I have been running my sawmill for a couple years now and have a job coming up that the log owner has 200 locust logs he wants quartered for fence posts, thats not a problem, but he also wants some of his poplars sawed into true 2x6s to add on to his barn. He is wanting to know how many trees to cut down to get all the lumber he needs. So what I'm wondering is, is there a calculator to figure roughly how many 2x6s I can get out of each tree depending on it's diameter at the small end or a good way to give him a rough estimate on what is needed for the final goal so that he is not cutting down to many trees for his project or to little a number to get what is needed. thanks for any help.
Look up there at the top right where it says "Forum Extras". In there you will find a log volume calculater. Also a lumber calc and others you wil need in the future.
For now, figure up your total BF of the cutlist he gives you. Then, find out what the minimum DBH and the maximum DBH is, of the logs he has and wants to harvest. He may not care, but if he says he wants to take logs between 14" and 22" only, for instance, then pick something toward the middle like a 18". That will give you a rough idea.
Then, when you go into the woods with hium and he marks the trees to cut, make a list. Bring it back to your computer and use the toolbox again. This will get you closer.
Of course the better way is to buy a Log Rite (look on the left sponsor pane it's the bule and black banner) scale stick and take it with you into the woods. :)
Boy, that's a tough question for you to answer. It looks to me like the customer is putting a bit more responsibility on his sawyer than is called for. Unless the logs are of uniform size, it is impossible to tell how many 2x6s you can get out of them. My recommendation would be to have him present some logs and saw some of the the 2x6 poplar first, then he can go back and cut some more logs while you bust up those locust logs. After that first batch, he should have a pretty good idea what it would take. You can't just scale the logs and expect to get that amount of 2x6 material from them. There is gonna be a whole bunch of side lumber produced while you are squaring up those cants, and the customer needs to realize that he has to pay for that too. You can get into a real bind when a customer's expectations are unreasonable, unless you cover all the bases. A written contract is the best way to CYA on that.
I am sawing for someone now that wants all 1x6 out of his logs. I said what do you want me to do with the boards that will edge out to 1x8 or 1x10? I guess you can leave them wide. At least he didn't order 1x12s out of 10" logs. ::) Depending on the size of his logs, there could be a lot of side lumber.
Dave
Most folks don't have a clue when it comes to milling a log.I tell them I don't make the logs, just cut them,and my board streacher doesn't work.Many times if you draw with a crayon ,small end of the log and show them the curve,they will understand some never. Frank C.
draw up scaled drawings for logs of all the diameters that he may saw down, then show where you would take the boards from, and show that to the owner, it might clear things up a bit.
I understand there will be alot of lumber around the outside of the log before I get to the 2x6s. Those are going to be used for his purlins and the 2x6s for his rafters. Guess I was just hoping for a way to give him a good ball park figure. As far as the lumber calculator and the board foot calculator I was thinking about that but didn't seem to think there would be a good way to figure a semi-accurate number as far as the 2x6s go.
Also I am going to be doing the fence posts within a couple of weeks but won't be doing the poplar until august and this gentleman is a farmer and was going to cut down his trees for the barn as he got time throughout farming season.
thanks again, Jason
drawing up the scale is the easiest way to do it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12217/cut1-2.jpg)
here's an example I did a while back of an 11" diameter log which "theoretically" would yield 3 2x6's and 4 2x4's, but we all know in real life, it's not quite so simple...
I've also adopted to flipping 180o these days to making a 6" wide cant, then sawing that 6" wide cant up.