yeah... work that out ahead of time. I'm small time, mostly yard logs, very low qty of logs for any one job. so I gotta charge more to show up.
1. Metal detect everything. will ruin a job if you destroy blades or chains. I've ended up negative.
2. I've done better buying logs in the round, then milling, then selling wet or airdried.
3. figure out your BF rate + fuel, chains, blades, wear and tear, etc.
4. for me to "show up" milling at someone place, it's $100. I figure that in to the cost of a job. Sometimes homeowners want to pay you in wood, which I used to do, but I have a yard full now.
6. I also don't want "help" of any kind for liability reasons. Many folks want to get their hands dirty but that may end in disaster. Especially around mills, saws, etc.. i just don't want the trouble.
I started charging by the job. I look at a pile of logs and know about how fast I can cut those logs. Time is $. bigger, wider logs, more time, more wear. So I look at the pile and know my entry point of costs and gotta walk away with it worth my time + expenses. I'm a hobbyist, it became too much like work to saw logs for other folks, so I gotta make $$ on it. I much prefer to buy logs I want and sell the slabbed wood.
Good luck!