TimberKing owner, Dan White, finds VALUE-ADDED IS KEY TO SUCCESS in a sawmill business. Dan has multiple sources for sawlogs…he has a broad range of equipment…several employees…manufactures many wood products…sells to many different kinds of customers.
Here’s Dan’s story…
Sawing gets in your blood
“Sawing kind of gets in your blood. I was in the sawmill business for many years. My business today, Whippoorwill Sawmill, is growing and a key reason is diversification. We make and sell value-added products and lumber to homeowners, craftsmen, contractors — anybody and everybody! We selectively harvest timber, saw lumber, dry it, have eight employees who build furniture from picnic tables to shutters to beams up to 40’ long and lots more.
Right now, we’re sawing Atlantic cedar and bald cypress. And we’re salvaging and sawing ‘sinker cypress’ — cypress trees that were felled in the 1800’s and have been underwater ever since. We’re turning the wood into very unique wall panels.
Broad diversification adds value
Here’s another form of diversification that helps my business. I’m a real estate broker, buying and selling land. I can often increase the value of my properties by having loggers selectively cut select timber. Pulp wood goes to a pulp mill, and sawlogs go on my TimberKing.
Further, we’ve recently added an extra value-added service, ‘forestry mulching.’ After logging, we run a huge mulching machine over all the slash and leftovers as they lie, turning it all into mulch that gets rid of the mess and improves the quality of the forest soil at the same time.
A fully-equipped shop can handle all kinds of projects
I have the TimberKing 2020. And a TimberKing 2520 on order. I have a dry kiln, a full shop including a Woodmaster Planer. We run six days a week. And I have another Woodmaster on order — the top-end Woodmaster 4-side planer/molder.
Maintain a strong online presence
I have a Whippoorwill Sawmill website and I maintain a Facebook group page, Friends of Whippoorwill. We have 7,000 followers: woodworking enthusiasts, hobbyists, remodeling contractors, furniture builders, and people who just love beautiful wood!
Compare mills
There are other good mills out there but I like TimberKing’s four-post head. I wasn’t looking for price, I looked for durability and production capability. And the fact that TimberKing offers in-house financing didn’t hurt, either. I bought the 2020 and I have the biggest 2520 on order.
I also have a Norwood mill set up right next to my TimberKing and the performance difference is night and day. Comparing a TimberKing to a Norwood is like comparing a Lexus to a Chevy Spark.
My Norwood is disappointing. It’s their biggest and best mill with all the bells and whistles. I’m very disappointed with the design and performance. It cuts straight but it’s hard to get a full day’s work out of it because something’s always breaking. It doesn’t have the power I need and blade changes aren’t easy. We’re working to make it more functional.
Do your research
Why’d I choose TimberKing? Because I did the research. I’ve run my TimberKing thousands of hours in the last couple of years.
I can’t think of any negatives about it. When I need parts, Mike at TimberKing gets them out the next day. The service guys are very knowledgeable and really know their mills. The same’s true about TimberKing’s sister company, Woodmaster. I call to get planer knives and I often have them within three days.
VALUE-ADDED ALL THE WAY
For those thinking of getting into a sawing business, I’d say build your business on high-value wood products, not low prices. You’ll never beat Lowe’s on lumber prices so don’t even try. Find a high-value niche and stick to it. Don’t sell cheap stuff – sell value-added specialty products like tongue-and-groove lumber, siding. live edge slabs, mantles, beams, and more.”
— Dan White, TimberKing 2020 Owner, Whippoorwill Sawmill, Robertsdale Alabama
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