Went and picked up 3 nice free walnut logs today. All 3 from the same tree, big end 26 inches small end 12. Bucked the 52 foot trunk into 2 20 ft and a 12. Should be enough walnut to keep me in projects for a while..
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14000/longwalnut.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1531962737)
Nice. smiley_thumbsup
Diamonds in the rough (old saying).
There is nothing like free walnut. It's amazing the range of what people want/expect for their walnut logs. I have people just wanting it gone all the way to people who want $4 per bf for logs that have the sapwood rotted away. I offered somebody $1 per bf for some logs. He said no way, that he knows somewhere that will give him $2.75. I told him to,go there because he wouldn't do any better. He wrote back and said he has no way to get the logs to the buyer. Wow.
My favorite way to follow up an ignorant "i kmow what its worth!" retort is with "i dont actually think you do" followed by silence. Really throws em off.
Quote from: mike_belben on July 21, 2018, 04:31:27 PMMy favorite way to follow up an ignorant "i kmow what its worth!" retort is with "i dont actually think you do" followed by silence. Really throws em off.
Recently had a dude want to sell some walnut yard trees. Came out, gave him a price and then radio silence. So, I checked back in a week or so and he said, "I have a dude in NY willing to pay $4.50/bf for it." Of course, I said, "run to that deal!". Got back to me in about six weeks, "Hey, you still want this walnut. The other guys either didn't show, said they were too busy, wanted me to drop them off, etc.". I bought them at my original price. Next time, I am going to do a "pain and suffering" price adjustment. ;D
The flip side is that I had a guy try to sell walnut to me for about 1/2 of what it was worth. I paid him the double-price and said, "Remember me when you have more or a neighbor looking to sell." Consistency is king.
Yep, I've been paying $1/BF( a little more for 16+ feet that I can make 8x8 or larger beams out of). That is what they get. Then I have my transportation costs I have to pay. I usually end up having not more than $1.50/BF into the logs by the time they land at my place.
Brad, I've been using your $1 price as my guide for a while now. I'll start by offering a bit less and then be able to come up to $1 and no more. Now, I'm not doing the volume you are and I pick it up with my trailer.
Yep $1.00 to $2.00 is where I would be at too, depending on the quality.
I'd buy it all day long for $1 bf, probably $1.50 delivered. It just seems to be really rare around here. I live in the "Sandhills" of South Carolina. Can grow pine trees like weeds but not so much walnut :(
Quote from: Brad_bb on July 22, 2018, 10:06:56 AMYep, I've been paying $1/BF( a little more for 16+ feet that I can make 8x8 or larger beams out of)
BB, are you making a building out of walnut? :o
Not at all associated with them but the canadian hardwood mills buy international, have easy to understand grading rules (lots of rules) and are paying $1/bdft international for firewood. Anything that can cut an 8x8 is going closer to $2 than 1. We average close $2 for our tops (take out the butt and second log) and third log. When China had not enforced the phyto ban the pricing was closer to 3. Oh well. For now the Canadians pay within 2 days and they do the trucking and that works out ok for us. Average per tree is still $4ish with lots of variation.
Quote from: PA_Walnut on July 23, 2018, 06:17:35 AM
Quote from: Brad_bb on July 22, 2018, 10:06:56 AMYep, I've been paying $1/BF( a little more for 16+ feet that I can make 8x8 or larger beams out of)
BB, are you making a building out of walnut? :o
Partially, yes. When it happens(hopefully in the next couple years), I'll post about it.
I'd take your walnut at the loggers landing, call the canadian mills and get them to truck it to canada and pocket the difference :).
Quote from: Brad_bb on July 23, 2018, 09:16:44 AMPartially, yes. When it happens(hopefully in the next couple years), I'll post about it.
Very cool! Have the cants been behaving while drying?
I haven't had much problem with movement with walnut. I have at least half a dozen big beams cut (most for a year or more). I still have a lot to cut. I have a ton of live edge pieces drying now. The good part is that I mill 1/2 inch over full dimension (so an 8 inch timber will be cut 8 1/2), and most of my beams end up sitting in the shed for a year and I go back and plane them with the beam planer. Ash is the most stable as it's 1/2 dry on the stump. Ash Cherry and walnut are what I have the most of. I have some honey locust, osage, Red Elm. Oak is what I have the least of, but that probably can get the most movement.
As you may have seen in my other post, I've just started doing some hewing, so those won't be planed of course. Hewing is pretty cool. You get in a rhythm and if you have somebody to chat with while working, it hums along.
16/4 is the biggest walnut that I have drying and it behaves ok. Slabs want to cup a little, but ShadeDri helps a great deal.