05/02/2026
Good Day Everyone,
I started Casper Mountain Timber Framers (unofficially) in 2015. I purchased a small sawmill and started milling the trees on our property for our building needs. After a few builds, LOL, friends started asking if I could make something for them - But of course I can. :)
Flashback...
I worked as a carpenter in my younger years and I have always been drawn to "Traditional" carpentry, or "no electric tools" - all by hand. Since Timber Framing fell into this category, I liked it. So fast forward 35 yrs (ish) and many different job experiences, none in carpentry, my wife and I and family now owned 40 wooded acres and my love for woodworking kicks back in.
In 2023 I made it official and started Casper Mountain Timber Framers as a side gig. My regular job: Co-Owner of Advancing Abilities LLC (providing Day and Residential services to developmentally disabled adults) provided flexibility to get back to woodworking.
In late 2024, changes in my "day job" caused me to put CMTF on pause, It has been on pause since then and now I have to start it back up again. We still own Advancing Abilities but my "side gig" now needs to become a source of income - a Main Gig.
Ever since the small sawmill, which is now with a friend and still works well, milling my lumber needs from logs/timber has worked well for us. I own 3 sawmills: my first upgrade was a Norwood LM29 still runs well along with an LX26 Log Moulder, second mill is a Lucas Mill 10-30 portable swing blade sawmill (when it comes to making big beams from large diameter logs this thing is the goat), and last but not least, my latest addition is a Wood-Mizer LT 15 wide.
Supplementing this equipment is a plethora of hand tools/electric tools specific to Timber Framing, carpentry tools galore, a 14x32 shop/shed we built so we could work in bad weather that is now packed to the gills with stuff, tools, gear, materials etc and is home to a couple of mice - all sitting idle since late 2024...sigh.
Now we are at present day and I have to turn my side gig into a main gig. The upside is that all tools, equipment are already purchased, logs to mill are ready to go, mills fired up, checked and good to go...now the downside: Money.
We have no "reserve" of money or "extra" money to kick things off so I am trying to put together some sort of funding to have enough operating capital for 60 days. This would enable me to hire two good people (knowledgeable, experienced) and pay them a decent wage. I would be the third "employee", so to speak, who can do the best I can to get work done. This would give us 30 days to mill, and build enough to start to market and sell what we have and in the next 30 days to take orders, continue milling, selling and make enough to continue beyond the 60 days.
If not, then it will be short lived and we will have to re-think everything. But I believe we can succeed and grow. My approach to what we do is home grown, homemade, quality wood working projects - not fast food, in out and done slapped together projects.
We have a place to work, tools, equipment, start off supplies but we can't conduct business at that location. For now, sales will be in person, on the phone, at my home or customers home or at craft fairs. We will deliver locally or arrange for pickup of items at my home and as things grow we hope to have a location where we can "do business" eventually.
So raising enough capital will take time since I am looking for enough for 60 days not raise some and get going. Hiring good experienced people will take a solid guarantee of a fixed time that we can work and I will be transparent with them from the start, since they will be the backbone of the business, so they know what's at stake.
Hopefully we can make this happen.
Thank you for reading.
Nichole & Rick Lamotte
