Making it through another year '21-'23

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, I had forgotten where Dayton is exactly. Last time I was out there (1989?), I flew out don't recall the directions. ;D We did stop in Toledo to have dinner with my wife's cousin, then spent the night just 15 miles north of them. Next trip is still under discussion.

 My mushroom log price is going to $5./log this season as I have been telling all my clients since mid-summer. Right now, that is what the market will bear. (That does not include any delivery costs.) Keep in mind that up until recently Cornell University had been telling folks that they should be able to buy logs for $0.50 to $3.00/log. I have since had detailed discussions with them and they realized they really had not studied to work as they should have. Most of those publications have been corrected, but the bad numbers still float around out there. It takes time to get folks educated. I have also made improvements on the harvesting/sourcing side, so my work is a lot easier and faster/cheaper. Doing 1,000 logs would still be a ton of work in a short period.

 Thanks for the offer on the wheels, but I think I'd like to stick with something I can buy locally so it's easy to replicate in case I do actually get some orders. Since this is a working tool I don't think the artwork would add much to it. This is going to be rough cut wood, painted, and out the door. These will likely sit outside all year until they rot away, or at best, in a barn someplace. Mostly I am making these for my commercial client to set up his outdoor classroom better. He could also use a storage shed for his teaching materials and some rustic permanent benches he doesn't have to move.

 Howard, you make an interesting point about balance and I will check into that but I think we are good on that score. The logs max weight would be around 45 lbs, but mostly they are in the 20# range. The log center (I think) will nor go past the outside extent of the foot on my sawhorses, but I will look into this closer because when I make the horses for the actual build they will likely be shorter to give a better working height. That's one of the things we will work on this afternoon.

 Yes, we will find a better name. I am told the word JIG has lost it's technical definition and is now considered derogatory for some reason. Growing up as a machinist we made jigs and fixtures and there were clear definitions of each. I guess I missed the memo on the change. A fixture is is something that holds the work piece and a jig is something that positions a tool on the work piece, such as a drill jig. SO technically, this is a fixture.

 Now traditionally I have only seen these things used for the drilling process, but I see no reason why they would not provide and improvement in the inoculation and waxing steps also. If I modified a couple to accommodate those steps it might increase the value. For inoculation I would add a little side shelf about 10" square with a short retaining wall to hold the pot with the spawn in it or hold the wax pot, or both. Again, I need to consult with my client on the details. I do see in higher production operations they use these stands for all the steps. So it's just a fun little project to mess with.

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Snow here this morning and we have the monthly chiro visit today, plus last night it appeared that my shop chimney needs a cleaning so I have my work cut out for me. Only 2" of snow so far. I will leave it until it finishes. I think I will let the shop go cold for a bit and work on the chimney after the chiro appt.. I can get that cleaned and fired up, then hopefully plow the house driveway at least before my Mushroom guy shows up later this afternoon. No milling today. It doesn't look like it will get over freezing temp for at least the next 7 days, so I gotta clean some of this up before it turns to ice.
 Tonight the wife and I head down to Bill's for our monthly potluck dinner with him and his wife.

 Busy day ahead I guess.

[doc henderson]

If you sell retail via your mushroom professional, having you name, number and email on it will allow folks to remember your contact info if they want another or a friend wants one.  

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom,

  Its a bummer about the bad info Cornell has been printing. Hopefully they can get those out of circulation and reprinted. You don't want customers getting mad at you thinking you are ripping them off just because of bad info floating around. If you can get an updated brochure to show them you can tell them they have an outdated price list and here is the current one.

  Its like any other pricing - if somebody says they can get them cheaper I tell them they should get them there and let me know the source so I can buy from them too as that is less than my log or operating costs. ;D

   Little shelves should be easy to build with some scrap lumber and such and may be a great addition. I put a 2X8 across a couple of crosspieces on my game and fish cleaning station and it has turned out to be the handiest feature out there. And I almost cut that excess off because it stuck out pas the uprights. I built a similar shelf in each of my shooting houses and also very helpful - except when chipmunks just off of them onto you head or back. :

[Hilltop366]

Think about all the tools used for the job and try to incorporate a place for them in the " Deluxe Model" while keeping in mind the order of operations that go into doing the job so the tool placement is convenient for the user.

