I've noticed that a lot of you saw SYP, Hemlock, or other species that has died from disease or fire damage. I'm also beginning to saw Hemlock that has died for various reasons and still find the logs are solid after slapping heavy to get below the surface rot. Do you see this as inferior logs and charge accordingly? For no particule reason, other than knowing the lumber came from a log that showed surface rot, I lowered the price ΒΌ the normal cost, I sleep better even though the customer never knew the difference.
bugdust if you are fine lowering your fee that's fine but if you think about it you are working harder for less.you are either handling bigger slabs or making more cuts to get down to the good wood.more work less finish product.it's not your fault that their bringing you this stuff that should have been sawed before it got this bad.i know where you are most of my syp is dead stuff. al
if your not selling lumber from dead trees , its not fault they are dead so i would charge your normal rate.
I get a lot of logs just for the price of trucking.
Deal is I take them dead or not so dead. In the last 3 tandum loads there were maybe 6 red pine logs with no bark on them.
They have been sawing out fine for me.
I havent sold any of this yet but people are asking questions.
Regards Chris
My original post might be a little misleading about whose logs I'm sawing. First, if the customer brings dead logs I surely saw them at my normal rate. My intended question would pertain to my logs that show disease or already dead. Normal thought would be "sound wood is sound wood, regardless of the condition of the log." Are customers really concerned where the lumber came from, or most just don't care? This thought came to me after downing some large Hemlocks that had the tops blown out. When the log was opened I found it necessay to mill down through questionable boards before I was satisfied it was sound enough.
Bugdust, after you saw it up, nobody remembers the logs. They only see the nice lumber. We all make some good lumber out of some tough logs.
With beetle killed SYP, I sometimes have to slab deep to get to good wood. Then there are also the logs that I will not even put on the sawmill. This was a customer's log.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN0948.JPG)
Only the lower left has any solid wood, and it is marginal. I culled about 4 entire trees on this saw job. If the customer is not getting solid framing lumber, then it is my responsibility to tell him so. If the sapwood and shrunken away from the growth rings, it is a cull.