ERC. How thick

[Farmer Todd]

Had a good customer bring me about 3 m bdf of what I would call post (8"-14"on tip ) after I unloaded it ask him what he want me to saw out of it and I got a I don't know. He wants me to saw it and sell it for him. So what would be the best marketable dimension. I've been told 1/2. 3/4 5/5. 4x4 and 6x6. Thanks.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Todd, it depends on what the need for it is in your market, I would say.
I sell Cedar at $2.50 a BF.

When I am lucky enough to get Cedar logs.....I call customers I know who need it and ask them how they want it sawn.

If your gonna saw in the blind....I would saw it a little over 3/4 inch x as wide as you can get it. This gives the customer more width and a chance for them to choose how wide they may need it and they can adjust the width on their table saw.

You can also saw it all into cants, then stack and sticker the cants. Now you have Cedar post OR advertise, then let the customer tell you how thick to saw boards.

[Magicman]

I can't answer why, but almost everyone here wants it 1".  On a rare occasion it will be ¾".  The width is generally as wide as the log will make with no wane.

[Rockn H]

I would stack the logs off the ground and advertise to see if you can find customers before you saw it.   You can wait a little while to saw Cedar.  At one time I was sawing a lot of Cedar here and most of it was being used for either paneling or fence and post.   They all wanted the paneling 1" thick until they found out I could saw it 1/2" thick (sort of shot myself in the foot ).  I did have one customer though that was building picnic tables and he wanted everything sawed exactly either 1" or 2" thick. 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Good point Rockn H.....don't shoot yourself in the foot.  :D Good one!

Just leave yourself and your potential customer options on your Cedar logs before you just start "hacking" away. :D

[Farmer Todd]

Thank you. Think I will go with an inch. But mix it up a bit. Cants sound good but don't want them hanging around. Then again at 2.50 bf your not going lose money by putting them back on the mill

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I have TONS of Birdhouse builders BEGGING for 3/4 inch Cedar Lumber.

Not to sway you one way or the other.....thats why I said it would be good to find out the needs in your market.

Good-Luck Todd and let us know how it turns out.

[hackberry jake]

If I have logs, I saw them... the smart thing to do would be to hold it til someone wants it, but I would probably saw it all into 7/8" x 5.5" boards. The birdhouse people, fence people, and paneling people would all be happy to take it.

[Ianab]

I'd suggest you start by sawing a couple of logs into some sensible common sized boards, so you have stock on hand to sell. Then run an ad with the sizes and prices, and add that you can do other sizes to order.

Keep a running tally of the logs, sawn stock and sales so you can split the sales with the log owner. (minus sawing costs and sales commission  ;) ) Doesn't matter if it takes a few months to get get through them all, as long as you can show him the remaining logs, the sawn boards and give him a check for his share of what's gone out the gate each week. He obviously trusts you, so keep that trust.  It sounds like a good ongoing relationship could be set up here if he has a steady supply of logs?

Ian

[backwoods sawyer]

Just remember you are wearing two hats sawyer and salesman and your share should reflect that as well.

when you start milling these post saw the smaller ones for speculated sizes, and hold back the bigger better quality logs for the special orders  8)

[Cedarman]

I would not like to be in a position to have the logs and not own them. He is putting the monkey on your back to do all the marketing and get the reward. Is there a way to just buy the logs?  Use the cedar scale.  We let logs sit for 1 to 2 years and they are still good.  You never know what someone will want.  Paneling can vary in thickness.  Cedar chest wood is around an 1".  Raised garden beds can be from 1 1/2" to 2" x 6 or 8" wide.  Some people may want a live edge on a mantel.  Market first, then saw is my thought.

