Frustration buying yard trees and a bad tree value calculator

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Yellowhammer you and me have the same approach and way of thinking on this.    I don't waste my time either.   Tell them what it costs and that's it.    I never had a pile of logs I couldn't sell and I never made money lowing a price on anything when somebody "flinched".      The flinch has no effect on me at all.   I keep looking them in the eye and I don't blink.   You weed out the BS'ers real quick that way.

[Crossroads]

You're a saint Brad! I was getting mad just reading your post lol  i feel your pain, I've had 2 potential customers this week that got my blood boiling. 

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Well Crossroads lets hear the story?  :D  Did you end up selling to those customers or did it go south on you?

[Stevenjohn21]

The most impressive thing about all that is your patience! I'd of walked away. Sucks you had to deal with that but lesson learned, walk away next time your gut is telling you. 
Also, according to that calculator, I should be a multi millionaire with the logs I have without even having to mill them! 

[Crossroads]

Lol, the first one said he was canceling our milling day because the price of lumber is coming down. I said okay, but I doubt you'll buy any lumber for the .40/bdft . That is roughly what it cost to have me mill it. He says" oh so you'll work by the bdft? I said no, I work by the hour. He says "figured " like I was trying to take advantage of him. Oh well, he can go to lowes lol  
The second one has actually been playing out for a couple weeks. He wanted 500 1x6 fence boards in Doug fir. My quote was for 1.60/bdft. He sent me a picture of a fence co. That was having a winter liquidation sale on 5/8 & 3/4" cedar fence boards. So, I quoted him a price for 3/4" which was .09 cheaper than the cedar. And said I could mill them over the weekend. I didn't hear from him until Thursday, he wanted to know when I could have them ready. I said I could start on them Saturday, but if I didn't finish, the next time I could work on them was Friday the 21st.  He says, "you can't get them any sooner?" I said, no! I've not heard back. 

[shelby78]

Yard trees.

You won't find nice girls in a place like that.

Go to the forest  

That's a bit too wide of brush to paint with. All the walnut I have ever cut was yard trees and they have made me a lot of money. This years best was a 37 inch buttlog for 10ft and the second log hit 33 for 12ft. Never found a single nail and it was literally 14ft from the side of the house in town beside driveway.
2 years ago I got a 44inch monster with no steel. I do live edge so I could care less about sapwood.


I think the big frustration is people want the walnut so they try to rationalize their prices. Walking away is easy when you don't care.

Edited to add I was off a bit on my walnut size. The big one I got topped out at 53 inches.


 

 

 

 

[BML1221]

I don't think you're in the wrong in the slightest, and seems like you went above and beyond to explain the business side of things to this guy. I was getting frustrated just reading this stuff. He could've had to pay to have the tree cleaned up...but he was making at least some money. Sometimes you can't help people like this. 

[Guido Salvage]

I have never bought a log in my life so I have never had to go through this. I also said that I would never buy dirt or water so who knows what the future will bring.

I just picked up 2 dump truck loads of pine this weekend for free. I just brought my dump truck and a set of forks for the track loader. I will turn them into a shed to house more air drying lumber.

Recently I let a guy dump several loads of trees and tops from a clearing job. He paid $75 a load, I pulled all the sycamore out and milled it. I also got 2 dump truck loads of walnut and hackberry from my best friend. I ended up with about 2000 bf of sawn walnut for free that did not make grade for export to Italy. 

I sell equipment for a living, more than once I have told people we are not the dealer for them. I would rather lose a sale than take on a constant headache that will never be profitable.

[SwampDonkey]

All the walnut I have ever cut was yard trees and they have made me a lot of money. This years best was a 37 inch buttlog for 10ft and the second log hit 33 for 12ft. Never found a single nail and it was literally 14ft from the side of the house in town beside driveway.

Having the proper equipment to fetch logs changes the game entirely. You still get a lot of bad in with the good ones. Yes the good ones fetch good money, but nobody becomes a millionaire fetching yard logs in itself. You're adding a lot of value to the end product and most importantly you have a market that you fully understand.  ;)

[Walnut Beast]

Yard trees.

You won't find nice girls in a place like that.

Go to the forest  

That's a bit too wide of brush to paint with. All the walnut I have ever cut was yard trees and they have made me a lot of money. This years best was a 37 inch buttlog for 10ft and the second log hit 33 for 12ft. Never found a single nail and it was literally 14ft from the side of the house in town beside driveway.
2 years ago I got a 44inch monster with no steel. I do live edge so I could care less about sapwood.


I think the big frustration is people want the walnut so they try to rationalize their prices. Walking away is easy when you don't care.

Edited to add I was off a bit on my walnut size. The big one I got topped out at 53 inches.


 

 

 

 

You must be lucky! Many guys won't do yard trees so many must not be lucky 🤔. What mill are you using to cut the wide slabs ?

[Stephen1]

I will buy yard trees. My last walnut buy was a smallish walnut log, 12' 20" small end and a crotch log 6'.  from a town an hr away. I told the man I would take the logs and give him 2 6' crotch slabs. I sent the tow truck with tilt and load to pick them up. I do not go get them unless there is a loader to put them on my trailer. I only take really good logs, I try to make sure they are  clear on 3 sides. I do not sell a lot of wood yet, compared to some of you. My main business is Custom sawing and drying.  I am slowly adding KD lumber to sales. 
18 months later he called looking for his 2 slabs. I said they are right here waiting for you, bring $150 and they are yours. ;D He actually liked the idea I had kiln dried them and he paid me no problems. 

[shelby78]

All the walnut I have ever cut was yard trees and they have made me a lot of money. This years best was a 37 inch buttlog for 10ft and the second log hit 33 for 12ft. Never found a single nail and it was literally 14ft from the side of the house in town beside driveway.

Having the proper equipment to fetch logs changes the game entirely. You still get a lot of bad in with the good ones. Yes the good ones fetch good money, but nobody becomes a millionaire fetching yard logs in itself. You're adding a lot of value to the end product and most importantly you have a market that you fully understand.  ;)

I would assume if someone wants to play pick up sticks they should bring there big boy toys.
Millionaire? probly not, but this one log bought me my first new Rolex and I kept 2 slabs. Was just a yard tree though..


 

[shelby78]

Yard trees.

You won't find nice girls in a place like that.

Go to the forest  

That's a bit too wide of brush to paint with. All the walnut I have ever cut was yard trees and they have made me a lot of money. This years best was a 37 inch buttlog for 10ft and the second log hit 33 for 12ft. Never found a single nail and it was literally 14ft from the side of the house in town beside driveway.
2 years ago I got a 44inch monster with no steel. I do live edge so I could care less about sapwood.


I think the big frustration is people want the walnut so they try to rationalize their prices. Walking away is easy when you don't care.

Edited to add I was off a bit on my walnut size. The big one I got topped out at 53 inches.


 

 

 

 

You must be lucky! Many guys won't do yard trees so many must not be lucky 🤔. What mill are you using to cut the wide slabs ?

For the most part I am very lucky. I use a Alaskan mill with a 72 inch Cannon bar with a 660 on each end to mill the big stuff. Pic is working on a 4ft ash.


 

[Don P]

There was a little tongue in cheek there, that log I'm standing on in my avatar, we're behind the county couthouse, the "hanging oak" had died. Counting rings and about when the last hangings were. I would have found a bigger tree  :D