[member=68063]DeformedTree[/member] [member=6193]Rob Z[/member] What a waste eh guys? This probably adds to the price increases, they buy in the sub quality ply, store it badly, causing more quality issues, or mostly ruining it.
To be fair, the main timber suppliers we use, supply decent ply but, a single sheet price for an 8’ 4’ 3/4” is £100, obviously we get discount on bulk. It’s good ply, very good to be honest but, at that price, it should be.
Just reminiscing now, when I first started work, my boss (George) mountain of a man, arms like tree trunks and fingers like bananas, hard as nails but also good hearted. Nobody messed with George haha!
Anyway, when we needed bulk stock, George would borrow the scaffolder’s big long flat bed truck/lorry, and summon me to accompany him to the timber mill.
On arrival at the mill, George would hand me a claw hammer, and a metal paint kettle half full of 2” nails and a ball of string.
He would carry a bag of small white cards as we walked around the mill and the drying sheds with an assistant.
We would get to the first stock we needed, often 12” x 2” sawn, George would say something like 25 of those please.
Then the assistant would watch, whilst I sifted through 25 lengths, only picking the straightest, back then, most of them being stored correctly were staight, so that part was easy.
I resembled something like Oliver Twist back then, and wrestling long lengths of 12” x 2” was a real workout.
Anyway, once I’d stacked our choice, I tied a string loop around our bundle, George would hand me a card with instructions he’d written, and I’d nail it to the top of the bundle.
This process was repeated right through the mill until we had picked our order.
George when then give the assistant the nod, for him to get it loaded onto the truck.
We would walk about 50 yards to a transport cafe, and he’d order two full English breakfasts that we’d demolish, followed by a few mugs of tea. George always laughed at me having as big an appetite as him.
We then walked back to the mill to pay for the timber and head back to our yard, and me dreading it, because I knew I’d be unloading and storing it all.
It was a love hate trip for me, the breakfast being the draw! [big grin]
It was very long winded and hard work, because George had little trust in the mill selecting and delivering. It worked though, the company was renowned for our workmanship and quality of timber.
Never ever saw timber leaning on end, or sheet material badly stacked. One of the mills from back then is still in business but, with around six times the amount of stock, stored badly. I think that’s the main issue.
It must be false economy though?
