V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
totally agree .... used to be several little mills around here, most are now sadly defunct.
The few survivors simply price to be slightly below the big boys (like Pontrilas), who're selling mostly imported lumber, subject to market pricing, (or what they can get away with
'cos there's little competition) which we all know is currently off the scale.the reason a lot of stuff is so dear is that competitive pricing has disappeared ... used to be the best price won the sales .. these days as said above, the 'competition' just has to be a little less than the top price, rather than setting the target for everyone else to compete against
as an example ...
was a little independent builders merchant set up in Aber several years ago and their prices were very good -- giving the established merchant, who had a strangle hold over the local market a serious kicking. Having slaughtered the other merchant's sales, his prices crept up and up to just behind the competition's
..... local rumour had it that they'd gotten their heads together and 'negotiated' a compromise 
. That man is great fun.... Have you met pengles there yet 
