Making it through another year, '23-'24

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, that weight adds up and white oak is even tougher. I settled in on 40" as my length because 36-48 is what everyone hears and 40" is smack in the middle. I can also get 3 rows of 40" in my trailer (JUST barely). Besides, that 48" length is a bit more difficult to lift if you grab both ends. Some folks cut them shorter as the diameter goes up. I also cut shorter logs when ordered that way for youth classes, etc.
 How big were your diameters? I cut 4-8". 4-6" is the standard, but I go up to 8" because I don't like to waste wood and a lot of my growers are real farmers and can handle them. The bigger the log, the longer they last. 4" is on the small side of having a log that will produce for a while because they dry out.
Sounds like you are off on a new business venture! Get yourself a weight lifting belt, it's helped me a little. Then you just have to get the word out and you have a new income stream.

[Old Greenhorn]

Chet after that last post I did some quick math. The 700 logs I did this past season comers out to roughly 25,000 pounds and you are correct, that's a lot of lifting up and putting down since I handle each log at least two times, and often more. Let's just say that it 'builds character'.
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Well today I didn't get anything special done but I got some stuff out of the way. I had to take the wife up to get her van after inspection, then while I was there and my mechanic friend had some open time we did the inspection on my truck (due last August), and the inspection on the new trailer (due last month). Then I came home, pulled the battery out of the garden tractor which needed replacing last year, and surprisingly still needs replacing. I went to town, did my usual loop, and got a new battery, oil and filter for the truck oil change (due a long time ago).
 I put the new battery in the tractor and mowed the back lawn which was way too high and took way too long. I took a lunch break. Before I could do the front lawn my son and his crew showed up to mow the contract clients across the road and behind me. They ran the front lawn, and recut the back lawn in 1/8 of the time it took me to mow the back lawn the first time. Horsepower wins again.
 I did some sanding on those 4 stool tops the get the glue residue off and flatten the leg nubs off. Next I have to cut the legs level.
 I paid the insurance bill on the Mule, filled out some vendor applications, and did some other little things. Don't feel like I accomplished much, but I was busy all day.
 It felt and looked like rain all day but the big moisture is just now getting here. The radar shows it raining here now, but nothing is coming down yet. The dew point is still pretty low for it to rain, but it sure looks and feels like it. It only topped out at 62° today, cool and damp. I didn't bother with a fire in the shop, it was fine.
 Tomorrow is another day and I have no idea what I am doing. (Then again, even when I think I know what I am doing, as I am doing it, I don't know what I'm doing. Or so it has been said by some.   )

[Old Greenhorn]

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Cut him a bakers dozen at 4 ft. A nice ben franklin in my pocket. Boy they are still heavy!

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I just realized that comes out to $7.70/log! You done good! coming into the market at the high end of the price range. I am the highest priced guy in NYS at $6/log. If I could get your price, I would quit my day job, oh wait.

 I for got to mention earlier, but if you are going to do it regularly, best to get yourself a good chiropractor. I am on my way to see mine in about an hour.

[Peter Drouin]

Do you use a pulp hook?

[Old Greenhorn]

Sometimes I use one Peter, I tried using two, but that is rough on the shoulders. Smaller logs are easy to 
'one hand' them and carry 2 at a  time, but the 8" stuff is heavy and a hook can help on the bottom end. I have not used them at all this season, I don't know why. I am not even sure where I left them.  You do have to be careful and avoid throwing or dropping them, it damages the bark on many species.

[Old Greenhorn]

A pretty lazy day today. I finally got around to changing the oil in the truck (don't ask me when it was due). I didn't have one of those filter wrenches for these baby filter cans, somebody must have needed it more than me. So I ran down to Bill's shop, it was the closest option and borrowed one. I got that done and was supposed to make attempt #3 to meet with Bill and figure out all these chipper blades after he got back from Ballet lessons. I am learning that a blind yet planned run down to his place to get something done with him is a crapshoot. So now I go down with a second purpose, if the first, doesn't happen, I can do the second and not have wasted the 4 mile round trip, which I have done many times.
So plan B was to cut the legs off the 4 stools I am working on. Well, Bill wasn't there, so I returned the wrench and left my waste oil for his burner, then headed to the mill to cut the legs off the 4 stools I am working on (My plan B).
I am new to this West Virginian style of leg trimming and still trying to work out the nuances (do they have those in WV? We have them here.). So on these I thought I would just stick the full length legs in the stools, then trim them off and use the excess in the next stool.. What I didn't think of is just how tall those legs are when I trim off for an 8" stool height. I ran into some interference on the legs just hitting the board return bracket. The other issue was the trimmed off portion being sucked or falling into the blade and damaged. In one case one got sucked into the sawdust chute and pretty well split/chewed in half. So I don't know if I can re-use the trimmed portions that took hits like that..
Anyway, here is the setup today.



