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Got the new Mill....now what?

Started by UpInATree, March 03, 2011, 07:46:00 PM

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UpInATree

Hello veteran sawmillers!  I just got my mill and went through a small pile of logs getting used to the controls.  I spoke with a few tree service owners and bought a small truckload of pine today for 100.00.  Question is...what are average prices to pay for logs of Pine, Oak or Maple by the truck load?  Any help would be greatly appreciated. 
Wood-mizer LT70HD D55 Wireless, Wood-Mizer ED-26, A whole bunch of Stihls. Alaskan Mill 74",  Bucket Truck, Log Truck, Chippers, trailers, dump trucks,   Kubota M9540, L3010D and B7510. Cord King.   Learning Timberframing under Jim Rogers

Bibbyman

Welcome to the Forum...  8)

Prices very greatly depending on the quality of the logs and quantity you buy also season and region.

We buy mostly red and white oak logs cut to length and delivered.  Most are below grade "blocking" logs.  We pay from $150/mbf to $550/mbf depending on quality and length.   Our average is less than $250/mbf Doyle scale.  We also buy some ERC on a cedar scale for $500/mbf if logs are large and sound.  We've bought soft maple and sycamore butt cut logs for $150/mbf.

We don't buy tree service trees as they often come out of yards and are likely to have metal in the.  Got a metal detector?  It'll pay for itself in saved blades.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Magicman

I just paid $100Mbf for 2480bf of beetle killed SYP today.  That was not scaled logs, that was scaled lumber sawed from the logs.  Prices will vary with the species and quality the logs.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

laffs

last time i checked around here, and this was a while back.
pine mid range 12' longer $300th selects $500
white cedar $300th
hemlock no twist or shake $165 to $200th
poplar butts $200th
oak pallet $400 th
ash and birtch $300th
timber harvester,tinberjack230,34hp kubota,job ace excavator carpenter tools up the yingyang,

paul case

i pay $.10 bd ft standing, $.25 delivered for good red or white oak and almost anything else. if folks around you find out you have a mill logs will just show up. pc
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Meadows Miller

Gday

And Welcome to The Forum UpinATree   ;) ;D 8) 8) 8) what sort of mill do you have mate ???

Like Bibby,Lynn,Laffs and Paul  said prices vary area to area state to state and country to country what might be a good rate in one place may not be a paying option in another you need to test things and suss out what averages are for logs and other imputs are going to cost you in your particular area Mate  ;)

A piece of advice for when you are selling timber is usually if you ask the buyer what they want to pay it will usually be 10 to 25% under what they are Willing to part with to get good timber on a consistant basis but things are a little different over your way than they are down under  ;)

Regards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

Magicman

Anytime that I ever buy logs is when some are available and I have a market for specific lumber.  Such was the case yesterday.  A fellow FF member had contacted me about framing lumber since I was sawing framing lumber for my Cabin Addition.  I had satisfied my needs, and there were more trees/logs available.

The logs were free to me for my personal use but I could not, in clear conscious, sell any of the lumber.  I paid him $100Mbf and will sell the lumber for $350Mbf.

Bottom line, the landowner gets paid something for logs that had no sale value, I get paid for sawing and handling, and the end user gets his framing lumber at a reduced cost.

This illustration is a real one to show the OP that there are many different ways to make a few $$$ with the sawmill.



2480bf of framing lumber ready for delivery.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

UpInATree

Wow, you guys are all great to share your advice.  I scraped up all I could and bought the Wood-Mizer LT70.  Being a gadget freak, I have it all set up with the crane remote control which is really really cool.  I almost forgot about the whole metal detector need with the urban trees!  Who has advice for that one???  Which models work best for saw logs?  I dragged my feet a little bit in the purchase of my mill, but finally committed to it after reading so many stories on FF.  I have been doing electronics repair for years, which is not nearly as exciting as climbing the trees with a saw, but I do not generate enough saw logs yet from the tree service work.
Wood-mizer LT70HD D55 Wireless, Wood-Mizer ED-26, A whole bunch of Stihls. Alaskan Mill 74",  Bucket Truck, Log Truck, Chippers, trailers, dump trucks,   Kubota M9540, L3010D and B7510. Cord King.   Learning Timberframing under Jim Rogers

paul case

you didnt just buy a mill , you bought a MILL.

cant help with the metal detector, i just use my eyes and brain(that is i look for blue on the ends and look the outside over for nail heads or such) and when they dont work i use a bandsaw blade to detect metal. it works every time. pc
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Meadows Miller

Thats a nice mill you have there Mate  ;) ;D 8)

I have sawn tree loppers logs for about 16 years on and off now most runs you win and hit bugger all  and some you loose and spend alot of time sharpening or changing saws  I have never bothered with metal detectors in all that time  ;) the time you spend mucking around trying to find weather you are going to hit something is time better of spent sawing Imho Mate  ;) ;D 8)

Now that im retipping my saws for the Lucas mill myself it only costs around $11 to do a full 5 tooth retip plus about 20 to 30 min of my time and a little oxy from My Uncle's saw shop  ;) ;D 8)  you will find though that bands are a pita sometimes to back out of the cut if you have smashed them or broken one in the cut have afew good long fallers wedges handy  ;) the mill where I use to operate a LT40 Super use to love the cheap logs from tree loppers and it use to get used for breaking down flitches for the two Laimets Circular mills with spring sett saws all you had to do with them as long as it was not a Big Hit was keep cutting then brush the saw up before starting the next log  ;) if i hit steel with the band you could be half an hour mucking abut getting the saw free and changed  :) :( :( >:(

