Most land clearing jobs end with a burn pile. Jason Evans gets paid to clear the ground, mills the good timber he pulls off it, and makes money on both ends.
In this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, host Jennifer Alger sits down with her younger brother, Jason Evans, owner of Rafter E Dirtwork and Land Clearing in northeast Oklahoma. They grew up in a forestry family, running chainsaws and heavy equipment around the family sawmill long before they could drive. Jason went on to work nearly every part of the family's California business, from logging and firewood to salvage and site work, and he is a California licensed timber operator. A few years after losing his home to a wildfire, he moved his family halfway across the country and started over. Rafter E takes its name from their late older brother's cattle brand.
You'll hear how Jason rebuilt a network from nothing, starting with the chamber of commerce and a local church, and how the skills he brought with him did the rest once word got around. He walks through the model at the center of Rafter E: land clearing and site prep that feed a sawmill, turning trees other contractors burn into custom milled walnut, cedar and trailer decking. He also explains why knowing how to service and line his own sawmill matters when the nearest parts shop is no longer down the road.
The two look back on the jobs that shaped them, from pulling giant sequoias out of steep country after a storm to doing storm cleanup out of state when the Great Recession left the family business unpaid on a major development. Jason closes with plain advice for anyone already taking trees down for a living: add a sawmill, because it will change your business.
Chapters
00:00 A Forestry Family and the Story Behind Rafter E
03:55 Starting Over in Oklahoma Without a Network
06:50 Land Clearing Plus a Sawmill: Getting Paid Twice
08:53 Growing Up Where Can't Didn't Exist
13:25 Giant Sequoias, Storm Cleanup and the Great Recession
17:21 Custom Milling and Selling Lumber From a Small Town
23:19 How Rafter E Markets Itself and Advice for New Sawmill Owners
The Woodpreneur Podcast brings stories of woodworkers, makers, and entrepreneurs turning their passion for wood into successful businesses - from inspiration to education to actionable advice. Hosted by Steve Larosiliere and Jennifer Alger
For blog posts and updates: woodpreneur.com
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You can connect with Jason and Rafter E at:
https://rafterellc.com/
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