That was rock solid, no issues there.

And these are the 16 trimmed pieces. The row on the left is good for more use, the ones in the right row all have scarring from the blade strikes. The one that is vertical is the one that got caught in the chute, or what remains of it.



And here are the 4 stools after sanding the legs. I'll start finishes tomorrow I guess.
Not much else accomplished today, but tomorrow is another one.

[WV Sawmiller]

Well, I'll try this gallery thing again. I opened 2 sessions and dragged these URLs over but don't know why they don't stay open. Obviously more operator error on my part. I tried copy and paste but could not get that to work for me.

    I went to our local flea market today with a load of benches, a raised bed planter and some crates and birdhouses. I forgot to take a picture there but here is a couple of mystery wood bench tops I had my friend do his Licthenburg magic. They look real good IMHO.

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=353778

Apply changes

Filename: https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_4002.JPG

I unloaded my trailer this evening and after partial unloading I took this shot of how I load the first set of benches face down then the next load on top. I sometimes put a moving blanket between and load more if needed then strap them down to hold the whole load in securely.

  I barely sold enough to pay the lot rent but will see if I get mobile jobs in the future from my trip. I visited with several former customers and other sawmill friends there.

[doc henderson]

copy URL in gallery, paste in a spot where the cursor is in the thread/reply in the other open FF.  not the type of cursing you may be doing! 

[WV Sawmiller]

Doc,

   I'm not having any problem pasting the picture to the gallery. My problem was when I tried to paint the URL in the gallery then click copy function then paste in the open thread on another open session of FF, it would not paste. I'm thinking it was not in the clipboard. May be a hardware problem on this laptop with the copy and paste - but it seems to work everywhere else I try it. 

[doc henderson]

I am not a computer guy, although I have used them 40 years.  I was just testing and then showing you, it worked fine for me.  I post to my gallery from my phone.. I put the pic in a thread on a laptop or desktop.  there is a learning curve!  I use the + sign in the tab to open the new window and open FF.  then I can click and quickly go back and forth between the two windows.  

[chep]

OGH
Yeah I want to get paid for my labors on the logs. I said 2$/ft to the guy. Didn't blink.  I cut them 48 inches. I threw in the 13th for free cos I already had it cut. All between 4 and 8 inches
After the sale I talked to a buddy who is in the mushroom scene. He said I was too cheap  . he said 3$/ft is not unreasonable. I appreciate that 
Go price some shitakes at the store. Help you feel less bad about $$ for logs. The person cutting the raw goods always gets the shaft and I aim to shift that where I can. 
You should be getting good money for your 25k lbs that you schlep around yearly!

[Old Greenhorn]

That's really interesting Chep! Maybe its a regional thing too. AT my current price I move a fair amount of logs, if I go up any more, that number will likely go down along with the total income. I never thought of pricing by the foot either. My price would then be $1.71/ft which isn't far off of your price. Around here I am the highest priced supplier I know of, but that's what I need to make it worth my time and effort. Learning new ways to look at things everyday, thanks.
 Howard, next time you do a show, could you take some photos of your loaded trailer? That photo confuses me, looks like the bottom layer is with the seat facing up and the top layer is seat down and lots of benches hanging over the edges. That's not how you transport them is it?
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As for me, I am still piddling along with little stuff and still putting off finishing up that garden bench. Last year I made some silly little business card holders to use at shows that would hold a good bunch of cards without them blowing away. I just made them for my booth and it was a 'quick and dirty thing'. But other vendors saw them and wanted them, so I sold a couple for $5./ea. and only had one left for myself. SO I whipped out 4 more of those.


I also had requests for those 6 pack carriers fitted for bottles instead of cans, so I re-designed it and made a pair of those. We'll see if they sell. Can version on the right, new bottle version on the left. I should have made it a bit taller.



I learned not all bottles are the same height. Next batch (if they sell) will be taller.

I am also adding coats of finish on those 4 rustic foot stools. Since I sold all of those that I had last year, I made some more. I am beginning to learn what folks buy and trying to make that stuff, rather than what they don't buy . Mostly what folks want is whatever I don't currently have available.

