Drying and Shipping Slabs That I Sold

Eric Explaining the Vacuum Kiln - • Producing the Second B...
Check out my Woodworking Classes
thewoodwhisper...
🪚Sawmill Plans🌳
mattcremona.co...
🪑Chair Kits 📦
mattcremona.co...
Sawmill Products I Use
Log Tongs: amzn.to/2KXxJZR
60" Peavey - amzn.to/2X8WtS9
78" Cant Hook - amzn.to/2Is0RY1
Hi-Lift Jack: amzn.to/2nwL9Nq
Hearing Protection: amzn.to/2xysd8q
Endgrain Sealer: amzn.to/2FTxwGT
Boracare: amzn.to/2JSvzME
[Amazon links are affiliate links]
Check out Wood Talk, a podcast about woodworking that I co-host:
www.woodtalksho...
/ woodtalk
ClearVue Cyclones
Use CREMONA5 for 5% off
www.clearvuecy...
Mag Switch
Use MATTCREMONA for 10% off
mag-tools.com/
Support What I Do: www.mattcremona...
Website: mattcremona.com
Instagram: / mattcremona
Twitter: / mattcremona
Facebook: / mattcremonaww
Email: [e-mail]

[@cv990a4]

These behind-the-scenes, making-the-sausage (or, in this case, drying it and shipping it) videos are great. Jack-of-all-trades doesn't begin to describe Matt, especially since he happens to be master of at least quite a few...

[@deniscb3244]

You are spot on when you talk about "hanging out with Eric". When you are self-employed as a one-man-band, as I have been for the last 15 years, mixing with people who have similar interests is both really important and fun.

[@mcremona]

Exactly this

[@webbtrekker534]

I was a shipping clerk for 40 years. Your relationship with drivers and freight companies is huge and it can get you out of tight situations lots of times.

[@nicholaspappas101]

These longer format videos about the business side of things are always the most interesting to me.

[@boriskogan666]

beat me to it. came here to say just that. i really appreciate the behind the curtain look.

[@Mike.DeNinno]

This is a good video to show people who think their walnut tree is worth a lot more than it is. So much $$$ involved every step of the way to usable lumber.

[@donwilliams3626]

You are a marvelous material manipulator, Matt!

[@anderswegge6828]

Square footage in the truck bed is the most precious commodity. That's what limits the load in most cases.

[@dwightbauer6705]

Good Morning Cremona Family.

[@natecarlson6283]

That is an incredible amount of time spent prepping the stack for pickup

[@seancasey2444]

It's always great to have friends like Eric that are in the wood business.

[@vhostovich]

Found this one to be your most interesting. You do this type of video extraordinarily well.

[@terencemerritt]

Wow. I never imagined I’d be glued to a screen on the logistics of a log slab lol. Great video Matt

[@z06doc86]

Here’s to hoping that Matt, family and friends have a safe and prosperous New Year!

[@ifiwooddesigns]

Great video Matt. Good behind the scenes of what happens to slabs. No one ever shows other than the cutting part.

[@kevlarmenace]

I love how Pancake is just supervising all of the log movements.

[@floraandflannel]

Great video!! Thanks for taking the time to record and thoughtfully explain the steps between the… more glorious milling and furniture making, of the “tree to table” process!! Not like you need more projects… but a hyper lapse of the ENTIRE process from falling a tree to putting a table in a dining room…. Would be bonkers cool! Maybe collaborate with another maker? Or Maybe ignore this entirely cuz you’re already busy AF.

[@joeaddison]

This is one of my all time favourite videos! Thanks for sharing Matt

[@paulstanding7267]

It just shows you the difference in prices for items find it the same once you go over a certain size it nearly doubled in cost. Take care all have a lovely new year wherever you are

[@FransBlaas1]

No questions, love to see you working a lot..

[@TheKevlar]

Utilizing Eric's capital equipment is a win-win. He has the capacity for 10 - 12 sawmills. Question: does vacuum accelerated drying eliminate the outer crystallization effect of conventional speed drying?

[@thunderstruck1078]

That driveway of yours is so awesome.

[@WideCutSawmill]

I’ve shipped some big heavy stuff. Generally the higher you go, the cheaper it is. It’s largely the foot print in the truck that you are paying for. Going higher usually costs very little extra even if it makes the pallet substantially heavier.

