Just wondering. I've got some good stuff to slab up and I'd like to sell them green. I don't know if anybody is looking for green stuff but it might be worth a listing and see who might be interested. How would you price 'em green vs dry?
I will be watching this thread; I am interested in seeing what others think. Just off the top of my head, I am thinking the value of green slabs would be about half that of dry (less for unstable woods, more for walnut)
I sell most of mine green at an appropriate price. I tell them to air dry them for about six months and then I'll kiln them. I have better luck with the slabs if they have some air dry time and I don't tie up my kiln with a long drying schedule.
Den-Den,
I have a few native edge "slabs" about 8/4 stuff stickered and advertised in local trader papers. Mostly walnut and cherry. When someone calls I am clear it has been cut only a few months so I definitely don't mislead them.
I don't have the equipment to cut and handle the really big slabs like 4"X40" or so if that is your definition of a "slab".
What price do you call appropriate? I was kinda thinkin' about 1/2 price like Den-Den said. Of course pricing slabs is pretty subjective depending on character and such. I was sawing a short piece of red oak the other day to make stickers and when I got it open it looked way to good for stickers so I slabbed it about 2 1/4. That's why I never have enough stickers I guess.
Me either, Den-Den. This stuff was about 15x64 and 9/4. I don't want to mislead anybody either, so I plan to make sure they know it's green and what that means. I sealed the ends and I wouldn't sell the middle slab with the pith in it.
I sell a fair # of slabs with live edges. All dried, 95% kiln dried. I have not had anyone inquire about or show any interest in green slabs.
Green hardwood lumber I am currently selling at 3/4 price of air dried. Sometimes I sell a few boards but mostly people want dried lumber. Haven't sold much slabs, but the few I do have I was going to wait till they are air dried to sell them.
I generally figure price by approximating BF and charging kiln dry price for that species. These are nice figured slabs that would sell for many times that price if they were kiln dried. The customer takes the risk of warping and splitting and it's his time and space the slabs occupy.
That's kinda what I was thinkin' Kcwb. I keep running into this nice stuff but I don't have the space or inclination to store it all for 2 or 3 or 4 or 20 years.
BTW - I put a listing on craigslist last night and already have a couple responses. Both were from people that understood the situation and were interested in getting some stuff below market and putting it away to dry. This may work out. It can help pay for bands and sharpening and such as well as pay for the logs I've been buying from tree service guys. I'm expecting a couple of potential customers next week, so we'll see.
I just sawed for a customer that had two ~18" excess Cypress logs. He had no immediate need for lumber so I sawed them 9/4 for him to advertise as "fresh sawn live edge slabs. He sold 4 for $100 each the first day. He then advertised and sold the 4 remaining slabs for $150 each. He is now looking for more Cypress logs.
MM, how long?
Good report, MM. I think this green slab thing might work out.
People have been bringing me some short junk logs along with the good logs. Red Oak, White Oak, Honey Locust, cedar butts. For junk, they make some pretty nice slabs. Not quite as desirable as the cypress, but interesting. Honey locust crotches and butts produce really interesting figure.
(I'm still waiting to see what Brad_bb's honey locust looks like - maybe he forgot about that thing.)
Put a listing on craigslist Friday. A guy is coming by Wednesday - says he wants at least 5 or maybe 10 of these. (Slabs, not cats.)
I was going to saw this thing for stickers, but this seems like a better way to go.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39962/Claw_Turner.jpg)
Quote from: ellmoe on May 08, 2016, 10:37:17 PM
MM, how long?
They were 8' making them about 20bf.
Thanks, Lynn.
I still believe that selling green slabs will be a tough go.
So do I. In this instance the customer asked what he could do and I told him to throw them out there and see what happens.
Most of the green slabs I have sold went to middlemen, ten or fifteen at a time. So yea, they went for cheap! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to keep the lights on .
I have decent luck selling green lumber if I'm actively trying to sell it. I also buy green lumber from time to time. For me though, the economics favor drying my own wood and selling it for the kiln dried price.
Quote from: WDH on May 09, 2016, 08:17:05 PMI still believe that selling green slabs will be a tough go.
Fresh cut natural edge slabs have long been a big seller here. The business name has sold and was called mobile custom sawmilling for 14 years and is now Silverwood sawmill and continues sucessfully to sell fresh as well as air dried
From what I've seen, 3 types of customers will buy green slabs:
- A. Cheapskates who want to dry it themselves.
- B. Uneducated buyers (a subset of A with even more downstream headaches).
- C. Wholesale buyers who can dry it, attempting to educate and sell to B and dealing with frustrations of A.
If you price accordingly and stick with C, you'll be ok. Cater to A and/or B, invest in whiskey....lots of it. :D ;D :D
Quote from: Den-Den on May 06, 2016, 09:13:13 PM
I will be watching this thread; I am interested in seeing what others think. Just off the top of my head, I am thinking the value of green slabs would be about half that of dry (less for unstable woods, more for walnut)
I see you are in Texas. I buy oak slabs buy the ton, same as logs.
I would be interested in 50-100 tons if you have that many.
Quote from: Jmccann1349 on January 01, 2020, 12:30:58 AM
Quote from: Den-Den on May 06, 2016, 09:13:13 PM
I will be watching this thread; I am interested in seeing what others think. Just off the top of my head, I am thinking the value of green slabs would be about half that of dry (less for unstable woods, more for walnut)
I see you are in Texas. I buy oak slabs buy the ton, same as logs.
I would be interested in 50-100 tons if you have that many.
If the price is right it might be worth my drive with close to 10 tons from a couple of these big monster white oaks. Maybe we should open a line of communication? ;)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58237/20191219_110156~1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1577881995)
59 at the base, 60 inches 12 feet up, how long you want em?
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