I guess 10% could be left handed.   ;D

[Old Greenhorn]

Well when I (and another seller) called them out on it they admitted to 'data' they used was anecdotal and mostly based on person to person experiences. Almost all of those sources were unique deals in that sometimes a buyer would cut logs on another's property and pay for the logs (usually around .50/log). Then some would just ask a logger friend or neighbor to cut some for them, so maybe $1.50/log as a one off deal/favor. Everybody had a different deal working. There was no real production harvesting of these logs going on that anyone could find. When they saw what I was doing, one gal wrote up a grant application to do a time study of log harvesting as a straight forward profit/loss/cost business operation. She wants to use me as the study point for data. Because of that, I kept detailed notes of last years season, costs, time, miles, etc. I will share that with her if/when the grant comes through. :D The Cornell publications are strictly online and they have updated a bit of it, at least the references I saw, but they still don't have the prices as high as I'd like to see. No matter, it is what it is.

Hilltop, you are right. With all my years of designing machines, tools, and fixtures for others to use, this is a natural thought for me, so this stuff will get incorporated as the users want. I always think "what would I want if I were doing this, what could make it easier or faster?" Then I add that stuff and the next step is 'what if the user is not me?' They may be shorter or taller, or left handed, or some other thing. So I try to incorporate those things too. Right now for just drilling, all it need is about a 1-1/4" hole drilled into the top of a leg to shove the drill into as a hanger while changing logs. I figure I will put one hole in each left so a user can either be left or right handed and work on either side of the fixture.

Just back from chiro, now I gotta get that stove cleaned out.

[WV Sawmiller]

  Okay, since we are designing the deluxe Inoculation Station by committee here,  : in addition to the shelf maybe you need to add a power point/outlet box you can hook into with an extension cord and a pair of wheels on the legs on one end and a handle on the other end  so you can roll it around like a wheelbarrow or 2 wheeled cart. Do we need to include an umbrella - naah, probably overkill. The next step may be to add roller tables on both sides to make this one step in a production/assembly line. You may have one of the Inoculation Station on each side of the rollers so you roll the log onto one, then drill the holes, push the log over the next roller to the next waxing station and wax the log (Whatever that means) then roll the log to the next station.

[WDH]

USB port and cup holder.  

[doc henderson]

bottom brace to be used as a boot mud scraper.  you know it will be muddy!

[WV Sawmiller]

   Can we fit a small fridge under there? :D Maybe a microwave - then the user doesn't have to leave to heat up his lunch. :D :D

[doc henderson]

how about solar panel, battery, and work lights?  maybe blue down lighting to look cool when working after dark.  sound system with subwoofer to help the spawn.  i was going to suggest a hitch to tow with, but I did not want to be ridiculous.  

[Nebraska]

Oh I like that "green option"... solar powered....goes well with the live edge.

[doc henderson]

I assume that Tom @Old Greenhorn is too busy out in the shop fabbing up our suggestions to even reply.  I assume.

[Old Greenhorn]

 Okay, since we are designing the deluxe Inoculation Station by committee here,  : in addition to the shelf maybe you need to add .......

