Five tips on mobile gater services from an experienced custom woodworker

Watch this interview to find out more about custom wood cutting with a mobile bandsaw.

Keith Threadgall is a woodcutter from Scotland. He has been operating a Wood-Mizer sawmill since 1999, first as a full-time operator and later as a custom cutter. Keith now runs his own mobile sawmilling company based in the South of Scotland, carrying out wood-cutting for customers throughout Scotland. "I've been cutting wood for over 20 years"says Keith. It is known in the area as a mobile gate company that provides quality service.

Tip 1 - Discover your customers and your market

When he does custom woodcutting, Keith visits with a lot of farmers, homeowners and others who need logs cut. Farmers and homeowners usually need softwood lumber for building construction, fencing, siding and other projects. Keith says many of his regular customers are builders who need custom lumber from the oak logs they own.

Tip 2 - Plan your trips in detail, visit as many customers in the area as possible

Much of rural Scotland is harder to reach. Keith sometimes leaves home for days as it takes up to five hours to get to more remote parts of Northern Scotland with many single-lane roads. "I often go a day early and stay in a hostel near my place of work. I usually try to coordinate my work for different clients in the area to spend less time on the road. Sometimes clients agree to arrive in the afternoon because they need time in the morning to prepare for my visit. This is mostly in my favor"says Keith.

Tip 3 - Take along canvas, spare parts, tools and other consumables

Keith usually travels alone, so he needs to make sure he has plenty of spare parts and sails. "I usually travel by myself and if assistance or special tools are needed, I leave that to the customer. I always take enough fuel for my saw, blades, spare parts, chainsaw and other tools." I usually take four to six blades for a day's sawing, which gives me about one to two hours of sawing per blade. If I'm going for 3-4 days, then I take at least 20 resharpened blades and at least one box of new blades to spare. As far as spare parts, I usually take B57 drive belts, blade guide rollers, nuts and bolts for adjusting guide alignment, and fuel filters. Basically, these things are usually not available in remote areas"says Keith.

Tip 4 - Give the customer accurate data and always be punctual

Furniture cutting is not a very competitive market in Scotland. Availability has helped Keith get more and more orders: "A lot of results come from hard work and dedication, and you can even plan for the future. Sometimes custom cutters just say they will have time in a few weeks, but don't give an exact date. I always try to specify the exact date when I can visit clients. This allows them to organize the manpower, machinery, space and wood to be cut"says Keith.

Tip 5 - Don't hold back, share your experiences, sell your saws when appropriate

Keith says many of his customers are looking for used saws. Some customers are interested in purchasing a saw and like to do certain tasks themselves. "I keep my saws for a year or two and then sell them. I find there's a price range where people will buy a saw and keep it for part-time work."