The Forestry Forum

come for a visit

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the office is always open to customers, it seems as i forgot to turn the sign around :)

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the sign is a good ice breaker, welcome to my office

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when we leave the office into the shop this is the first view you'll see, the shop isnt real big but, its busy

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this old machine is a dip chain gang rip saw, its 50 hp motor makes easy work of ripping. we double side rip every board before planing( after drying)

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after ripping the wood goes thru this pinherio 4 sided planer for presizing. the size capacity is 8" thick 18" wide

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after the lumber has been presized it gets finished thru this 5 head moulder, flooring, t&g v-groove, 1/2 log siding and other profiles.

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most of the jobs we do also require end matching this machine can do 1000 sq.ft. per hour

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our dust collection system is 16" dia. 8000 cfm unit, all shavings get blown into a self unloading trailer which when bagged holds 150 3 c.ft. bags.

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once a job is complete its packaged and loaded on a truck for delivery. this particular shipment is headed to new york city.
thankyou for taking the tour. :)

Very cool... except for the snow

Amazing machines! Your place is ridiculous! 8) 8) 8)

Interesting to see how you make money.

Very Very Nice shop .  Thanks for the pic. Do you have pic of the mill and log yard too :)

I enjoyed that Steve. Great pics. :)

Wow Oaks, your not some old duffer messing around in his backyard, good show mate. Frank C.

Very nice!  Thanks for sharing.  Maybe someday I'll work towards something like that...

thanks guys! i havent taken pictures of the mill yard or dry storage or my dry kiln yet, man taking pictures takes alot of time :D hopefully that will happen over the weekend. i'm also working a "farm" tour which i think will be equally interesting. :D
you guys always say without pics it didnt happen, i got tired of not happening so there ;D

Nice tour and great pictures. Thanks.

Allan

GREAT SETUP! Thanks for the pictures.

I love the "Money Talks" sign!!!  :D

We must have the same kind of money  ;)

And it indeed was a very nice tour.  Thank you Steve.   8)

Indeed, you are happening !!!!!

Impressive setup. Do you have help?

Quote from: beenthere on January 23, 2014, 09:13:44 PM


Do you have help?

A long time ago.  :D
I think every one quick because I can see he works too hard.

Very nice tour. Snow is cool. bg

Very impressive.  Definitely a big time setup.  Thanks for the tour.
YH 

That's really impressive. :o  Congrats on building such an efficient and successful business. 8)  Do you have 3 ph run to your building or a phase converter? Do you have a wide belt sander in there somewhere? do you ever get  calls for finished goods?

Thanks for the tour!  :)

Wow!
Thanks for the tour, looking forward to the tour of rest of the operation including the farm.
Again Thanks
Al

Impressive operation RedOaks!! Thanks for the tour!

the second year of buisness i had 3 phase power put in ouch!! just under $30 grand to have lines ran 1.1 mile.
yes there is a 25" wide belt, we have customers that want there products sanded, also when we make a prefinished floor we sand it to 150 grit.
beenthere
there is 2 full time employees and then there is me :) i think i'm equal to 5 good men :D last june my son took over, i was forced to quit ( health issues) my shoulders and neck are wore out. now i just do sales, machine setups, and help how ever i can, i dont lift wood anymore. ;)
time i get my chores done its almost lunch time anyway  :)
selling our own products is about 60% of the buisness, processing others wood makes up the balance.

Top Quality is evident in everything that I saw in the pics.  You are a true professional. 

Really, really nice operation :o Thanks for taking time to take photos of it.

 say_what but where is the fridge? Very impressive. I have tool envy

thanks for the tour.

Mighty fine showing. Some day when I grow up I want to be just like you. Appreciate you taking the time to post the pics and taking us with you.

Wow, looks well tuned!  Can't wait to see the mill yard and the farm too.  Weren't you just saying(in another thread) how you've never posted a picture? Well, you got the camera happening now :D
mark

     Thanks for the pics.  Nice tour, and a great looking setup!

Really impressive!  Nice "toys"!  Thanks for sharing

Very well setup Steve Thanks for the tour

Thanks for the tour.  Very nice shop.

Here I thought you were a sawmill only ,didn't realize you made the finish product. Do you spray the finish on the flooring also ? Very interesting thanks for scharing.

