What have been your best sources of logs to mill?

[irishcountry]

Post whats panned out the best for you tree services, Road commission, word of mouth, construction site ect. I just talked to a neighbor of mine at breakfast in town and he said he called about 10-12 tree services in our area that they still sell thier logs that they cut up they don't pay to dump them at a boneyard and they are not free. I don't mind paying a resonable rate for a few logs here and there but I was hoping largely to get some just for getting them out of peoples way. Just thought this may come in handy for everyone.. Happy milling!!

 

[BobL]

My tree lopper buddy alone can provide me with way more logs than I can handle - I can only mill 1 day a week.
I joined an Aussie wood workers forum in early 2006 and have been offered way more logs than I can handle from forum members.
Word of mouth and friends also have turned up a heap of logs.

 

[BlueRider]

I have been milling my own wood since 1994 and have never paid for a log. I often offer a slab or two to the owner and until the last log I miled even that offer was never taken. People often develop deep emotional atachements
to trees in their yard. Their parents may have planted the tree and their kids might have climbed in it as kids. When they find out that I want to make furniture out of their tree they almost always just give it to me.

I have had limited success with tree companies. I did get a 42"x9' elm delivered by a very large tree copany in exchange for me writing a letter to the city about what a grat job this out of town contractor was doing. and the most recent tree I milled was a large walnut, which I posted some pics of, where the estimater for the tree company gave the homeowner a better price based on my getting rid of the log. Other than these two instsances tree companies have not panned out for me.

I did have a friend that was a non licenced tree trimmer. He took over the busness from his old boss who maintained a licence till he died in a hangglider accdent. My buddy was then limited by how big of job he could do, still I would ocasionaly get a call from him.

The majority of my logs come from friends or friends of friends and area neighbors. I keep an ear to the wind and when I see a tree coming down I ask a question or two.

I have several friends who are also furniture makers and I sometimes ask them for help on larger logs in exchange for a share of the wood. this has resulted in them locating logs. I take a share for me and a share for the saw and they get a share if I locate the log. if they locate it it is a 50/50 split.

And then it just seems like when you have a saw with a 42" bar logs seem to find you. I don't look too hard for logs or spend much energy locating them. When I first started milling wood I did, but now I have more dry wood than I can use in a couple of years so I only need to ocasionaly add to my stash. Of course when you don't need the wood so badly is when it falls in your lap. As an example I probably milled 3000bf of walnut this past summer and I only caled they guy after two different sources gave me the contact #.

 

[woodshop]

I have been milling my own wood since 1994 and have never paid for a log...

That about sums up my milling saga as well. Once your friends and family, the then THEIR friends etc etc know you make lumber from logs you are rarely without trees to mill. Only thing I have ever actually paid money for is transportation to the tree guy to haul 4 tons of osage orange and dump it off. Paid him 200 bucks for his gas/truck/loader and the hour of his time, well worth it for over 1000 bd ft of osage orange. But that is rare. I HAVE bartered often... I get the log/wood and then I give them something from my woodshop. Or I barter my services... I'll cut a tree down for them or cut up one that blew down, help them stack the firewood and then I mill the butt log. There are limits to that of course. I did work as a logger years ago, but hey cutting down trees in the woods is one thing, cutting down a tree 10 feet from a house or electric lines is another animal. I don't drop anything scary, only the easy stuff.

So to answer your question posted... mostly word of mouth for me at this point.

 

[stonykill]

but hey cutting down trees in the woods is one thing, cutting down a tree 10 feet from a house or electric lines is another animal. I don't drop anything scary, only the easy stuff.

So to answer your question posted... mostly word of mouth for me at this point.

that about sums up mine. If your in a rural area, talk to the mail man. I was milling right in the driveway one day when the mail was delivered (it was 3 flatbed/tiltbed loads of pine, it was winter, no where else to put it). Well the next time he saw me, he had a thousand questions. I get a lot of logs thru him.

I was just given a tree today. 30 feet of straight maple. I went to do an estimate on furniture, and as well the jobs, I got this tree, and I don't have to get it until the snow melts. The town topped it, and left this 25 inch plus diameter pole standing. Its in the open, so I'll take this one, but like woodshop, pass on all the stuff that is too near a house, etc. I do always say I'll take it after they have it knocked down. This has worked a few times.

Word of mouth, talk to the mailman!

 

[oldsaw]

Mostly word of mouth. Construction sites, Lester (my buddy who finds trees somehow), friends, friends of friends, I haven't approached any tree services yet, but I know one that has a nice yard and does a "firewood free-for-all" every year or two.

My problem is that I don't want to overcommit to anyone. I don't get much time to mill anymore, and don't want to promise someone I'll be able to get a tree out on a certain date. If it's a "this week or next" kind of thing, it's great. My buddy had a 16" cherry that took three months before the weather and time came together.

Mark

 

[big daddio]

hey, i get offers for free logs all the time. usually check it out and the tree is about 10 to 50 feet from their house and leaning towards it............

 

[irishcountry]

Update -- I found a guy that owns a tree service kinda in my area that will bring 10 cords of "firewood logs" that are cut to what looks like 8,10,12 ft, legnths all hardwood for about $325 I placed a order I need "firewood" too but if I don't get it all cut and split and run out of storage well some may end up square. He told me he gets stuff that mills don't want (too big not perfectly straight) and lots of it has been recently cut he was a real nice guy to talk to and i'm on the list for delivery and told him I may need another delivery this summer so I will give the 395 a run for its money!!

 

[OneStaple]

If future sources count, my grandpa would be it. Knowing that he has tons of wonderful trees is one of the big reasons I'm getting into this (and he knows his wood too).

I saw his pile of wood last weekend and it is massive. There's walnut, ash, pecan, pear, elm, cherry, pine, etc. all cut in 8'-10' sections and 15"-48" diameter. The ends are all sealed and it's sitting in a pile waiting for someone to cut it (he's been trying to get someone to for a while). Unfortunately, it's been sitting long enough that some of it looks rotten, but there seems to be a good quantity of good wood yet. There's also a "stump" of pecan still in the ground (sticking about 10' up) that's about 36" and is cut off just above a crotch. I'm drooling for that one.

--Tyler

 

[stonykill]

hey, i get offers for free logs all the time. usually check it out and the tree is about 10 to 50 feet from their house and leaning towards it............

yeah, I bet we all get those. Those are the people that I tell, if you pay to have a professional knock it down, I'll clean up the mess and take the logs. Then I give them a few numbers of proffessional tree guys. Works out once in a while.

 

[zopi]

Driving through the countryside, and offering to take out deadfalls for firewood, or offering to remove downed trees...I went and picked up
a 40' pine the other day and the lady's son came out and asked if i would
cut down three cedars they don't want...plus i will wind up cleaning up their
woods this summer for firewood...there are some nice hardwood butt logs
down back there..I gotta get on that before hurricane season. I asked her if she wanted a forester to come out and look at the place...hardwood prices being what they are, she has some $$$ standing out there..she says she just wants it cleaned up...

I have to get through what I have down now, or i will come down with a bad case of too many logs.