My leg work has paid off maybe!

MJD · August 09, 2013, 01:11:01 PM

Quote from: logman81 on August 09, 2013, 11:49:42 AM
Price report for my area is between 70-275mbf. White oak 40-100mbf.

Whst are these prices for? Cutting or logs or standing timber.

logman81 · August 09, 2013, 01:16:46 PM

Those are prices of what standing timber is being bought for, but I just looked at the currant prices as of march and thier a little higher than that.

chep · August 09, 2013, 03:17:34 PM

Logman,

Its August now. Things change day to day. That's a report from almost 5 months ago! Call your mills and log buyers!!! Don't worry if you aren't a big time producer. If quality is as good as you say, they will be giving you good prices. Quality product is in short demand. Get calling asap!

logman81 · August 09, 2013, 03:37:07 PM

I have the latest sawlog bulletin with all the prices for logs

mad murdock · August 09, 2013, 06:26:09 PM

Logman81, if it were I, I'd be doing real good inspections of the maple. If it is curly, or birds-eye, I would be looking for specialty buyers, you could clean up on a couple good figured logs. If you don't know what to look for in the bark, a light scraping with a sharp hatchet into the bark a bit, but not all the way through, will give you a real good idea what lies underneath. T'would be well worth the look see. Good luck with it. Sounds like it will be some fun stuff!

Kemper · August 09, 2013, 06:32:19 PM

If the wood is as good as you say, you shouldn't offer less that 50/50 and so much a ton on pulp. If you offer him 70/30 he might end the job before it begins. Also remember if you have all the mills bid, you might not get paid until you are completely finished, versus hauling it in when you get a load and getting a check every week.

logman81 · August 09, 2013, 07:17:34 PM

Well put my offer in and will see what happens. I'll check on the maples if I get the job thanks.

mesquite buckeye · August 09, 2013, 07:44:54 PM

Quote from: mad murdock on August 09, 2013, 06:26:09 PM
Logman81, if it were I, I'd be doing real good inspections of the maple. If it is curly, or birds-eye, I would be looking for specialty buyers, you could clean up on a couple good figured logs. If you don't know what to look for in the bark, a light scraping with a sharp hatchet into the bark a bit, but not all the way through, will give you a real good idea what lies underneath. T'would be well worth the look see. Good luck with it. Sounds like it will be some fun stuff!

Usually you can see it in the bark, like a rumpled rug. I would guess somebody with experience could probably pick out a birdseye as well.

David-L · August 10, 2013, 06:54:59 AM

Around here unless there are massive quanities the logger never pays for pulp on the job. When you the logger remove the pulp you are doing a service for the landowner and not leaving a tangled mess which they should compensate you buy having and agreement that the pulp is yours. This is how I have worked it many times and the little extra for the pulp is fuel and maintanence money. Good Luck. And yes by the thousand is workable as someone else said, cause until you buck them up its a bit of a crapshoot. Especially on the big ones unless its a no brainer.

David

chevytaHOE5674 · August 10, 2013, 10:24:55 AM

Quote from: mesquite buckeye on August 09, 2013, 07:44:54 PM
Usually you can see it in the bark, like a rumpled rug. I would guess somebody with experience could probably pick out a birdseye as well.

Having bought and sold many many many MBF's of both eye and curl logs I will say that there is no "usually" about anything related to specialty logs. Sometimes you can see it through the bark, many times you can't. Sometimes you can see it in the root flare, sometimes you can't. Sometimes you can see it if a little bark is bumped, sometimes you can't. Often times a log will have good eye/curl just at the surface below the bark and nothing deeper in the log. Sometimes a log will have nothing at the surface but nice eye/curl farther in. Many times there will be some "butt curl/eye" at the butt end of the butt log and nothing up higher.

If you dump a tree and on the end of a log notice lines radiating from the center of the log then there is a decent chance it has good eye, you can also spot curl in the end of a log as well. If you notice either of them then get your buyer to look at then ASAP because this time of year we like them fresh.

mesquite buckeye · August 10, 2013, 11:23:20 AM

Sounds like somebody like chevy, no? Those are all good points. Then there are the logs with no surface indications that are fantastic inside. So it goes. My experience, though, is if it shows in the bark, more often than not it is there inside. Usually you have to pay before you mill the log, so there is a lot of guessing and ESP involved, for sure. ;D 8)

logman81 · August 10, 2013, 08:04:50 PM

What do you think about if I came across some nice grained wood that I could have a portable sawmill come and saw some for mantels?

mesquite buckeye · August 10, 2013, 08:24:23 PM

The trick is knowing what the best use is before you open the log. Then after it is open how to get the most value out of it. Could be mantles, slabs, lumber, veneer, gunstock blanks, table leg blanks, bookmatched table top, live edge, milled edge, etc, etc. I think the hardest thing about milling is to get really good at deciding the best use. Experience does help, but so does flexibility, openness to new ideas, log ESP and who knows what else. It is an art. :-\

Peter Drouin · August 10, 2013, 09:06:41 PM

I have done that go to the landing and look for the spokes on the end of the maple logs and found some, had one logger had cut and split a cord of wood , he stopped in to say hi and I saw his wood

It was all birds eye :D
now he calls me when he thinks he has some

logman81 · August 12, 2013, 10:42:23 AM

I got the job! Now to go over the fine details and line up buyers for all the wood. Got a buyer for the firewood, I prolly have most trucked to my yard for my own firewood sales later on. I think for the saw logs I'll contact a few mills and have them give me the best price for them standing before I cut them. I do have a little concern on what and what not to cut. I know that the main objective of the land owner is to cut most of the bigger trees to open up the canopy for the smaller tree to grow. I think a type of selective cut is in order.