Ever pay for logs or trees?

[DRB]

yea, its somebody nearby advertising his 4/4 pine and poplar for .45bf. and he buys his logs

So whats the matter with that. Lumber has been trading at under $200 USD per thousand for over a year now. I guess thats why there are no stud mills open up here now. Pine has no market here even the pulp markets are starting to go down. Last pine logs I sold for $35 per cubic meter. Saw logs for pulp. I don't think I could sell pine here right now. Just my 2 cents

 

[big daddio]

I agree with Deeker, it's bad to saw nails in free logs, terrible to pay for logs with nails as in most yard trees!

 

[redprospector]

So whats the matter with that. Lumber has been trading at under $200 USD per thousand for over a year now. I guess thats why there are no stud mills open up here now. Pine has no market here even the pulp markets are starting to go down. Last pine logs I sold for $35 per cubic meter. Saw logs for pulp. I don't think I could sell pine here right now. Just my 2 cents

What's the matter with that is the fact that I like a little meat with my bean's once in a while.
A few years ago, when diesel was $1.00 a gallon green rough cut Pine was bringing .50 a bd ft up to 8" wide, .55 a bd ft for 10" wide, and .60 a bd ft for 12" wide. Beam's brought a better price than that, and log's could be bought for 150.00 per thousand. Now fuel is 3 times the cost, my water bill is double, groceries are at least 50% higher. The numbers just don't add up to make a profit.
My equipment is all paid for, so it dosen't cost me anything unless it's running. That let's me be able to be that picky ol' fart, that's too high priced, and won't even talk to you about cutting an order unless he can make a profit.

Andy

 

[redprospector]

So whats the matter with that. Lumber has been trading at under $200 USD per thousand for over a year now. I guess thats why there are no stud mills open up here now. Pine has no market here even the pulp markets are starting to go down. Last pine logs I sold for $35 per cubic meter. Saw logs for pulp. I don't think I could sell pine here right now. Just my 2 cents

What's the matter with that is the fact that I like a little meat with my bean's once in a while.
A few years ago, when diesel was $1.00 a gallon green rough cut Pine was bringing .50 a bd ft up to 8" wide, .55 a bd ft for 10" wide, and .60 a bd ft for 12" wide. Beam's brought a better price than that, and log's could be bought for 150.00 per thousand. Now fuel is 3 times the cost, my water bill is double, groceries are at least 50% higher. The numbers just don't add up to make a profit.
My equipment is all paid for, so it dosen't cost me anything unless it's running. That let's me be able to be that picky ol' fart, that's too high priced, and won't even talk to you about cutting an order unless he can make a profit.

I won't mill a log that's free if I know it came from someone's yard.

Andy

 

[MJR]

Here in NY I started playing in the state timber sales. Most of these are BIG - way out of my little hobby league. But some small ones do come up. They are a little too big or better quality to go into the home fire wood program. It is just not worth it to the big outfits. It is very common for these small sales to have zero bids. I enjoy getting the sale bid sheets every few months. It is good reading to day dream to.

 

[DRB]

What's the matter with that is the fact that I like a little meat with my bean's once in a while.
A few years ago, when diesel was $1.00 a gallon green rough cut Pine was bringing .50 a bd ft up to 8" wide, .55 a bd ft for 10" wide, and .60 a bd ft for 12" wide. Beam's brought a better price than that, and log's could be bought for 150.00 per thousand. Now fuel is 3 times the cost, my water bill is double, groceries are at least 50% higher. The numbers just don't add up to make a profit.
My equipment is all paid for, so it dosen't cost me anything unless it's running. That let's me be able to be that picky ol' fart, that's too high priced, and won't even talk to you about cutting an order unless he can make a profit.

I won't mill a log that's free if I know it came from someone's yard.

Andy

The only crappy thing with that is if your machines don't move for to long there will be no bacon.

Last load of logs I sold the log truck driver made more than I did

Hopefully things will get better

 

[Backwood]

What's the matter with that is the fact that I like a little meat with my bean's once in a while.

Andy

:agree2::agree2:

if the bacon runs out I will eat fish


The same guy just sold some 4/4 walnut to a guy I have been doing business with for a dollar a bf, now that guy expects me to sell walnut for a buck a foot, AINT gonna happen.

That said, I mean no disrespect towards the other sawer, just wish he would keep a respectable value going.

 

[Backwoods]

The same guy just sold some 4/4 walnut to a guy I have been doing business with for a dollar a bf, now that guy expects me to sell walnut for a buck a foot, AINT gonna happen.

That said, I mean no disrespect towards the other sawer, just wish he would keep a respectable value going.

What do you consider a respectable value for green/air dried walnut in your area?

 

[Zodiac45]

That is not a lumber tree. Top of the line lumber and of course venier logs are always straight single stem trees. There's no way I'd pay (and I doubt he gets) $500 or anywhere near that for that 3 legged firewood tree. I'm sure there's a few boards in it but it's going to have off center pith for sure and it looks like some serious bend or tension too. You might take it for the felling but that's as far as I'd go.

 

[Backwood]

What do you consider a respectable value for green/air dried walnut in your area?

The way I see it, it should be worth at least two bucks green. For twenty years I have bought wood for the cabinet shop and around here walnut sold from four to six bucks a foot. Kiln drying the wood shouldnt add 400-600% to the value. At two bucks you could still carry it to the kiln and dry it and it would still be half price.

