Greg, Ashley, and six-month-old Piper Rose live in a log cabin in rural upstate New York, just south of the small town of Holland. On pulling into their driveway, I was enthusiastically greeted by Bailey and Tundra, a couple of white Labrador “log dogs”. The family lives in a log cabin built over a hundred years ago, and Greg and Ashley spend much of their spare time working on an addition for their growing family. I was no less enthusiastically greeted with a smile and hearty handshake from Greg, who had just clamped down a large walnut log on his Norwood LumberPro HD36 sawmill, and shortly after, by Ashley who had daughter Piper cradled in one arm, and a cup of hot coffee for me in the other hand (which was most welcome on a crisp October day).
With fourteen years of forestry and land management training and experience, Greg works as a logger and consulting forester. Four years ago, he added “sawyer” to his list of skills. “I do forest consulting and timber appraisals here in the forests of western New York,” Greg explained
Greg was dismayed by the amount of timber that was being turned away from commercial mills, either because the logs were too big, too crooked, or were from urban areas where embedded metal could be a problem. Having also previously worked with both a circle mill and another brand of bandmill, he recognized the potential opportunity. “I looked at sawmills about four years ago and went to a Norwood Open House where I could try out their mills and talk to owners. I was so impressed by the design of the mill and the experiences of the owners that I ordered a manually-configured LumberPro HD36 sawmill that day,” he said, “I have been using the Norwood HD36 sawmill as an integral part of our business for several years since then.”
“This walnut log came from a residential area. It has a triple crotch, so we’re looking at a 32- to 33-inch wide cut. … This sawmill is great for this kind of cutting, because I can move the clamps and position the log to get the best cut.
“This walnut log came from a residential area. It has a triple crotch, so we’re looking at a 32- to 33-inch wide cut. … This sawmill is great for this kind of cutting, because I can move the clamps and position the log to get the best cut.
“With our HD36, we found a niche market, working with salvaged wood and sustainably-grown timber. A lot of our logs come from urban tree companies. A lot of sawmills won’t cut yard trees, but I mill the wood and kiln dry it into a usable product. I can cut any dimension. In the summer, I do a lot of portable sawmilling, too. We can cut in someone’s front yard or out in the woods. It only takes about 15 minutes to set up the mill. At the end of the day, when our customers see the stack of lumber, the expression on their face shows their satisfaction.”
Describing the large log on his mill, Greg said, “This walnut log came from a residential area. It has a triple crotch, so we’re looking at a 32- to 33-inch wide cut. I cut logs this size on a regular basis.” At 7 feet long, and with a triple crotch at the end turned sideways to take advantage of the feathered grain inside, it was a perfect example of the kind of log that just about any other sawmill would put on the scrap pile. “This walnut log would be considered less than pallet quality, but the slabs will sell for high-dollars because of their character. This sawmill is great for this kind of cutting, because I can move the clamps and position the log to get the best cut. Most sawmills are set up for round, straight logs, but the Norwood is also well suited for odd shapes like this one.”
“Greg fills the store with inventory of different species of slabs and boards, and we have people come from a wide area to buy our lumber.”
"This walnut log would be considered less than pallet quality, but the slabs will sell for high-dollars because of their character.” It took him a couple of minutes to cut each of the eight slabs, which he estimated would bring an average of $200 at the mill, or $400 kiln dry. “That’s over $1,500 at the mill, or $3,000 kiln dry – and the customer might turn that into a $5,000 table!”
Greg demonstrated that, with a sharp blade and a consistent feed rate, the mill produced perfectly flat slabs, even when cutting through the tricky crotch grain. It took him a couple of minutes to cut each of the eight slabs, which he estimated would bring an average of $200 at the mill, or $400 kiln dry. “That’s over $1,500 at the mill, or $3,000 kiln dry – and the customer might turn that into a $5,000 table!” He noted that while, woodworkers prefer kiln-dry wood, they often buy their slabs right off the sawmill to make sure they get the ones they want.
Meanwhile, Ashley and Piper head up Rose Forestry’s storefront in Holland. “Greg fills the store with inventory of different species of slabs and boards, and we have people come from a wide area to buy our lumber,” Ashley explained. In the spirit of cooperation, the store also contains furniture built by area woodworkers who buy their raw material from Greg and Ashley. “We also have literature and information about Norwood sawmills on display, so customers can get an idea of how we mill the lumber,” Ashley noted. Some customers have expressed interest in the mill itself and she and Greg have helped several customers in their decision to purchase a Norwood for their own use, through Norwood’s owner demonstrator program; one got himself an LM29, and another an HD36. “There is no way we are worried about competition, because Norwood is a family, and we’re all working together to get as much product as we can from our natural resources,” Greg laughed.
“Working with the mill is doing a great thing for our area. It is making a usable product out of wood that would otherwise be wasted. Forestry is changing in our area. Property size is diminishing, and we are working with smaller trees from the woods.” Our business is doing well for us, and we’ll continue making lumber for as long as we can,” Greg concluded.