Dividing lumber cut on Shares

[solidwoods]

I'm milling a 50/50 share job with someone.
They bring the logs to our place, me mill them.
4000bf,  Yellow Pines, med/low grade,  14" but mostly smaller diameters , most  are 8'-10' .

Any suggestions of methods to divide the "actual lumber"  when it has been cut on shares?
The percentages divided would matter in a shares job, but with a 50/50 share what methods could be used?
Thanks.
jim

[DanG]

The ol' "one for you, one for me" method is probably the fairest way to do it, but it may not always be best.  One of you might want more 2x4s than 2x6s, or more 10' rather than 8'.  In that case, just get the board footage close and call it even.  If either of you are the type to quibble over a dollar or two, it is usually best to not cut on shares. ;)

[pineywoods]

I do a fair amount of cutting on shares. Best I have found is share logs, not lumber. I make 2 piles of logs and he chooses. Or he makes 2 piles and I choose. That way I get to cut my share the way I want or need, when I want to saw. Works for me...

[beenthere]

Are we understanding right, that you already are sawing out lumber?

If so, what/how are you sawing it?  thicknesses, widths, lengths?
What are you needing from these logs?  Same as him?

Any sorting being done?  into grade of some kind?

__________
If no sawing yet, suggest as already mentioned. Divide the logs first (before sawing) and get his half sawn up and gone. Then do your half when he's not around to second guess his, or your, decision. 

[LeeB]

Ditto with the above. Divy up the logs nad saw his as he wants, within reason.

[Toolman]

I've had good luck cutting on shares. I recently had a guy who had 42 NICE poplar logs. He wanted to build a pole building. He had a list of what dimensions he needed to construct building. After I satisfied his need, I ended up with 150 nice boards ranging from 6" to 16" wide. We were both satisfied. He got what he wanted, I got what I wanted. Who got more board feet than the other did'nt matter. Cutting on shares has always been a positive outcome for me.

[Shamus]

Cutting on shares can work, if you have a need or market for your portion of the wood. Always ask what dimensions your customer needs/prefers from the logs. I like milling their wood first too (logs split into their pile and yours), then you can mill your share when and into what you want when it suits you.

[ErikC]

  I agree with the logs divided ahead of time as well. Shares have never appealed to me unless I already needed the lumber or had a person wanting to buy it. Therefore, I never lost any money cutting on shares.
  Definitely better with the less nit-picky types for sure. It can be pretty fun in the right circumstance though, seems less like working for some reason.

[sgschwend]

Cutting for shares in softwood does not work very well.

The best method is to determine what the trade is going to be and decide if you want to trade.  

The other method which works well is to cut in trade with a log supplier, you bid a sale and the log seller agrees to supply the logs for that sale.  Every job is a unique bid.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

With me and the few people i do it with is that we agree to a $dollar value on what the (logs)timbers worth and then and the $dollar figure on wht the sawing is worth before the saw hits the log  ;) ;D It works well for me and there usually arnt any arguments  ;) ;D 8) 8) but its happend the odd time so i havent cut any off it  ;) :D :D

Softwood is usually 1/3 to them and 2/3ds to me  ;) ;D

Hardwood is usually 50/50  ;) ;D

Reguards Chris