Look forward to seeing your kiln & the farm too, thanks.

Very nice and actually very clean considering the amount of product your producing. Is the cleaning in your job description too?  Im just now building a new barn on my farm and going to put in a dedicated wood working shop, seperating from my other shop should help with the mess I have. Love the pics and im also interested in your saw and kiln set up. Thanks

Red Oak, I have driven past you place a 100 times and never would have thought all that nice equipment was there.  Parents live near Hinckley and grandparents in Park Falls.

SO, you have a planer  ;D

Very interesting!  $30K for three phase and I'm sure you have at least an equal amount tied up in the machines that run off it. I think every high school should have a mandatory class on small business finances and making things work $-wise. I think that would stop much of the complaining about "fat cat business owners", occupy and other such nonsense.  Back on topic...

For that gang rip saw, did you mean 5 hp motor instead of 50? I would guess OSHA would make you barricade that 18 ways from Thursday with 50 hp in there.

Clark

clark
i mean 50 hp, there are alot of safe gaurds in place.actually  the end matcher alone was $130,000 :)
littlejohn
stop by anytime or anyone else that goes by stop in :)

I'm impressed by the lack of clutter and junk laying around.

Looks like a class operation to me. :)

Clutter and junk laying around cost money. Good thing I don't get paid to work in my garage.  ::)

Steve, thanks much for the tour.  That was really great! Nice operation.

Scott

AWESOME!   NICE SETUP. THANKS FOR THE PICS.

Very nice ! Did you start as a hobby or have the business in mind from the start

having it run as a full time business was the plan from the start, things just happened bigger and faster than originally hoped(good thing). :)

 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

That is one very nice shop. 

What a beautiful shop

Nice setup.  Really glad to see it is working so well for you.  :)

As others have said, "beautiful set up".  Congratulations on working hard and reaping the benefits of it. 

Looks great, I envy the shop.

I sort of figured that you were doing well, I just didn't know just how well !!! Great look at your operation.  I really enjoyed our personal messages and a phone chat.
Thanks for posting !!!!! Easy does it.

Thanks for the pictures and tour I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to your farm tour also.

Amazing shop. Thanks for the tour.

Thanks for the tour.
Nice operation!

Now that is what I call a very nice shop layout, very clean as well .......... Red Oaks is a tough act to follow.
Thanks for the tour and looking forward to the farm tour in the future.  smiley_clapping smiley_clapping

would you be willing to talk frank about priceing?

Ive been trying to mold up some replacement molding for my 100yo farm house.   

do you offer finger grove connected material (for painting)   
do you mold MDF?

I had a good family friend that ran a millwork in Memphis 10-15 years ago.   I remember talking to him about molding priceing.   If memory serves it was $XX per inch of molding cutter, plus setup cost then a price per foot.  with extra fee if you didnt buy over a 1000 LF of molding..

do you profile grind your own cutters?

Did you acquire all your machines used from old mill works or did you buy new?
Do you have a sharper were you might make door blanks etc?

I didnt see mention of a saw mill... Do you just buy rough sawn material from other sawers?   
Do you purchase dried material or do you have a kiln to dry yourself?

Have you been doing it long?   It seems like CL has been full of old machines from millworks that closed up in the past 10 years.  Have you found it hard to stay busy especially during the downturn?

schmism
i'll do my best to answer your questions in the order you asked.
i have no problem discussing pricing but, need more info first
we don't offer finger jointing but, i can give recommendations. why the need for finger joint?
i have never tried moulding mdf, it might work
the cost is you pay for the knives (i keep when done) and then its just a board foot cost after that.
i don't grind any profiles inhouse i have a outside source do my profiles. i cant justify spending upwards of $50 grand for a good grinder.
all my machines were bought new, with the exception of the rip saw..
i do own a shaper but, that is dedicated to a specific product so, the answer is no i cant run door parts. if you google that in your area i would think you could locate someone that does.
we saw and kiln dry our own wood as well as others. the mill is a wm lt40 hyd. and the kiln is a nyle  15,000 b.f. capacity
i started the business in 1998
this last one is always interesting.
my type of niche market is always changing, trendy, every 5 yrs what was is in is out and so on.knowing how to be in the front of trends is key to staying on top . i use the magic 8 ball for answers. :D no just kidding. business has remained very steady before ,during, and since the great explosion but, we arent doing the same type of products today as we had been doing pre 2008 so, driving the bus is always smarter than being run over by it. :) i hope i answered your questions or came close, if more is needed just ask.