[@aaronwarner2762]

You rocked another posting!!! Thanks for running the numbers. I got a small totally manual mill a few years back. Milling a "small" 12x20 shed for my son right now... and then a 16x16 deck. Oh, and I do have a full time job. Free lumber is the best, he says.... Right now there is someone in LA in an apartment wondering just how heavy those slab are.... HEAVY!!! As in so dang HEAVY!!!! As in, A LOT can go wrong when manually moving things. So if there are any judgers out there. You just go ahead and judge from your gym treadmill. We're living the life of lifting and lovin' it!!!! Happy New Year everyone! Matt, if you ever would like help for a couple days this summer, just let me know!!!

[@tonyioannoni4951]

Awesome video, I really like it when you tell everything the way it goes, and you are honest enough to tell the pricing and explain them, it gives us a general idea of why some of the stuff can be so expensive....could you explain also the selling price of slabs not dried and the dried ones, as also per the length and thickness how it affects the pricing? I just bought aluminium plates and at first I was surprised of the price jump between 1/4 thick, going to 5/16 was a real shock, one would think 1/16 thicker is negligeable in price ...but it's not!!

[@robertm348]

Yeah, I need one of those kilns!

[@ws6619]

Ha! what a surprise to see the origin of my workbench kit at the end. It actually showed up on my end just fine and I'm super happy to have something to do for 2024. Thanks Matthew. Great videos.

[@robert.brokaw3829]

Happy New Year to you and your family. Stay safe.

[@johnfitzpatrick3416]

As a former truck driver I’m really impressed at the utility of your telehandler.

[@andrewmundenandcadfellmast4624]

Fascinating video, thanks for sharing Matt 😊

[@curtkuhns]

Happy New Year Matt and thank you for the tour of your operation. I'm 80 years old and have been retired from my engineering job for over twenty years now, so I enjoy watching other people work..lol. Have a great year. -Curt Kuhns

[@LaverneLovatt]

So many questions answered. Wondered aboout a bunch of the material covered in this one

[@judithfairchild8620]

That was very interesting!!!!!. Business always have shipping problems. Due to unforseen happenings. Hope everything goes great for you and your family

[@TWC6724]

Thanks for going over this process. It indeed has been a question of mine. Appreciate it.

[@LandAWoodworking]

Great video, I was cracking up with your dog in almost all the shots of moving slabs around...looks like the foreman!

[@markoduvall]

Thank you, I watched all the way through. I was wondering about drying after the last video. I actually looked up building kilns. 😂

[@jmnaik6]

Very informative video and commentary, Matt. Personally, the content that I find most delightful is when you build things - furniture, stands, etc. - with the wood that you have milled and prepped. Hopefully, your channel will have more and more of those in the mix in the future. All the best and Happy 2024 to you and yours!

[@suterfamily5578]

Thanks for sharing this Matt. I've used my Alaskan chainsaw mill to cut several thousand board-feet of hard wood lumber over the past 28 years and I've always air-dried everything; that vacuum kiln makes me jealous!

[@gus9675]

Fascinating video! Very well done… waiting for my work bench

[@donnymcarter]

Really awesome video, Matt! It’s always fun to see how things are done.

[@rickroberts2198]

Cool! Nice work!

[@reforzar]

I didn’t realize I had fork envy until I watched this.

[@mcremona]

😎😎😎

[@joetoner8848]

Wow. Even with the handling equipment, still a lot of work and time on your part. Impressive!

[@JIMMYBUSHIDO]

That's a " BIG DOD A WID ". ( Aska Scotsman. ). 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@trishblakely3476]

I love seeing how the sausage is made! I also appreciate how thoughtful you are about optimizing logistics at every step, not just the parts you touch. Wishing you and the family a happy new year!

[@mcremona]

Thanks Trish!

[@paulhedman7387]

Thanks, you answered a lot of questions I had. And several I hadn't even thought of yet. I love your videos.

[@maddieadams75]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year 🎈🎊🥳❤️🎇⭐️🎆🌠

[@chrisfrench8323]

Happy New Year, Matthew.