 

 Yesterday I took some time to go in the trailer and put labels on the shelves so I know which benches were grouped together on each shelf, this should make pack up go faster since I don't have to think about it too hard. I also marked which crates were on which shelves for the same reason. We will see how and if that works better.
 I am still waiting to hear back on this weekend's show. I sent in the application but could not get the payment through without added info from the organizer. Waiting for a response on that. We may get some chance of rain on Sunday, so we'll see.
 Coming up is a busy weekend. Saturday I have an all day work/staff meeting up at the Grey Fox site that ends after the diner meeting. Actually they are doing Friday and Saturday and many are staying on site or in the area. But I have too much going on and can just give them a full long day Saturday. I'll get home late, hitch up the trailer, and do that show on Sunday. This will be my 11th or 12th year doing Grey Fox, but the first time I have been invited to the Spring Site Meeting, so this will be a new experience. My new job there puts me at a different level I guess. I suppose a little will help keep me on my toes.
 Nice day today, I gotta get on it.

[doc henderson]

you got a lot of time energy, fuel and expense.  go up on your price and see what happens.  you could call back and go down if you are not busy.  seems like you are hoofing it to fill orders, and some you cannot fill.  You need a deep freeze to store some "produce" in.  I doubt the guys that want a large order, will find any or many willing to do it.  Even making the same money for less work is a win.  I assume the age and work ratio only gets worse from here on out.

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom.

  I will try to get a picture as I am loading but it may be a while before I do another show.

  What I try to do is lay the first row of unfinished benches face down on the bed of the trailer. I am not worried about them getting scratched or scuffed. Next I fit a row of benches face up with the feet resting on the bottoms of the first row of benches. Then I put a layer of moving blankets on top of the 2nd row of benches and place a 3rd layer on face down. I often rotate the benches 90 degrees to the one they are resting on. If necessary I can put a 4th row face up with the feet between the third row. I rarely use a 4th row. If I had a full 4th row it would not be hard to add a 5th row using the same procedure. I use ratchet straps to hold everything down.

  Since my benches are pretty much all 8/4 LE stock and cut the same height on the mill they fit together real well. If I were using round bottom stock like some of yours and Doc's or if the tops were different thickness they probably would not fit as well using this technique.

ADD-ON: In the picture above I had already removed the straps and a few benches.. The straps are connected to the front and rear frame of the trailer and run over the bottom of the upturned benches between the legs. When tight this ties everything together for a very secure load. Depending on the orientation of the top benches the straps may be connected from front to rear or side to side on the trailer. Since the straps are touching the unfinished bottom of the benches no padding is needed.

[doc henderson]

[doc henderson]

the bench on the left, is shorter.  most are 16 inches to top of the seat.  It can be done.  

[WV Sawmiller]

Doc,

   And please understand I am not being critical of the round bottom benches made from thick first cut slabs. I have made a few myself when the wood was just too pretty to waste.

    What I was saying was an unplanned benefit of the 8/4 tops and same height legs is they nest together well.  

    I mentioned putting the unfinished benches in first face down because I am not worried about them getting scratched or scuffed. If they did have a finished top I could just throw a moving blanket down first and use the same technique I do now to load them. The legs interlock and hold each other in and as long as you can get a strap over and between the legs on the top of the load it makes a very stable and secure load and you can get a lot on a trailer. I have nested birdhouses and crates and other small items in the dead space between the legs when I needed that space.

[doc henderson]