Now you have went and done it.  You cannot come and see me now, because I would be too embarrassed to show you my little set-up after seeing yours  :).

remember danny, size dosen't matter :D :D

  smiley_crying

Well, at least I could BBQ something.  I got plenty of pecan ( smiley_devil)  ;D. 

as long as its not like devils spit bbq sauce, this old dog will be wimpering like a puppy ;D

I would whip up some Danjonit's Famous Sawmill BBQ Sauce. 

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,52866.20.html

Maybe Jake could bring some meat  :D.

some how i dont trust you fellas :D what kind of meat you suppose?

If it looks like a skinned cat, it is probably coon  :D.

Quote from: WDH on January 25, 2014, 10:26:41 PM
If it looks like a skinned cat, it is probably coon  :D.

That's why the 'Ol Timers left a foot on the critter when they set it on the dinner table.
Some people had to have proof of what they were about to eat.  :D

Red Oaks, I have been past Spooner hundreds of times myself. I will make it a priority to swing past your shop sometime. Thanks for your input on some of my posts.

John

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on January 25, 2014, 10:35:08 PM

Quote from: WDH on January 25, 2014, 10:26:41 PM
If it looks like a skinned cat, it is probably coon  :D.

That's why the 'Ol Timers left a foot on the critter when they set it on the dinner table.
Some people had to have proof of what they were about to eat.  :D

Boy you southern guys have to leave feet on your meal so you know your not eating cat  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :o

And you thought grits was bad  :D.

Quote from: WDH on January 25, 2014, 10:43:59 PM
And you thought grits was bad  :D.

Oh I'm rolling now..... :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Nice shop!
   I used to dream about a shop like that,,,and one night it disappeared
Years go by and then someone posts pics of my shop
:D
    I wish!

life is short, never stop dreaming :)

Red Oaks, very nice operation. How do you market your flooring?  Is it wholesaled or sold directly to the end user?

welcome chill8903
all the floor we sell goes to the end user. i don't see the need to sell wholesale when we don't keep inventory of flooring.
the nice thing about making our own products and making product using other peoples wood is there is always fill in work. for example if we are waiting for a kiln load for a specific job, we'll  bring in a customers job or jobs and keep on rolling.
scheduling it all can be alittle hairy at times :) some start out in log form, others might just be dry only, or dry, mould, end match. because everyone wants their wood now :D
every bundle of wood has a date, name , species written on the side that way its always idenified

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I see.  I have a similar operation here(sawmill,kiln,molder)that Ive built up over the last few years working at it part time.  I finally have the pieces in place to expand the flooring end of things.  I also process customer's logs/lumber, however thats a much smaller part of the business than rough lumber sales and flooring/panelling.  Word of mouth is picking up and craigslist has done well for me locally, I was wondering how you advertise/draw customers, If you dont mind me asking?  I understand what you mean about a good product selling itself, when I can get a customer here to see samples in person, it generally results in a sale.

my only means of advertising is my sign on the state highway. mostly word of mouth. the more customers you can have coming thru your door, it dosent matter if its a $10 job or $10,000 they are going to tell the same number of people. the more "soldiers" you can have spreading the word of mouth the faster word spreads.
how you interact with customers is huge, being relaxed and confident explaining things just reassures them you really do know what your doing, making them feel at ease is also big.
one draw back for you is only doing it parttime , people will be concerned since you are p.t. you might not get the job done or , you really dont know what your doing. its a mystery how people think and why.

Beautiful Operation!  You are a great example that hard work has its rewards.   smiley_clapping

Off topic, was Kyle able to help you any?

red oaks ,  sort of passes up definition of wood shop ! ends up at million   dollar commercial operation . not quit your average wood shop!!

logman
why is my shop differant than any others?  bigger yes, better no.  :)

Nice set up, takes good management to get it there and keep it running smooth, love the smell of a wood shop, and a comfy office to boot. Bet it would rang high in a sawmill / wood workers office comparison.

