I have been thinking lately on ideas that I believe can be profitable for you if you are the owner of a portable sawmill. I get the privilege of talking to many customers all over the world who make profits with their sawmills and while talking about certain products they produce, I get additional ideas that I think will be beneficial to share with you. So here they are:
Laminated Beams:
We are always looking for a place to sell side lumber that will profit our mills. I have an idea that could work in some locations if a person will put forth the effort to do it. Beams are a specialty item for log homes along with post and beam construction. There are however some other uses in conventional construction. I want to introduce to you the thought of a laminated beam. This is nothing new because laminate beams are used in churches nationwide and they are expensive. What is new to this ideais the method of construction and the use of side lumber of various lengths and widths by a small sawmill to increase profits.
You can use the side lumber that does not have to be clear of knots except for the top and bottom boards. Plane the top and bottom of the boards. The widths should be greater than the size of the final intended size of the beam. You can make for any size beam that you wish and the full length of your mills length capacity. Spread glue with a roller on the planed surfaces and press the surfaces together for a glue fit. A press could be constructed from cylinders (our tie rod cylinders can be used with either air or hydraulic) and a metal frame. It would be important to have a straight frame to press the glued surfaces together. In 24hrs the glue will dry and you have a super strong beam.
Next, set the beam and cut it to the size you need. This will give you the rough sawn look. However, if you want a planed look, I will share another idea that has been shared with me: a planner head and motor can be mounted to the front of the sawmill head on a horizontal mill. The four post heads are strong enough to carry the planer head steadily. The planer head can be mounted on a pivot so that it can be lowered at will or locked up out of the way. After sawing the face on the beam, you lower the planer head to the surface of the beam and start the return of the saw head. This will produce a beam with a beautiful surface. Do this on all four sides and you have a top dollarbeam.
If the beam has any visible knot holes or cracks that need to be filled, use epoxy as filler. This is the best filler that can be used and it will not fall out. You can mix sanding dust with the epoxy to fill cracks for a color match. With knots, use black brick dust to mix in the epoxy and sawdust filler. This is great for all filler applications in wood.
I know that a laminate beam will not sell in high volume, but when you sell one I think it will pay you very well. When contractors learn of what you can do, it could be very profitable.
If you were to begin to make laminated beams there would be a call for beams with a certain angle to match the particular roof line of the structure and turn to the floor. This also can be accomplished with sawmill adaptations. If you have serious interest in such, call me and I will discuss how. With this setup you could produce the beams from Pine, Poplar, Oak, Ash, ect. Basically any wood that will plane out flat. The strength would be several times greater than solid beams.
Red Gum Wood Beams:
Red Gum is super strong and will not splinter or break. Most of you know that Red Gum can not be split with an ax or a wedge. The fiber is woven together as it grows making it a very dense, heavy wood species. Now most of you also know that it will twist as it dries. But you can saw a beam extra oversized and set it up to dry. It will surface check, but will not bust open and loose beam strength.
After drying and twisting, put it back on the sawmill and wedge it so you can cut the intended size beam from the core. When finished you will have a super strong and beautiful beam. I would guess that the beam strength would be in excess of 5 times stronger than pine. Red Gum is plentiful and it grows fast and large. It is also considered a low cost source of logs. If you will take your time, you can build a structure that will last very long time.
Build Affordable Housing:
I believe we are approaching the era of time that small, rustic, affordable housing will be desirable. I’m talking about houses in the 1000-1400 sq.ft. range.
Remember that every working couple can afford a small reasonably priced house, but only the rich can afford very high priced housing. Therefore, there are more working families that need affordable housing than there are wealthy people needing high priced housing.
I won’t get into housing prices since it can vary greatly depending on your location
Be wise in buying the land to build the house/houses onto. It doesn’t hurt to buy that land that’s on the outskirts of the city especially when it’s probably a third the price. That’s where everything is headed anyhow. The cities are expanding out into the country.
Before you start to actually build the houses use a structural engineers to get your lumber to pass any state, city, or county codes. If you do decide to build houses, it is a good practice to not sell a 100% finished house. Sell it 90% complete. I personally know a successful builder who has done that for 40 years. The advantage is that it will allow people the opportunity to add the final personal touches to the home.
Something else that I learned while making and selling solid flooring that can help you if you decide to put flooring in your houses. The floor is the first thing that a person sees when they enter a house. It is the first impression that they get. A beautiful floor will sell a house. People that are purchasing do not even know how they are affected by the floor. But it is very valuable to know this if you are the one selling the house.
Final thoughts:
Remember, advertisement of your abilities is very important. Specialty products need to be advertised to the people most likely to use them. The internet is also a great source to find potential customers since you can list your houses for sale online. If you don’t have the internet at your home, go to the local library and use their online services.
In trying to increase profits, think about specialty products. Even if it is building pallets, specialty products normally bring more money. In addition, selling as direct to the end user as possible will also increase your profitability.
Timothy Cook
