One of the teachers I work with is making a barn and is to the stage where he needs some siding. He was told by the shop teacher (I guess I'm networking already and I didn't even know it), that I have a mill and he sent me an email with a question that has both him and me a little confused.
His brother-in-law claims that he can get him boards from "the tops of the trees" that the mills don't use/can't sell for $75 a bundle (a bundle is evidently enough to side a small pole building...I'm guessing like an 8x10' building maybe?) I asked if by the "tops of the trees" he meant the outer part of the log which has bark on it. He wasn't certain, but could say that the wood his brother-in-law got for his barn was actual boards, not wood with bark on it.
He sent me another message this morning and I'll just quote him.
Quotei talked to my brother-in-law last night. he told me that for his barn siding
they sold him boards that were varied lengths and widths. some boards were 14'
long, some were 8' long etc. some were 4" wide, some 12" wide, etc. they were
all bundled together, and were from various types of logs. i am still not
clear what he means by the tops of the logs, and as he adds in an angry tone
"the ends that they dont normally sell because no one wants that part." when i
query him about "that part" he gets even more irritated, so i left it alone.
.
.
.
so i still have an unclear understanding of this mysterious wood LOL. but
there are several people who have told me both of these guys have gotten the
wood for them, at a very cheap price. they tell me it is $75 per bundle, and
that i only need a little over 1 bundle to side my barn. i wish i could get a
better grasp of what they are talking about, but for me they are not very
clear. so if i havent lost you yet, if you can make any sense of this maybe
you can help me out or steer me in the right direction.
Anyone have any idea what his b-i-l could be talking about? Would it just be the low grade stuff that hasn't sold in a while? Since I pretty much only mill for myself and sell a few things to this school, I don't really have any "waste" materieal that isn't the outer part of the logs. I feel like there is something obvious that I'm missing. Any help would be appreciated.
For $75, give it a shot and see how far it will go...then he will know all he wants to know. Cheap education. :) :)
Then this teacher will be able to inform (teach) others... 8)
My guess is that it is "out" lumber, miscut and below grade.
A lumber mill near here sells bundles for a similar price. It is the same as WHConley described. See if he can ask the brother-in-law what species it is without him blowing his top. ;D He dosen't want something that will not hold up to the elements.
I may have just backed my way into a deal or at least some work.
In my response to the teacher I said something along the lines of not being entirely certain what he (the BiL) was talking about, but if he got some logs, I'd be more than willing to saw them for him (for a share or fee...his choice). He says the BiL has offered him some logs and could get him some more if needed. I ask if the BiL has a source for cheap logs.
Turns out he (the BiL) does tree trimming/removing and when he has a removal, he tries to keep the log in pieces that can be sawn. Furthermore, the guy who he had lined up to mill his lumber, "lost his mill".
I told him to tell the BiL about me and that I'd cut the logs on share or for fee (shoulda also said, 'or if he just wants to get rid of them...') He sounds like a piece of work, but who knows...maybe they just hate each other :D
Typically the highest quality sawlogs are the butt logs from the base of the trunk. The higher up the trunk, the more knots and the lower the quality of wood.
From his "tops of trees" comment, I would presume that your BIL is speaking about the number 2 wood that's cut from the upper portions of the trunk.
Has to be like SC says. I can't imagine getting 75 for a bundle of slabs.