I always like seeing wood working operations.  smiley_thumbsup

What a wonderful operation. Congratulations

WOW----had no idea . What you have there is super great .  I'll have come down and see it in person.  Maybe I could sweep the floor :D :D ;D You are credit to whole area-------Good Job

I'll tell you something else about this guy going by "Redoaks". About a year or so ago I was in the market for a sawmill, through this site I came across Steve, and being he wasn't too far away, thought I'd give him a call for advice. Without hesitation, he invited me up for a tour and some helpfull tips when buying a mill. He not only gave me a tour of his great shop, he went out of his way to set up a few logs on the mill to give me a demo sawing!! Thanks again Steve!, and for the forum people, hes got a lot to offer in "good experienced" advice.
By the way...I ended up buying a mill just like the one he has.

who is this guy you speak of? :D thats great to hear you ended up buying a mill!
when i started looong ago there wasnt the forestry forum or i didnt have any operation within 150 miles that i could call or go see. so most of my experince came with a high tution fee :) now i just am paying it forward, offering advice or help how ever i can.

I missed this thread before. Nice shop, Red Oaks!

I was wondering if you or anyone else could tell, how hard is it to learn how to use, adjust, and maintain the moulder? Somebody I know here has one available to use, but it's been sitting a few years and nobody involved knows how to set it up or use it. It is a SCMI six-head-- actually, the same man has a 4-head Weinig, same deal.

I too missed this post somehow.

Very nice setup you have there ROL.   smiley_thumbsup

if your not familiar with moulders, the learning curve will be steep and hard :)it wont do much good to explain the workings without you standing in front of it.if you get that far pm me and i'll do my best.

I agree with ROL.
Have helped set up a 5 head moulder to run just 2x4 red maple, and it took a lot of setting, re-setting, and trial runs (means a lot of prepared blanks for practice runs) before all 5 heads were doing what they were supposed to be doing. Each head has a set of knives to set, just like a planer or jointer head. A slight adjustment in any one head can affect the other adjustments some, a lot, or not at all.
One blank had a crack in it that broke a large splinter loose and it caught behind one of the heads and broke the casting of the Diehl moulder as the next blank was coming through. That was expensive, and a long wait for new parts.
Here is a video of a 6 head moulder. Pretty good explanation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0nbgwVigBc

One that has been setting for awhile may add another dimension to the puzzle. But hope you get a chance to give it a try.
Would you have an idea what the moulder was set up to run the last time it was used?  Any pics?

Missed this one too,  it explains a lot,  nice shop Steve,  have to say, real! happy for you!  good machine work, coupled with woodwork is just great!

Quote from: beenthere on August 02, 2014, 10:04:06 PM
One that has been setting for awhile may add another dimension to the puzzle. But hope you get a chance to give it a try.
Would you have an idea what the moulder was set up to run the last time it was used?  Any pics?

No, I didn't think to take pics. I should have. There were actually two-- a four-head Weinig and a 6-head SCMI. I believe the Weinig was set up for flooring, not sure about the SCMI. They come with "Many many many" cutting heads and knives and a sharpening system, I was told, though we didn't look at the sharpening system.

That was a good video, Beenthere.

Very nice set up.  Did you ever get the photos of the mill and farm posted?

It's great to see this come up again .It's very inspiring to some of us.Thanks for posting it Steve.Now how about some pics without all that white stuff,not saw dust.

i'm hoping to post a sawmill tour this coming week, i think most will get some ideas to put in play with their own operations. :)

Quote from: red oaks lumber on August 03, 2014, 04:29:36 PM
i'm hoping to post a sawmill tour this coming week, i think most will get some ideas to put in play with their own operations. :)

You have new Ideas?

Are you kidding? Steve has more ideas before getting out of his angry birds PJs in the morning than I have all day!  ;) :D

I have plenty of ideas, just little way of implementing them!

First I have seen this too. I had an idea you had a pretty serious operation from your writing. This is quite a bit more than I expected.

Super nice setup and congratulations on building your business. ;D

By the way I heard you didn't build that. :snowball:
Can't remember where I heard it. ::) ;D ;D ;D :snowball:

I bet his sawmill tour will include a pic of proper sticking of lumber. ;D

Better not be any out of place.

 :D :D keep it up jake you'll be getting stickered up side your head. ;D danny said he would help with sticker placement 8)

Can I watch?


David G


carry on

 :o  I say nothing.   :-X    :D