do you have tips and tricks to save some money

[Graham]

I have several bits of Buddlea drying. What is the issue with it Pete ?

[Bryan Milham]

I agree with Pete, Buddlea can be stringy but I do manage to turn mushrooms out of it. Being an irregular and oftime cracked bit of timber it does yeild strange and interesting mushrooms.

[bodrighywood]

Maybe if you get hold of a decent large piece there may be some decent timber in it but usually you just get smaller diameter pieces and the wood is stringy, like a bundle of straws. Hadn't thought of using it for mushrooms. Even ivy is better and can yield some interesting shapes and colours.

Pete

[Bryan Milham]

Has anyone got hold of Wisteria?

I understand it bursts out of itself and wraps around the previous growth. That I think would be an amazing bit of garden shrub to get hold of.

[Les Symonds]

One tip that I soon learnt, was that if you have to buy your timber, find a local sawmills and (ideally) get to know the owner. Three weeks ago I was rummaging through the stock at my favourite mill and I found a pile of through-and-through sawn brown oak, and there, almost on the top of the stack, was a 2.5 metre length of 4cm thick brown oak, big enough to give half a dozen  40cm (16") diameter platters, and the whole board was from one side of the pith, so it was quarter sawn. OK....one end of the plank had a shake in it, so I got 5 platters and a plate, but I also got 11 discs big enough to make tea-light holders. 3 of the platters will go to shops where I sell, and I've already got orders for the others, so I'll get the full value of them.

Here's the maths
3 platters sold @ £40 each  =  £120
2 platters sold @ £55 each  =  £110
1 plate sold @ £18              =  £18
11 tea light holders @ £6     = £66
Total sale value                   = £314

The board cost me £45 and 11 brass tea-light holders (+postage) cost me about £15, so that's about £250 profit from one board. Platters take me an hour and a half each, and the tea light holders are very basic; so I make one in 20 minutes. All in all, that's 13 hours work, so I'm making just under £20 per hour.

[Graham]

Thats good Les, and just under £20 an hour sounds OK but is it really that much ? You count  the manufacturing time but what about the time getting the timber, caring for it while drying ( maybe), cleaning up the shop, taking stock to sale rooms or craft fairs etc..... the list goes on for ever and I guess it would become pretty scary.

[Les Symonds]

Thats good Les, and just under £20 an hour sounds OK but is it really that much ? You count  the manufacturing time but what about the time getting the timber, caring for it while drying ( maybe), cleaning up the shop, taking stock to sale rooms or craft fairs etc..... the list goes on for ever and I guess it would become pretty scary.

It's a very fair point, Graham. I try not to go to the timberyard just for timber, but double up with a shopping trip (thank goodness that my wife finds the place fascinating and the dogs think they've gone to heaven) The timber was well seasoned and I try to gross £20 per hour to give me £4 per hour towards overheads and £16 per hour for me.
Les