no offense taken.  Had I not had that pic already, I would not have bothered.  It is all good, and just showing it can be done with curved, and especially if they are similar in length and height.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Wow, you guys have been busy while I have been wasting away at my day.  Howard the fact that you make all your benches to standard sizes make things easier, but variations in leg angles still present a problem. Given your verbal description, I get it now.
 Ain't noting easy with these random leg angles, but this rack I have in the trailer now is working great. I can get one bench with legs hanging down, the same size bench or a bit smaller upside down (pad between_ then another small stool of bench inside the legs on the top (with padding). all held with one strap. The bench density is pretty high for a 5'x 4' by 20" deep rack and it's not full yet. I have been working on the staking and labeling and have no pictures of the present packing, but I have imp[roved the density. It's like a jenga puzzle, which is why I have marked the rack with what goes where so I can remember repack easier. I still have an empty bay section so I am pretty pleased with that. We all do what works best for us and makes us happy, right? As it should be.
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 Doc, I really don't want to raise that log price anymore, at least not yet. The jump to $6.00 made a big difference in the bottom line and I am happy with that. If I raise the price and lose a client, they will never come back and I would need to start finding new clients all over again. I haven't rolled the numbers exactly, but only about 30% of my clients repeat nearly every year. I think this thing will fade away too. Lastly, this new knowledge I was babbling about a week or so ago means that I can start cutting in early December and sell those logs in March, which allows me to spread things out and make it easier on me. That will be a significant change IF i can get folks to place orders earlier, so that means more marketing work. All businesses, big or tiny, are a work in progress.
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 To that end I didn't accomplish anything of note today opting to do chores that had to get done whether I wanted to or not. First I sanded and put a fresh coat of poly  on those 4 foot stools and finally did the same for that park bench, I think they will all dry up nice and might even be done. I emptied and overstuffed dust collector and cleaned up the resulting mess. Then I washed the windows on the shop garage doors, inside AND out. I have been meaning to do that for 4 years now and it was depressing to look through them. Now I can see the true color of the trees for a change. I did clean them on the inside last year, but the outside was getting pretty bad. That was strictly a 'mood improvement project', and it worked. Of course, before I could do any of that I had to hook the pump back up on the water tank.
 I also needed to reconcile what I have in the trailer with what I have on my inventory list, add the new stuff, and refine that list a bit. Makes for easier tracking if I ever do sell something.  I also tallied up the value in that trailer and it looks like I have over 20 SGU's in there looking for homes. Keeping records and knowing where you stand seems important to me, other wise you can't tell where you are going or if you are getting there. In doing the math and updating the inventory it seems that I sold about a grand worth of stuff last year between the shows and one or two folks who came by the shop. None of it was custom, just stuff I had made. It's not much, but it's a better number than I ever would have guessed had I not kept records.
 So I got some stuff done and I guess that's a good thing, not a lot, but some. Tomorrow is another day.

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom,

   The leg angle does present a challenge as does the assorted lengths of my benches. If the legs did not angle outward it would be much easier to fit them together. Also the curves and different widths make it a challenge. Some benches may be 16" on one end and 10" on the other end. Often I will try to place a bench over another and if it won't fit I can spin it around and it will fit. I do often let a few inches hang over the sides or ends of the trailer. Sometimes 3 legs will rest on the one below and one will just hang over nothing but the legs from the one below is supporting it.

    I am glad to see you washed your truck windows. Maybe that will help with those color problems we have noted in many of your posts.

[Old Greenhorn]

Howard I did not clean my truck windows, I cleaned the shop door windows. The truck windows are still on my list, as is the rest of the truck. However the pollen just popped in the last 24 hours and there is little point. Once the pollen starts the truck turns green every day within hours of being washed. But I may hose it off anyway because it's kind of scroungy with tree droppings and mud. I did wash the trailer yesterday and now it's looks fairly good. Ran out of energy to do the truck.
 Yes, those rustic benches will always be a stacking/storage problem, especially the round bottom ones, they can only stack face to face.
 I am hoping the show this Sunday moves some stuff, but there's only one way to find out. It's going to be a busy weekend for me. I have the onsite Grey Fox spring staff meeting tomorrow, so I'll be out the door by 7:30 then Sunday I'll be on the road by 7. I'm not used to this pace.
 After 11 years working at GF, this is the first time I have been invited to the spring staff meeting. It's management and upper level staff only, crew chiefs and up. I am doing yet another new job this year filling in for a guy that has run the VIP camping area for the last 5 or more years. His new baby is due Grey Fox week and is coming in with a heart defect they have to fix right away. So I'll do his job for this year, then find something else next year. He has never been invited to this meeting either which increases my confusion, and his. I talked to my old crew chief (EMS) yesterday who should be there, but cannot make it. He had no idea I was invited either. So the plot thickens. I am a 'crew of one' and do have somebody I 'technically' report to, but rarely see because we are both tied to areas 200 yards apart by line of site, or 1/2 mile by walking paths. If I have a problem, he is not the guy who will help solve it, I am on my own to create solutions. I have a feeling I won't really find out why I am at this meeting/work weekend until 6 months after the festival when they propose a new position for the following year(s). They dropped a hint or two last year that perhaps I was 'underutilized'. I'll just enjoy the ride and see where it goes taking one year at a time. They are all great people and I love working with them. So that will be a fun day and I have no idea what is involved yet, but  lot of interacting, planning, and note taking. Plus some physical work I guess. Something new for me anyway.
 Then I come home after dinner there and hook up the trailer and get ready for Sunday, hopefully before it's too dark, but probably not. By then I should be pooped, so let's see how it goes. I am beginning to learn every new show is an adventure and really appreciate the shows I have been to already and know the routine and what to expect. Some show management is better than others and has more of a plan and better advertising/crowds. Finding the 'right shows' is my goal for this year and I know it will be painful, like the last show.
 Tomorrow is another day.