:15:04 AM

$1.50 per mile for one or two logs plus $75 per hour gets expensive. I get many calls like that and after talking, they always decide to bring the logs to me.

I sawed three different 2-4 log jobs within the last couple of weeks and they were all brought to me.

These 4 Sassafras logs were brought to me.

And the lumber left on his trailer.

Yes, I operate a portable sawmilling service, but Marty only lives a half mile from me. He has plenty of room and I normally park the sawmill at his place. It offers a nice setup for those exceptional jobs. (Fat Albert, Blue, and the arch live there.) ;D

It's all about talking with the customer and deciding which option is the most economical for him.