New Timberframer Looking for Estimate on Cut List

[sajjohnson]

(crossposted in milling section)
Howdy,
I'm putting together a small timber frame and am working with my neighbors -- one is an arborist, one has a Wood Miser -- to mill timbers for me. Since we're all new to this, we're interested in advice on price point for the following cut list:

Cut List
No.    Size    Length     (ID)
2     4x6     18'        (I)
2     6x6     18'        (IX)
2     4x6      8'        (II)
9     6x6      8'        (III, IV, V)
4     3x5      4'        (VIII)
8     2x4      3'        (VII)
21     4x6      7'        (X, XI)

42     1x3     10'        (Purlins)

We're using local softwood. Probably all BHC.

Thanks for your rough estimates for this. Related question: have prices for milling timbers changed with the current surge in 2x4s and other framing lumber?

Thanks again!

[Dave Shepard]

Welcome to the Forum. I'll answer here because the other post will get merged or deleted. 

You don't say where you are, so it's hard to know what pricing will be. In Western MA, pine timbers in those dimensions are around $1 per board foot for a well milled timber.

[sajjohnson]

Thanks, Dave.
Is that $1/bf for milling alone or timber plus milling? Essentially I've got one person providing the logs and another with a wood mizer milling them at his place. I've seen milling rates on here (not counting lumber) between $0.35 and $0.55/bf or $75 and $125/hr. The wood itself is free because my arborist neighbor wants to get rid of it. I just have to pay for his time to deliver it to the sawyer.

It is 865 957.5 board feet (thanks WV).

I'm in Wisconsin. The sawyer is a beginner, more or less. It's a shed-type structure we're building as a learning project.

Thanks!

[Jeff]

Please read thr rules on posting. " cross posting" as you call it is not allowed.

[Dave Shepard]

That is for the actual timber, not just sawing.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I'd check your calculations. Attached is the spreadsheet I use when sawing for a customer.  I plugged your number in and you can see the results. You can use the numbers listed to calculate the total bf and change the numbers if either of us have different ones. You can change the $.30 bf sawing rate if you get a different rate in your area. You can change the 6% tax rate to match your area and include transport or other fees as applicable. You can leave the bf rate at 0 and plug in the hourly rate if that is what you are using.

 This spreadsheet is for the sawing only as you said you were getting the logs free from you arborist friend (or at least that is how I am reading it).

EDIT: I see I did not answer your rate change question. I think you will find that is a personal issue with each sawyer. Some have raised prices because of more demand and maybe rising costs or delays in parts availability. Some have not made that decision yet. If you ask me it really doesn't matter what they used to charge - it is what you have to pay now when you need the work done or materials that matters. JMHO.

[sajjohnson]

Thanks, Dave for the clarification and answer.
Thanks WV Sawmiller for the spreadsheet. That's useful and yeah, I had an error creep in. Thanks for checking my work and the handy calculation tool.
And I'm sorry for crossposting, Jeff. Won't happen again. I don't want to abuse the forum, which has so much useful info.

Thanks again to you all.