>Another Saw Mill

>Spent some of the afternoon today, looking at another saw mill that is only 9 miles from my shop. We are sadly lacking sawmills/timber yards in Norfolk, so as soon as someone tells me about one that I haven’t heard of(that’s 20 mins down the road), I like to make some time to go and visit them.
    The name of this saw mill is Richardson’s sawmill and it’s run by two brothers called Kenny and Mervyn,  Kennys son Neil looked after me today, and showed me round. It is situated just outside North Walsham on the Bacton Rd, it’s tucked away a bit and there is only one sign on the main road, but it’s easy to find.

 I was recommended to go there by my new turner Johnny Taylor when I dropped off the split turnings, for the oak and madrone fire surround. First impressions were not good, the yard is basically a bog with about 3″ of mud everywhere(so take some Wellington boots if it’s been raining).
     However if you can get over this small problem, there is an Aladdin’s cave of native air dried timber, Oak, Elm, Chestnut, Birch, Beech, Sycamore, Walnut, and Yew. Most of this timber is kept in shed’s, but there is also some stored outside exposed to the elements. They also have a limited stock of turning blanks of native timber, and they will slab a log for you, for a fee of £4.50 a cubic foot. If you are buying timber for furniture, I would recommend taking a moisture metre with you, just to make sure your timber is at roughly 15%  for air dried.
   I can recommend them, but have an open mind to what you are buying with regard to moisture content. If you are prepared to buy the timber and let it acclimatise in your shop, you will have some nice timber. I didn’t buy anything today, but will be going back soon to do so. Hope that’s helpful.