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Um No.
Maybe YOU guys are designing by committee here, but I am working strictly with the client if that's OK with y'all. :D :D :D ;D Let me know how your design comes out and how those sales go.
 I had made one late night change to raise the angle blocks up a bit and allow for a larger log before the client showed up today. He is more than on board with the concept and we got a little carried away and designed a full length production 'system' to prototype up and test.
 Doc you were pretty close in your guess, while you guys were coming up with all the new age ideas, we were out in the shop hashing out details. It just that our results varied from those of the learned colleagues here by some degree. ;D
 We spent about 3 hours discussing the working heights, product flow, and a dozen other issues and came up with rough, but close idea of what to build. I will build one and we will test it out, then modify and make a second one, he wants two running in parallel I think. But let's get one working first. Now I need to mill up a couple hundred linear feet of 2x4's and get started. When done, the whole line will measure about 15' long and accommodate up to 10 people working at once. There will also be a 'queueing station' in between drilling and inoculating to handle the ebb and flow of the differences in cycle time for the various tasks (drilling goes pretty fast).
 Funny, but with all the off beat ideas that came up in our talks, USB sockets, solar power, refrigerators, boot scrapers, cup holders, and such never came up. :D I did talk him into trying a battery angle grinder instead of the 110v tools he uses now with a generator. It will cut out a lot of hassle. So we are going to test that out too. I have all winter to make it, but want to get started as soon as it warms up. This is going to be a really cold week. But I think this will be a fun project without the fussy sanding and finishing work required. It just has to be solid and work. But I do plan on painting it to make it last a little longer.

[WV Sawmiller]

Doc, Danny & Pet Doc,

   As read the above we now have a free hand to design and sell these high tech mushroom log inoculation stations. You just watch - when our LLC goes public and we all become millionaires I bet Tom is going be beating on the door wanting his share since the basic design really was his idea. :D :D :D

  

[Old Greenhorn]

Indeed Howard, you guys have at it! In fact, in the spirit of friendly competition, what say we meet back here in a year and compare to see who lost the least money? :D ;D

 I am not going to suggest how you guys should do this, but I would like to offer that you might want to put a bit more effort into your market and user research. I just don't want to see you guys fall too far.

 Now you just need a fancy name for your enterprise. How about 'Duey, Cheetum, & Howe'? No, that's already been taken. Maybe "Almost Level Equipment design"? "Looks good from Here Builders"? Anyway, I am sure you will think of something catchy. Knock 'em dead fellas! 8)

[doc henderson]

eye ball construction, was used by the guy that taught me to build houses.  If he goes batt. for the drills and such, he could have an inverter on his vehicle to recharge the dead batts... if the solar panels on the inoculation situation does not work out.

[WV Sawmiller]

    I think we'll have to put together our plans and contract/partner with Tim the tool man Taylor to do the actual construction. ;D

[Old Greenhorn]

I think my odds just got better. :D

[Old Greenhorn]

I can see it now "The Binford 2022 super LOGINATOR!"

[WV Sawmiller]

   Instead of the wheels/castors  I think can just hook up a spiked chain on a gear to turn the log. In fact, we may add more chains, sharpen the spikes and just throw the log on, hit the pedal to roll it around a couple of times and the spikes will make the holes and we can forget the drilling. Then just roll it over the spores and the log is already inoculated.  :D We can cut our man hours and increase production 10 fold in one step here. ;)

[Old Greenhorn]

Howard really, that 'suggestion' I made about research would help you out here quite a bit. You are making this way too easy for me. High speed ultrasonic inoculation might work better. At least that is credible. OK, a tiny bit more credible.

[Hilltop366]

Hmmm no drilling you say.

Couldn't we just use a 9mm and shoot the "pre charged" plugs in the log?  ;D

Ok... maybe a modified air nailer?

[Old Greenhorn]

Again, research. 9mm won't work. you need to get closer to .50cal or a little over that to fit the current plugs. Just trying to help you guys out.

[Nebraska]

.54 cal muzzle loader bullet. Except the lead might be bad have to use nontoxic loads...
How about using an old Singer pedal sewing machine  to power the log turner. Might make it about the correct height.

;D

[Old Greenhorn]

.54 cal muzzle loader bullet. Except the lead might be bad have to use nontoxic loads...
How about using an old Singer pedal sewing machine  to power the log turner. Might make it about the correct height.

;D

Yeah, yeah. Now you're cooking! Run with that and let me know what you come up with. ;D