[@felixreali7101]

really interesting vid. so cool to see the logistics involved in this

[@royunderwood7514]

Really cool seeing your process. Great video.

[@rhondasweeney7271]

You are amazing! Thank you for sharing! 👍

[@toomaskotkas4467]

I would love to watch a video where somebody who has ordered one of these slabs makes a luxury piece of furniture out of it.

[@alanblasczyk1779]

You are one hard working man Matt. Happy New Year.

[@JDDupuy]

Always an education watching you live your life. Great insight into the whole process. Thank You Matt!

[@valery1639]

Happy New Year !

[@edwardsimmons3721]

I remember the episode with drying but it is great to see another.

[@curtisharlan9230]

🎉 Happy new year Matt

[@judithmancini4317]

I've been watching your videos for a couple of months now and following the renovations on your your new home. I am truly fascinated with your talents for a young man. I keep looking for the finished work and completion of the work. Most of your videos are dated a year ago or more. When will will get to view the finished product?

[@emilevoyer123]

HAPPY NEW YEAR, THANKS FOR THE VIDEO

[@patriciamay638]

Very interesting and your explanation of the drying g process just confirmed why I had so much trouble with my ash boat deck.

[@theodoranorton4779]

This was really terrific. Sometimes I feel silly wondering about the logistics of everything, but apparently a lot of people "just want to know" and you always make it worth a person's time and truly entertaining.

[@johnking8679]

Yeah Matthew, I'm also one of those "want to know" guys about a lot of things. Thanks for sharing !! You certainly have all the right equipment !! Blessings !!

[@sueswift8344]

Once again, you have kept me glued to one of your amazing videos ! ' Me', the elder-ish woman who lives in low to no trees/forest area inTexas, who is a big fan of the wood genius of Matt Cremona!! Happy New Year to you and the family! Sue 😊

[@chappes53]

I like the logistics of things too.

[@alabamamanus1]

Matt is what we affectionately call "country strong" down south. You look at him and you think that boy cant pick up a quarter off the floor. Then you see him chunk these 200lbs slabs around 😳

[@sbrunner69]

Happy new year Matthew.

[@coldcaribbean]

Now you need a deckover trailer for hauling slabs without those pesky fenders getting in the way.

[@mcremona]

Maybe if I did this more than once a year

[@Bernardgrubb]

I drove truck for twenty five years and I would have tipped you for having a machine like that; just so I didn't have to try to move it around in the truck. I would always come to you when called. (that sounds a bit creepy but not meant to be, lol). Have a great day and know that drivers really appreciate that kind of stuff...

[@gslope1]

Fascinating the amount of work involved. Thanks for a great video Matt. Hope this is an outstanding year for you.

[@timtaulu9914]

Great Video What an Inventory Control Management headache

[@TheMonkdad]

I was at a mill recently talking about beams for a monolithic bench top. The guy said really thick and wide beams would probably never dry deeply.

[@jrehtil1494]

Happy new year

[@randydobson1863]

hello Matthew & it's is Randy and i like yours video is cool thanks Matthew Friends Randy & Happy New Year's & The Best in New Year's 2024

[@michaeldaniel7012]

Looks like you could use a deck over trailer to move your slabs to the kiln. Much easier without the fenders getting in the way of the forklift.

[@mcremona]

Currently it’s only a once a year occurrence

[@mauriceryton]

Very interesting.

[@garystell6376]

Wow that was interesting!!

[@LenMaxwell-Kentucky-Artist]

I love watching your videos of sawmilling and woodworking, as I also have a KZbin Channel with lots of mistakes as my channel is about 3 months, since I started. I am learning from you as well as other channels. Thanks for Your Help.

[@nickkowal6537]

I'd love to get some of those boules containers to the UK.

[@arthurbauman6871]

Interresting vid. Thanks

[@gary36535]

Happy New Year

[@graysquirreltreeservice7299]

Fabulous information im starting a slab business, ty

[@mikechristensen2099]

Always enjoy. Thank you for making all the videos you do. Happy new year

[@SRM_NZ]

"good morning it's Sept 12th?...Good Morning right now its New Years eve 2023....In Auckland NZ"

[@WideCutSawmill]

That stair case sounds awesome. I’d love to see that when it’s finished. Does he have a channel or social?