Some people might think im mad for saying this but i would prefer to saw iffy logs with a circ either the Lucas mill or an Insert as I find that you will generally only hit small rubbish in most logs like nails and the like that are mild steel and only drop one or two teeth  and finish the bloody cut ;) You have to always be watching  for the tell tail signs of metal though  ;) I have never written off a Circ by hitting trash  ;)

With log supply have you though about contacting other tree loppers who might also be looking to get rid of urban and removal logs as I am starting to get logs again from a couple of loppers who will del pine 12" upto 5' dia in 8' to 24' lengths in semi tippers I also will be starting to work in again with one of my old bosses who usually uses a 30 ton crane and will load trucks for free as long as he needs the crane after that if i need the crane there to load it costs me $120 per hour but im talking jobs where we might get 1 to 4 x 28 ton semi loads of logs of the one job so im still on the good side of the deal  ;)

Always watch those butt logs  ;)

Regards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

den

A Tesoro Cibola Metal Detector is going to be hard to beat for the price. And with lifetime warranty
About $360 with shipping
http://www.tesoro.com/product/detectors/cibola/
It's good for a hobbie also, most prospectors keep theirs when they upgrade. And use it for a backup.
Homelite SuperXL, 360, Super2, Stihl MS251CB-E, Sotz M-20 20lb. Monster Maul, Wallenstein BXM-42

customsawyer

Good for you on the mill. I have a couple of 70's myself so I guess you could say I like them. The main advice I would give you is don't sweat the small stuff it will come to you with time.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
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bandmiller2

UpATree, welcome used to run a 70 it dosen't get much better than that.All I cut now are tree service trees, yes you will hit metal,but the losses are managable and the product is worth it.I seldom use a metal detector,only on suspecious logs,get a small handy one, you don't need the fancy stuff.I've never paid for logs always worked deals most tree guys need lumber for truck and trailer beds also for sheds.Not much of a market for saw logs now especially pine.If you can find a market for slabs and sawdust it helps.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

terrifictimbersllc

I have the Rens 4000 from Bailey's and use it together with an inexpensive wand type (Lumber Wizard III).  Happy with the Rens but it does look like sensitive electronics which I may have to send in from time to time.   Highly recommend good metal detector if you're going to acquire logs.  Sawing them for someone else is another matter, having the detector then is more like an investment in customer service.  Great for rejecting low value, mostly smaller diameter logs and for finding surface metal which can easily be removed.  Higher value logs with deeper metal get cut anyway and the detector can slow things down considerably.  I like to hand the detector to the customer. 
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Holmes

  Welcome to the FF .   I see you are backed up to the  Wachusett Reservoir .  I'll bet you have some great trees in your back yard to bad you can't cut them.   Holmes
Think like a farmer.

UpInATree

Not only backed up to the reservoir, but we have an Asian Long-horned Beetle infestation that has us under quarantine, and the really big tree companies are making a killing cutting down all the hardwoods in an effort to keep the beetles from getting out of our area.  It is a sad sight to see so many beautiful old Maples cut down in  what looks like a tornado zone.  However, I remain hopeful that the new mill will get to see some regular action.   Previously I know how many pines alone did not get used to their highest and best use because I could not mill them.  My wife and I are trying to do our part to help out this planet of ours.  The intent is there, the energy is there....bring on the logs!!!

I'll check out those metal detector suggestions... Thank you very much.

Matt
Wood-mizer LT70HD D55 Wireless, Wood-Mizer ED-26, A whole bunch of Stihls. Alaskan Mill 74",  Bucket Truck, Log Truck, Chippers, trailers, dump trucks,   Kubota M9540, L3010D and B7510. Cord King.   Learning Timberframing under Jim Rogers

Banjo picker

Welcome to the forum....Sounds like you got yourself a good mill.....I also like your taste in saws and tractors.... ;)  Tim
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

sigidi

Welcome Matt, Welcome to the Forum  ;D

I am like Chris, I like a circular saw, especially for a bit of crud in the log, they do really well, and yeah you may have to re-tip, but losing a tooth (20%) never means you can't finish the cut

Good luck with it all and keep us updated - we like pics ;D 8) ;)
Always willing to help - Allan

porcupine

Way to go Matt, I believe you will really appreciate that machine as I have with my 50 in the 10 hours of use I was able to get on it in February. Many guys and gals on the Forum have said that they "love" there WM and I thought that was odd...but you will too!
Best Wishes
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Super Split HD
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Load Trail 20' Tilt Trailer

Holmes

Matt are they cutting all the trees around the reservoir? Are they whole tree chipping or ?   I will be going thru the area Monday working in Princeton . I guess it's time to see how bad it looks.   Holmes
Think like a farmer.

UpInATree

Northern Tree and Mayer Tree are cutting every tree marked by the USDA which looks like every hardwood when I drive by.  All the trees are being chipped for pulp. To see the huge piles of logs fed into those massive choppers is frustratingly sad.   So much valuable lumber wasted.   Part of the beetle irrradication program will include replanting.  It will be decades before it all looks right around here. Thanks again to everyone for a warm welcome.  Im very excited about the new mill. Photos to follow
Wood-mizer LT70HD D55 Wireless, Wood-Mizer ED-26, A whole bunch of Stihls. Alaskan Mill 74",  Bucket Truck, Log Truck, Chippers, trailers, dump trucks,   Kubota M9540, L3010D and B7510. Cord King.   Learning Timberframing under Jim Rogers

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