Further skills add other three dimensional possibilities to woodworking.  Turning pieces of wood on a lathe is a favorite activity of mine.  Wood bowls and pens are fun, easy, and have high value.  I could make a full time business out of turning wood if I just had a few acres of trees.  Carving is another 3-D aspect of woodworking, though I don't have the patience to be a wood carver.  (Wood carvers are not very good customers either, as they spend too much time on a small piece of wood for me to make much money selling them my basswood or butternut)

All of these cuts make a piece of wood smaller.  Gluing pieces of wood together makes wood larger.  This is another skill in woodworking that can be quite simple for a small business.  Glued up panels are very valuable and add a variety of products to our direct marketing portfolio.

Secrets to Success for a small scale, local community, or on the farm business;
Keep it Simple!  Make it Complete!
Work for high Value, don't try to produce a large Volume.
Always strive for high Quality products, don't rely on Quantity.
Don't ever try to compete with big business, be better than the Big Box.
Get basic training and learn your machines - become one with each machine.
Sell finished products direct to your customers at retail prices
Work safe and smart.  Have a variety of things to do if you are hurt or the weather is bad.

This works!  I earn good money. And I rarely have to hurry or work too hard.  (I do break a sweat though, when it means a happy customer)

Timbergreen Farm  Flooring Manufacturing Operations

When wood comes out of the kiln it is a happy day.  Now you can really see what each board can be used for - and we sort the wood for its best use.  Some lumber goes into dry storage, and other wood goes into the flooring manufacturing process.

Most of the boards go to the sawmill shed where we use the two saw edger to rip the boards into the correct widths for flooring blanks.  This is my own wood, so I work hard to minimize the waste.  Knowing that I will sell this flooring direct to a homeowner lets me throw all the old traditions right out the door and work smart.  When I operate the sawmill, I make boards of predetermined widths, when possible, to reduce waste when ripping flooring blanks.  When I rip, I make flooring blanks that efficiently use the widths that the sawmill has made.  Since I install it myself, traditional flooring sizes are not important.  Producing a variety of widths keeps my waste pile quite small, and the finished floors more interesting.

Secret to Success - Work Smart, don't blindly follow big industry traditions

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