best way to keep up with board feet sawn

[Mountain Sawyer]

Hey everyone, Can anyone shed light on the best way to figure or keep up with the board feet that you saw throughout the day.

[Magicman]

I scale, mark, and tally each day's sawing at the end of the day.  If I have a cut list, I keep up to assure that the cut list is met,  but I do not keep up with the actual bf.

[drobertson]

bout the only way I know if a daily tally is required, it to make a tally sheet,
1x4- xxxx (bdft/length)
1x6-xxxx(ect)
ect..
ect..
2x4-xxxx(ect)
2x6-xxxx
ect...
ect..
Just count them, tally, and you are done,   david

[bandmiller2]

I just stack the lumber in 4' wide piles, length times width times number of tiers. Frank C.

[schmism]

is daily board feet sawn for refrance of "i sawed 1500 bft today"  or your useing that bft to determine a charge to the customer?

so is there a difference between bft sawn rough ( slabs before edgeing)  and bft sawn after edging?  vs bft sawn off a cant (no edgeing required)

[Sawdust Lover]

I do the same as bandmiller. Works good for me!

[Ron Wenrich]

I worked commercial sawmills for 35 yrs and took daily footage.  Layer counts for lumber, much like the way Frank has described.  For blocking and heavy timbers, I do piece counts.  A day's sawing was mill footage today + volume removed from mill - mill footage yesterday. 

[Gasawyer]

I just keep a talley (and or customers list)sheet on my control box cover and do a running talley. Its worked well for me over the years.

[slider]

Running tally works better for me.Trying to count random length lumber already stacked was a pain to me.I usually pass it on to the customer .

[Jim_Rogers]

Clipboard with running tally, enter into computer at end of day for daily total. Sometimes per log for over run checking.

Jim Rogers

PS. When working here in the yard it is sometimes nice to take a break after each log to warm up, fill the stove, and record the tally while warming up. On site, I do it at the end when I come back to the office.

[Chuck White]

I've tried keeping a running tally, but just can't seem to keep up with it!

Once in a while I will ask myself, "did I just count that one or not", and there goes the tally.

I have better luck tallying at the end of the day!

[Jim_Rogers]

Chuck:
I do know what you mean.
But I have established a system that when I carry the board/plank or timber off the mill and set it down on the way back to the mill I go to the clip board and check it off. That way every time something leaves the mill it is counted.
As mentioned "it works for me"....

Jim Rogers

[Tom the Sawyer]

I keep a running tally sheet with a table for each log - 4 logs per sheet.  I have a mechanical tally counter mounted on my control panel and hit the button just as I finish each pass through the cant. 

When board widths or thicknesses change I enter the number from the tally counter on the tally sheet, zero the counter and keep on milling.  If something happens where I think I may not have hit the counter button I don't have too many boards to check to get back on track.

If we take a break I enter the info from the tally sheets into a program on my phone which calculates the board footage, or milling minutes, and the milling fees.  If no breaks then I figure it at the end of the job.

It wouldn't work for everyone.  About 90% of my milling volume is on the road so my office is the cab of my truck.  Most of the logs are of inconsistent lengths, milled at multiple thicknesses and with the clients doing the stacking.  I have tried to count and measure boards in a stack at the end of the job and it just didn't work for me.  Clients may stack boards even with the tailgate rather than the front of the bed, move a trailer and bring in another, carry the boards into their shed, or we work until dark.  For me, it is so much easier, and accurate, to count the boards as they are milled.       

[red oaks lumber]

we sticker everything off the mill into there own packs per lenght and size  so counting at the end of the day is real easy. dosent matter if its our wood or a customers.
we usally only saw 2 or 3 widhts so there arent to many packs.

[Dave Shepard]

Although I rarely have help to confuse things, I do run an edger, so I don't keep a running tally. I just add everything up at the end of the day. I keep track of footage as part of my record keeping so that I know what my operating costs are per foot. I'm also shooting for the million board foot club. When I custom saw, which is not my main motivation for owning a mill, I charge hourly. I like to keep track of footage sawn so I know how my hourly billing compares to sawing by the foot. Typically, the customer makes out better by the hour. I've had some pine jobs done around $.20/foot and some white oak timber jobs around $.50/ft, which, considering the amount of effort and turning, squaring and clean up cuts, is really reasonable for long hardwood timbers, in my opinion.

[MIsawyer]

Ive found the best way to find the board footage for your lumber sawn is to take a "block tally".
You multiply the average widthin inches by the average length in feet by the number of layers for each pack and then divide by 12 then you multiply that number by your lumbers thickness
4/4 =1
5/4 =1.25
6/4 =1.5
8/4 =2
Example: you have a pack thats average width is 40in average length is 9 1/2 feet and is 25 layers high and is 5/4
40×9.5×25=9500
9500÷12=792 (rounding up)
792×1.25=990
Your block tally is 990bf I find this to be pretty accurate hope it helps.

[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, MIsawyer.

How about an intro thread and sharing some info about yourself and your log/lumber/sawing interest.  Also adding your location in your profile is useful.   

[Brian C.]

When we remember to figure out what we did we use the tier method. Average width of the stack in feet times the average length in feet times the height in inches.