I would rather sell a small amount for a good price than a large amount for a small price.

I guess If I had a bunch of equipment payments I would have to sell it for what ever it would bring, but I have no kind of payments and I can go fishing.

I guess a lot of people are happy selling their walnut for a dollar ( especially those who sell volume ) and thats fine but I would rather build with it myself.


I wonder if I am in the minority here, would most of you guys here be happy selling your walnut for a dollar a foot ?

 

[redprospector]

I wonder if I am in the minority here, would most of you guys here be happy selling your walnut for a dollar a foot ?

It would depend on what I had to give for the log's. I doubt I'd be happy with a buck a foot, but since there's so little walnut around here I probably won't have to worry about that.

I've gotten to the point that I don't pay much attention to the lumber market's. I figure the cost of log's to the mill + the cost of making them into lumber + a decent profit margin = the price of lumber purchased from me.

Andy

 

[DaltonPaull]

Backwoods - I just looked at your website and it says that you will saw from your own logs or $60 an hour plus the cost of the log. Do you have walnut available? How do you determine the log cost?

 

[woodshop]

...I wonder if I am in the minority here, would most of you guys here be happy selling your walnut for a dollar a foot ?

Although I have, I rarely sell any of the lumber I mill, as I'm still more in the "hobby" end of things than a professional. To answer your question though, no way would I sell walnut for a buck a foot. I'd rather store it away at that price.

 

[oldsaw]

I still go and buy pine 1x at HD so I don't use up my "good stuff".

Mark

 

[Backwoods]

Backwoods - I just looked at your website and it says that you will saw from your own logs or $60 an hour plus the cost of the log. Do you have walnut available? How do you determine the log cost?

I do have a good variety of walnut logs on hand.
For log prices I figure in all the cost that I incur in getting the logs, the cost of the tree, any equipment used to get the tree, fuel and time are also included in the price. When I get the logs home I total all the cost and then divide that cost amongst the logs based on the board footage and quality of the logs. I have free trees that have cost me more to get home then trees that I have paid for. I have logs that range in price from $5- $150. However, most are under $100, and milling time varies from 10 min to an hour depending on what you want out of it and how many times you change your mind during the milling process.

 

[woodshop]

...I get these deals all the time. Happy homeowner gets a quote to remove a yard tree for x hundred or thousand dollars. They hear from someone that I buy standing timber, and they think "Why should I pay to have it removed when so-and-so will pay me for it? Even if he leaves the limbs, I'm money ahead". I go look at it, am not interested in it, and they offer it to me free if I'll cut it.

Interesting... I too hear this story many times over from sawmill guys. The average guy on the street just has no clue (and not saying he/she should) as to lumber value. They don't know the difference between a sawlog worth a thousand bucks to a Japanese veneer log buyer and something like this yard tree pictured, full of tension and compression wood and yes probably full of nails and clothesline hooks. Just the nature of this end of the universe.

 

[swanny]

Interesting thread. I have a guy up the street (in MD) that runs a tree company...he's got a bunch of logs available right now. Said he'd work something out with my son as far as supplying logs.

One log he's got in his yard is 32" at the small end by 15' long white oak...all clear...no limbs. Absolute beauty. Any guesses as to what a fair price would be?

He's also got a load of 20" white pines...17'ers...mostly straight as an arrow.

My son would probably turn the white oak into fence boards (I know...someone here would probably moan and groan at this usage), and the pine into studs to build his shed's he'll sell.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Interesting... I too hear this story many times over from sawmill guys. The average guy on the street just has no clue (and not saying he/she should) as to lumber value. They don't know the difference between a sawlog worth a thousand bucks to a Japanese veneer log buyer and something like this yard tree pictured, full of tension and compression wood and yes probably full of nails and clothesline hooks. Just the nature of this end of the universe.

+1


So far the only price I've paid for logs is blood, sweat and fuel.

Not that I wouldn't pay for a good tree/ log I just haven't came across one that's worth it.

 

[redprospector]

Interesting thread. I have a guy up the street (in MD) that runs a tree company...he's got a bunch of logs available right now. Said he'd work something out with my son as far as supplying logs.

One log he's got in his yard is 32" at the small end by 15' long white oak...all clear...no limbs. Absolute beauty. Any guesses as to what a fair price would be?

He's also got a load of 20" white pines...17'ers...mostly straight as an arrow.

My son would probably turn the white oak into fence boards (I know...someone here would probably moan and groan at this usage), and the pine into studs to build his shed's he'll sell.

If these were "yard trees" I wouldn't mess with them. If your son does, he'll need to invest in a metal detector. I won't pay for a tree I know came from someone's yard.

I just went out to look at a per hour milling job today. The first thing I saw in the big log the owner was so proud of was a piece of 8 ga. wire sticking out of it. I told him that the only way I would mill them is if he metal detected them, and agreed to pay the cost of a new blade + shipping for every thing I hit. He said ok, so I'll probably have a few new blades coming next week.

The blades I run are about $28 bucks a piece. Don't sound like much until you start shelling them out on nails in "yard trees".

Andy

 

[striperswaper]

white oak

those of you in the NE with white oak... you might want to contact wooden boat builders on the coast. if you could cut out a few mark ups between the woods and the boat builder shed you might both be happy with the deal