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General Forestry => Forestry and Logging => Topic started by: FeltzE on January 19, 2012, 08:33:47 AM

Title: bf ft/ ton
Post by: FeltzE on January 19, 2012, 08:33:47 AM
I couldn't get the search program to work this morning;

Does anyone have a good estimate for bd of lumber per ton of logs for SYP?

Thanks in advance

Eric

Another Item on my list of stuff I should know but don't, I may need to add a new chapter to that book!
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: rockman on January 19, 2012, 12:43:23 PM
 I used the Forestry Forum toolbox on the left under the sponsers, and if I did it correctly, I came up with roughly 300 bf per ton.

Kevin
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: wwsjr on January 19, 2012, 04:58:49 PM
I use about 7T/1000BF  for SYP, Cypress and 8T for Oak as a planning number. This is based on sawing with WM using .045 blades. Most truck loads I get are about 28T per load if the trucker has forest permit allowing 84,000 gross, usually cut about 4,000 BF. This was my average on obout 80,000 thousand feet cut last year.
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: customsawyer on January 19, 2012, 08:16:46 PM
My numbers are a little bit different but not that much. A lot has to do with what you are cutting out of the logs.
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: Side loader on January 19, 2012, 08:55:03 PM
"I use about 7T/1000BF  for SYP.," I agree.    I think that's a good all around conversion #. However if I'm selling small logs And have the choice I'm gonna sell them by the ton and not scaled. If I'm selling big logs I'd rather have them scaled rather than sell them by the ton. Visa Versa for buying. Conversion changes volume/weight.
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: WDH on January 19, 2012, 09:42:25 PM
7 tons/MBF would be a pretty good number for a conversion of scaled board feet like Scribner or International into weight, but if you look at actual BF yield from a bandsaw mill, it takes less tons for a MBF (thousand board feet).  The better commercial SYP mills, the big guys, get recovery of less than 4.5 tons/MBF. 

In the old bays when we cruised in BF and then sold the logs by the ton, we used 7.5 tons/MBF.  That can get you into trouble because the weight to volume relationship is dependent on tree size.  The larger the individual logs, the fewer tons it takes to make a MBF.  Say that you have one big log that weighs a ton.  Then say that you have a pile of 12" logs that, all together, weigh a ton.  Which will yield the most lumber?  Obviously the single log because there is proportionally much much less bark. 

So the answer to your question depends on what you will use the conversion for.  Buying logs or figuring yield on the sawmill.  Two different animals.
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: Meadows Miller on January 20, 2012, 02:15:09 AM
Gday

Danny is spot on with his statements ;) And I dont really want to confuse you as I use a combination of little tricks and confusing jargon to come up with My figures ;):) :D :D I think 6 to 7 ton per thousand is way out there heres how I do it  ;) You could never make much money using 7 ton at say $55 per ton to produce  at a bft log imput cost off $380 per thousand and sell it at say $550 for realy good stuff and the big mills in The South are doing 2x4 #3 and better  at about $250 to $300 per thousand ex mill but we all know thats just pumping out crappy lumber :) :);)

Cubic Meters M3 Fresh cut Pine both Here in Australia and in the USA weighs roughly the same per M3 off Volume which is about 900kg .9 off a ton or 1985lbs Per Cubic Meter plus allowances for region and season as it can change from area to area but usually not by anymore than 10% ;)

A M3 off Sawn timber measures 430bft so that gives you a rough rate off 2.1KG PER BFT sawn So 1000bft divided between 430 = 2.32 times so to get a thousand bft sawn even at a very poor low recovery rate of 50% out of the ton off log you should use no more than 2.3x2100kg or 4.83 tons off logs to get your 1000bft that would be my worst case scenario in avverage to good  run off pine ;)

A little side note Is I run at anywhere from 60%+ Recovery on Circular mills and im not happy if i drop below that  ;) :( >:( and sometimes rite on upto 80% plus out off big logs 28"+  so that drops me down to only using about 3.5 tons per Thousand or 9 ton off logs for 2580bft off sawn timber or at 80% im getting roughly 3400bft out of 9 ton off logs but thats a rarity to get that high and you need nice big guns to do it Every percent extra recovery you can pinch makes all the difference  to your bottom line ;)

Call Me Mad but I do know My numbers ;) :D :D :)  ;D ;D

Regards Chris

** No need for all this extra page space (blank lines) my friend. Just saying, nothing major. (SwampDonkey)
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: Ron Wenrich on January 20, 2012, 05:32:39 AM
Wouldn't it matter on how things are being cut?  Pine guys get this great overrun because they cut 6/4 lumber and call it 2".  There would be a difference if your end product is being cut on a nominal basis, a dimension basis, or a cabinet grade basis.

Example:  a 2" board is cut 2" on the nominal scale, 1 1/2" on dimension scale, and 2 1/4" on cabinet grade.  A 2x6x12 would yield 1 cu ft in the nominal scale, 0.6875 cu ft in the dimensional scale, and 1.125 cu ft on the cabinet grade scale. 

Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: FeltzE on January 20, 2012, 06:06:44 AM
Thanks for the imput.

Ron, I bill out by the actual BF a 6/4 is billed at 6/4 not 2"

Running a GMC 6500 26000#truck we can pull 1000 - 1500 bf per load of logs so that matches the 5-7 ton per thousand in syp.

Again thanks guys

Eric
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: Meadows Miller on January 20, 2012, 07:15:50 AM
Swamp Donkey Im sorry if i was taking up space dadgum you, Charlie!  :)  but im hard enough to understand let alone when I start trying to do conversions  ;) :D :D so  I thought the spaces would help  Mate  :) :)
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: wwsjr on January 20, 2012, 07:46:24 AM
Most of the cypress I cut was various sized logs from 10" up to a few per load of up to 20". Most of what I cut was full 1 1/8" X 6, 8, 10, 12 wide. I cut probably 10MBF of various size beams.
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: WDH on January 20, 2012, 07:48:24 AM
Ron, you are exactly right.  The yield is dependent on the target product.  The big pine mills shoot for a rough green target size of 1.75" to allow them to dry and plane to 1.5".  They call this 2 inch dimension lumber, but it was never at any time 2" thick.

When I am sawing 2" lumber, I don't figure it at 1.75" rough (1.5" finished) and count that as 2x material.  I figure it at 2" for 2" material.  How do others figure it?  If you cut rough pine at 1.5" plus 1/8" for shrinkage and then call that "2 inch" lumber for lumber that will not be kiln dried and planed, that makes a huge difference in your "productivity".
Title: Re: bf ft/ ton
Post by: Meadows Miller on January 20, 2012, 09:35:44 AM
here if we are drying and dressing we saw at fill size then the drying and dressing allowance is roughly 1/4 for 2" stock and that gets sold as 1.75 inches and 1/5th for 1" stock which gets sold at .85 off an inch the mills here have to wear that loss as part of their production costs you get payed for the volume you supply  ;) not from what I can gather to how its done there where they are calling the nominal thickness the sale size thats how the big mills can make money they have worked out how to get payed for fresh air which is a load off BS if they are  ??? :) :) :) :) 1.5s 1.5   no_no bat_smailey hell ill just start cutting everything scant off the saw But thats not how I work though and theres a reason people like to buy lumber from small mills as they know they are getting ripped on quality and price ;)