Self-taught Saw Miller Expands Business
Wavy Wood Sawmill is an independent sawmilling business that was set up by Nick Garton. Before Wavy Wood Sawmill, Nick ran a groundwork business. He also produced and sold firewood, with timber locally sourced from FSC-approved plantations, which he still does, alongside the sawmilling.
Nick became interested in sawmilling after realising he could profit from finished and milled timer – rather than just selling firewood.
He researched different sawmill models and brands – and came across Global Machinery Solutions, who he called – and spoke to Technical Consultant, Andy Dudley. Nick decided to invest in the Frontier OS27 due to its capabilities yet affordable price.
He then started milling logs – again locally and sustainably sourced – to produce timber for himself and local people who needed fencing materials and bespoke-measured timber for home and building projects. He also began making wooden bases for lobster and crab pots for local fishermen – and when he found the time, created a large shed to house his Frontier sawmill.
The sawmilling was an overnight success, with Nick producing more than 10,000 lobster and crab pot bottoms – and around 220 tonnes of fencing in less than two years, all whilst working a full-time job at the local steelworks at the same time!
Nick decided to document his sawmill journey on social media and has racked up more than 1m viewers on YouTube with his quirky, candid, and humorous videos. As he’d became so established in just nine months, Andy Dudley invited Nick to join the Global Machinery Solutions team at the 2022 APF Forestry Show to demonstrate the Norwood sawmills, including the HD38.
Nick loved using the HD38 so much during the show, he said he “had to have it”!
Funding from local authority
As a growing independent business, which supported the local community, Nick received funding from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to purchase the Norwood HD38 sawmill.
The new machine springboarded Nick into new realms, not only in terms of being able to mill more logs, but also moving to a larger premises, albeit a stone’s throw from his existing site. The Frontier OS27 still processes logs for fencing – however, the HD38 now allows Nick to mill much larger logs for his new furniture venture. His garden chairs and picnic tables are very popular and providing another source of income.
Another major advantage of the HD38 is the intelliset system, which allows Nick to operate the sawmill by remote control. It removes the manual process of adjusting the cut thickness – and manually pushing the carriage through the log. With Nick having Douglas Fir logs more than 1m wide, the HD38 makes light work of the milling and producing the wide slabs needed for his picnic tables.
The HD38 – along with all Norwood and Frontier sawmills – can be adapted to suit each owner’s requirements, including the bed length. Again, this enables Nick to process the wider and longer logs to maximise the amount of finished timber.
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