how much to charge

[two saw]

Hello everyone, I have been away for quite a while. Not doing much milling  lately. I have a friend and his uncle is going to purchase a bunch of barn timbers and wants to know if I would be interested in sawing them into lumber for him. Beams are around 10" X 10" and most are 16' plus in length. They are either pine or hemlock he stated. What would be reasonable for me to charge him to take my mill to his place and saw up about 25 of these beams into 5/4 lumber. He is about 30 miles away.
Oh and I was wondering if anyone was cutting truck/trailer decking out of hardwood for customers. I have been contacted by a couple different heavy steel fabrication companys that asked if I could saw some for them. Do any of you install the decking yourself? I was thinking if I could saw the decking and do the install I could turn a good little profit from it.
Any advice?

[DanG]

I would charge my normal custom sawing rate for the 10x10s.  I usually do give friends a little break, though. ;)

The trailer decking sounds like good work to have, if you have the logs for it.  It usually needs to be pretty clear of knots, so don't be bashful about charging for it.  As far as installing it, why not?  If you have the time, tools and inclination, it might be a good selling point.  Sort of a "one stop shopping" thing that might be attractive to such a company.  If you could do it on a weekend while the truck/trailer isn't being used anyway, so much the better.

[DomR]

Sounds like the trailer decking is a great value added service if you have the tools and time.  They wouldn't be tying up man or equip and you could make a little extra. The Barn beams may pose a problem with nails. As an x farmer I know I put a lot of nails of varing sizes in places you wouldn't expect them but I needed them.  Just something to think about .
Dom

[Ron Wenrich]

I had a friend that used to do barn timbers.  The stuff was used for flooring.  He charged by the hour and blade.  The beams were scanned for trash metal by the supplier and he still hit stuff that was either missed or wasn't removed entirely.

I looked into trailer decking.  It was primarily 2 Com oak cut 5/4.  The price wasn't good enough to give any better grade than that. 

[Brad_S.]

I agree on charging by the hour for the barn beams. Also charge a mileage fee (I charge a buck a mile for the trip there only, I get home on my own) and a blade fee for nails which, as stated, you are bound to strike.

I cut trailer decking from white oak and charge $1 per board foot for it. I'd be hesitant to install it for fear of liability issues should something happen down the road.

[woodmills1]

I cut red oak trailer decking to the customers specs, if it is 1.5-2 inch I charge for 2 inch material at around $1.75 per bd ft.  I have done a few installations, look close at the method of fastening, you can get bogged down getting out old hardware or drilling new holes.

[pineywoods]

I've done enough trailer floors learn a few things the hard way. I use post oak and white oak. The hard part is getting 2 inch thick boards dry enough before installing them. example--the last one I did was 2X12 post oak cut from a tree that had been dead for months. It sawed good, made a nice floor.  guy came back a month later to show me the 1 inch cracks between the boards. In this part of the south, there is a small but steady market for replacement flooring. I think there are more tandem axle 16 ft trailers than there are trucks to pull them. They come from the factory with treated pine 2X6 flooring. good for about 2 years when left out in the weather.
If you have the logs and the time, go for it.

[two saw]

Thanks for all the replies and I have thought about the liability issues that may befall me if something would happen. I think the odds of a board failing are pretty slim but it would only take one time. The fellow sent me a couple pictures of the beams and I am not sure they are not rotten. If I remember how I will post the pics and you all can tell me what you think. I see in the pics that there are a couple of the big beams that seem to be broken. I am thinking if a 10" X 10" beam broke in half it would almost certainly be rotten. Seller is asking $3.00 a piece for them and this also makes me think they are not quite worth the trouble.

[two saw]

Little bit bigger picture I hope.

[Tom]

It is a little bigger but the first one was very descriptive.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

I pulled out some Post Oak which had been drying for 18 months.
The customer wants to repair a part of his low boy trailer.
What I pulled was 2by8s and 2by10s absolutely clear quarter sawn.
I couldn't bear to part with this stuff at less that $2 per bd. ft.
It is premium grade.  The tree it came from was 44" under the bark!

Phil L.