[JamieT]

2.50 a bf????? WOW!! I'm selling it @ 1.35 a bf. No wonder my phone is ringing off the hook!! Most all my cedar customers want 1x8's

[Magicman]

That is all of Poston's former customers calling you.   ;D   :D

[Cedarman]

Last order was:  came in today , wants it sometime next week.
43  7/8" x 2" x 10'6"
43   7/8" x 3 3/4" x 10'6"
above rough
1  1 5/8" x 8" x 10'  S4S
4  5 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 4'4"  S4S
Actually pretty simple for us to do, but how would you plan ahead sawing lumber for that without waste?
You just never know what someone will want.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

2.50 a bf????? WOW!! I'm selling it @ 1.35 a bf. No wonder my phone is ringing off the hook!! Most all my cedar customers want 1x8's

No wonder my phone hasn't been ringing.  >:(

[Farmer Todd]

Thank you for all the input. Todd

[YellowHammer]

2.50 a bf????? WOW!! I'm selling it @ 1.35 a bf. No wonder my phone is ringing off the hook!! Most all my cedar customers want 1x8's

No wonder my phone hasn't been ringing.  >:(

I sell for $3.50 per bdft and can't keep it in stock, except in summer when people slow down buying it.  I have settled on sawing most at 1 1/8" minimum, so it will plane out to about an inch, thick enough for patio chairs, thin enough for custom furniture, and also thick enough to resaw to 3/8"' panels for closets and such.  I'll also saw a few 4x4's out of the smaller logs for table legs and posts.
I've also been selling the slabs for people to use as raised garden borders.  It sells real well in the Spring, then I advertise it as duck and deer blind covering come fall.
Here's a pic of a load of logs I picked up last week


And here's part of a load I just took out of the kiln and will plane this weekend.
YH

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I haven't seen that much RED since I saw my neck in the mirror.
Those are some nice "planks".

[taw6243]

$4.50 / bf here.
Tim

[hackberry jake]

You guys make me jealous... There is a mill close to me that sells it for .85 a board foot for #1. Maybe I should just buy three or four bundles and bring them to you guys!

[xlogger]

YH, I pickup cedar like you rig also. I got a load yesterday 4.8 tons. Like not to get the truck stopped at one light that stop me fast. What did you load weigh? Must be 7-8 tons.

[YellowHammer]

XLogger,
You are right, it was decent load, but I figure between 6 and 7 tons, the cedar was old and pretty dry.  The trailers a top of the line PJ and rated at 13 ton with dual axle brakes.  With the trucks built in exhaust brake, large 4 wheel disk brakes, and beefy towing capacity, (I sound like a truck commercial  :D .) it stops very quickly and smoothly.  I get my cedar from a guy right down the road, spent more time on the dirt roads than asphalt.  When I'm hauling denser logs, I put on shorter trailer side posts to limit the weight of logs I carry on the open roads. 
YH

[JamieT]

Sorry guys, didn't mean to step on any toes. I have my own cedar, pasture full of giants! But I'm thinkin my prices are about to get bumped up. I cant get the cedar orders filled fast enough.....

[YellowHammer]

Shoot, no toes stepped on that I know of.  I used to sell my cedar for $1 Bdft, then I kept bumping it up until sales gradually slowed and I had a few customers walk away.  Then with the higher prices and still steady sales (but not as fast as at a lower price) I realized I was sawing less and making more money anyway.  As with any product, there is a break even price, supply and demand point, and it took awhile to find it.  Also, around here, cedar sales are very seasonal, so it took me awhile to figure that it wasn't my price impacting sales, it was the time of year. 
Don't forget about the cedar slabs, they sell well this time of year (I have a guy coming over in about an hour to pick up some for 50 cents per Bdft. Its easy money)
YH

[JamieT]

Thanks for the info yellowhammer! I had a lady ask me to give her my slabs, her husband bought 300$ worth of cedar so I gave her a few. Next trip they made she started just loading them up. I told her they aren't free. She got fired up and told me all I was gonna do was burn them. So i opened up my shop and showed her a stool I made . All slab and limbs. On eBay, that same stool was almost 250$! So i informed her she can buy the slabs, and please dont tell me what I'm gonna do with MY wood! Lol, next time they come over I'm gonna have a fire goin!! ;-)