[@johnking8679]

Yeah Matt, we gotta see the finished staircase that you mentioned !!

[@mcremona]

He doesn't

[@rolandgsl]

Nice job hooking that stack in the door

[@geraldestes2470]

> purvey of partially air dried, flat sawn pallet stock - probably a bigger niche market that would keep you much busier than you currently are an possibly a means to expand your capitol assets.

[@rogerdudra178]

Greetings from the BIG SKY. I'd bet shipping is a pain.

[@jonareli]

Already need a new barn 😮

[@Lee-qp6gf]

That's some expensive wood by the time it gets where it's going.

[@vincejamison8078]

OOOOoooo, I was wondering how you balanced the load on the lift.

[@njanderson4342]

Solar wood dryers are easy to make.

[@micbrooks5912]

Hi Matthew. Love the channel. Could you make your battens thicker? You wouldn’t have to change positions and prop things up so much. Easier for you if you’re not changing machines as often. Just a thought😊

[@mcremona]

Too much airflow causing uneven drying

[@micbrooks5912]

@@mcremonaOIC. Wasn’t aware that that could happen. Cheers my man! Thanks for the response!

[@WideCutSawmill]

I’ve been curious how you handled this process! Glad to see this video! Where do you have your slabs listed for sale?

[@mcremona]

I just handle sales as interest for specific slabs comes in using the videos as reference

[@kenmoule825]

​@mcremona One small part I was lacking is doing a video as the process proceeds. Guess me and my bucket need to slow down a bit before stacking takes place and do more videos. It will eliminate the constant tire kickers who waste too much time looking.

[@butter262]

1223 happy new year. Fun video🤓

[@IceCat143]

Great to see the process. That slab looks like pants 😂

[@patseevers262]

You need a bigger shop... 😁

[@JohnThompson-fr8uv]

I was trying to estimate all of the costs of cutting, drying, and shipping the wood slabs to the buyer. What would be the total cost to the buyer? Then of course the craftsman would building the final product and there would be much more cost involved. What would be the final cost of the average slab (8’ x 4’ x 2.5”)?

[@craigs5212]

You built a saw mill, that kiln doesn't look too complicated to build

[@degrom542]

I would imagine you're charged by the board ft. and the amount of moisture in the slab ?

[@MRrwmac]

Matt (or Brad…haha) Thanks for making this video for us Matt. I had always wondered about the slab process. Even though we have seen it in parts of other videos, the explaination of the shipping and your relationship with them, was very interesting to me. You said you have some shippers you have worked with and prefer, couldn’t you work out some sort of idea with them so you get theur good work and they can depend on yours? Just a thought. Anyway, Thanks again. (Brad, please forward this comment to the boss….. no not Lindsay….haha)

[@mcremona]

This one was all me. Brad's on vacation. 1-2 shipments a year isn't enough volume for a carrier to care about me.

[@johnbaltes6460]

When are you going to finish trimming out the barn around the large door and outside corners? Not a big deal but would look nice.

[@mcremona]

Maybe I’ll have time next year

[@jrmintz1]

Have you ever calculated what the weight differential is after kiln drying? Just curious, thanks.

[@jamesh.maloyjr.6940]

That was my question also. Matthew it's always interesting. Thanks.

[@andrewupson2987]

Pretty straight forward. The wood was 14% moisture before drying. He didn't say (or I missed it) but typically kilns aim for 7% or so. Moisture content is expressed as weight of water divided weight of absolutely dry wood. If the slabs were 7% moisture and weighed 2500lbs, with zero moisture they'd weigh 2345lbs. So the remaining water weighs 165lbs. Since 14% is, conveniently, double 7%, that means the slabs lost about 165lbs of water. Or around 20gal.

[@boooshes]

From freshly cut to normal dry levels (7-9%) most woods will lose about 1/3 of their weight.

[@andrewupson2987]

That said, remember thry had been air drying for almost a year. Most likely they were 50% moisture or higher straight off the saw.

[@pauln7422]

Looks like much easier as a two man job loading the kiln anyway, so how would that work if you had your own

[@florentinobautista8511]

Thanks for the information, was a good video, So you do this as a full time job?I was wondering wat will you do with all this lumber, and now I know,