Question?

[old3dogg]

Question for you guys or gals that work in or own a saw mill.
Do you folks have trouble selling 6 or 8 foot boards?
Any thickness or species.
Around my plant I hear all the time that we cant get rid of 6 or 8 foot lumber?
Why is this?Or is it just my plant?
I have an idea for 6 and 8 foot boards if they are hard to sell.
Thanks.
Mike.

[sawhead]

No problem selling 6' and up as long as its 3 A or btr, below that it gets chipped if its not 8' or longer.

[Bibbyman]

Not counting grade lumber....  We sell a lot of 8' stuff – especially 1x6 and 2x6 oak for fence lumber and horse stalls.  Next most popular are 12' and 16',14' and last 10'.

People almost never ask for 6' stuff but if they asked for 12' stuff we'll asked what they are making and sometimes they'll admit they only need stuff 6' but didn't think we'd have any or would cut them any.  Many times we can go through a stack of longer rejects and fill their order.  Or, we'll pick out a few 12' logs with sweep in them and cut them in two – thus getting better lumber and yield out of the crooked logs.

Our slow mover is 4" wide boards of any length or thickness.  Well sell 100 2x6s to 1 2x4.  Gets to where if we don't open a 6" face,  we'll take a ½" off to get it and use the ½" cut for survey stake material.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Yep! I have a hard time selling short boards.  My green hardwood wholesaler will take some 6&7 foot boards in my 8 ft bundles, but not many.  Most folks just have it in their mind that they need 8 ft boards to cut down to the size they want and to have to refigure it for 6 ft boards would be to hard.
  Case in point.  I have a guy who buys alot of 8 ft 1x8's in pretty clear pine.  The other day when he came to pick up his order of 40 boards he started complaining about the waste he had.  On every board he has about a foot of waste and after he makes several swings he has a lot of scraps to try to make into some thing.  He is ripping the boards down into 3 1/2" x 5' for the swings and uses the 3 ' boards for the arms and braces but has to much waste.  I asked why he did not just buy 10' 1x4's and he said that the blue print called for the seat to be 5 ft long and if he cut a 10' board in half then one side would be 1/8 to short. :  I told him that my boards were all 10' 4" long and he would have plenty to trim and still have 5 ft boards.  He thought that it was a super Ideal as he hated ripping them 8 inch wide boards any way.  I told him that some times I have short logs or boards with bad ends and I could save them for him and just charge for the good 5 ft.  Said that he was not to sure about that as his plan called for 8 ft boards.
  Most of the time I just build with them and they are not wasted or chipped.
ARKANSAWYER

[Norm]

It all depends on what your markets are. Wholesalers will not buy the 6' stuff but I can sell it all day long through the internet. I can ship oversize via ups up to 6' without a lot of extra surcharges, go to 8' and they bang you an extra $40 per package. Those lengths need to go LTL freight and the costs for that are high unless you are shipping over 200 bd ft. Most of the folks making furniture do not need anything longer than 6' and if you talk to them they will buy the 4' stuff for the shorter lengths they use.

[old3dogg]

Thanks for the replys!
What I plan to do is buy short lumber at 2 comm. or better,vac dry it and then process it into flooring or use it for glued panels.
I have been talking to some of the larger mills in my area and they all say the same thing.Hate to turn down the logs but have a hard time selling the shorter sizes.
Thanks again and to whomever moved this post thank you too.
Mike.

[Ron Wenrich]

We sell lumber 4' and longer to most of our buyers.  We do have one that wants only 6' and longer.

We also sell loads of 7' & 8' lumber to casket companies.  This is a pretty good market, since they grade on the good side.  Back has to be a sound back.  I can sell this by the trailerload.

A 6' board will grade a select, if you are in the market area.  You can do that in cherry and maple.  F1F has to be 8'.

Sounds like you need someone to help you guys do some marketing.  

[old3dogg]

Thanks Ron.
Our company has resently down sized and has been split up.
I was told to find a way to make money with our vac kilns.
The square market is all but dead here in the USA so I am looking for different ideas for lower grade lumber.
We have a lumber mill but I am told that I cant get green lumber from them.I have to go else where.
So far I have found a supply of Ash  and Hard Maple for ball bats and have found a market for 5/4 Poplar and 5/4 Hard Maple.As I am just a kiln operator all of this is new to me.
I thought that if mills were having trouble selling lower grade,short lumber maybe I could get it at a decent price,vac dry it and turn it into hard wood flooring or glue it into panels.
I can turn around 8500 BFT of 5/4 HM every 6 days and 5/4 Poplar every 5 days.
Thankfully all of my vacuum kilns are paid for,work well and are in good shape!
Thanks again!
Mike.

[twoodward15]

I don't own or work at a mill, so here's this consumers take on it.  Keep in mind that money is tight for woodworking projects, but it is there.  When I go to the mill I keep in mind what I plan on building next.  I try not to just buy up the wide and long stuff.  I actually prefer the shorts and the narrower stock.  I just bought wood today and not one of the boards was 8 feet long.  I actually like to buy stuff around 4 feet.  It's easier to handle, I get a better deal on it, and I can buy more wood that way.  I also should add that I have an suv so it is easier to transport that way.  My lumber guy gives me good deals when I go because I take his shorter lumber.  he threw in a 6 foot 1X6 piece of red oak and sold me an almost 8 foot long 2 inch thick 12 inch wide piece of gum for 2 dollars as well.  I pay full price for even the shorter pieces, but he really takes care of me.  If I see a short piece of something nice that I like while carrying my lumber out he'll usually pick it up and throw it in my SUV for me with a smile on his face at no charge.  I will add that this place isn't a store front, just a guys barn with about 400,000 bd ft of mixed hard and soft woods.  All local wood as expected.  I like doing business with him and as far as I can tell he likes me.  I take stuff with knots and twists at time if I can get a piece out of it too.  He's happy and gets a buck from me and doesn't have to throw it in the wood stove.  That's about the way it works for me.  Like I said I like the short stuff and I'm sure if you guys are selling to your local woodworker (like me) and you tell them you will give them a deal on shorts, they will jump on it and your problems will be solved.

[smwwoody]

Mike are you going to be buying popular?? I just bought 3 loads of logs today that are about 50% popular.  I have no market for it yet..  

[old3dogg]

Smwwoody.
Yes.I am interested in 5/4 Poplar.I sent you a PM.
Lowes is very interested in my 5/4 Poplar after I told them how fast I can turn it around from green to 6%.
Im also looking hard at a market for 8/4 RO.
Mike.