Hard maple log pricing

[qbilder]

Maple is quite bright compared to yellow birch, where the birch has a bit of a pinkish hue. But I was wondering what the finish does to the "white" maple (actually a term here for red maple but not meant as such here), is it water based and UV protected?

It's left pretty raw on the front end to keep it silky smooth. We seal it with sanding sealer and then use a carnauba wax to polish it up to slick. It doesn't get played with very long before it's full of blue billiard chalk, anyway. The handle section of the cue gets finishes that rival that of show quality automobiles. Lots of guys actually use auto clear coat. Most furniture grade finishes aren't durable enough to withstand the normal abuse a pool cue takes while being played with. They always get bumped over or knocked against a table or whatever & if the finish isn't strong, it will chip. 

[Kansas]

I would definitely cut your own. Sounds like you need to for quality control. I can see where qs would help in determining straight grain, plus drying flat. I assume you dry it in board form and then rip the blanks out. It also seems to me that you would be better off in the long run to use at least medium quality veneer logs. At 3000/mbf, even if only half of the log could be used, thats only 1.60 a blank for the lumber. It would save a lot of time on the cutting process. Sounds like you have a good deal going.

[qbilder]

I would definitely cut your own. Sounds like you need to for quality control. I can see where qs would help in determining straight grain, plus drying flat. I assume you dry it in board form and then rip the blanks out. It also seems to me that you would be better off in the long run to use at least medium quality veneer logs. At 3000/mbf, even if only half of the log could be used, thats only 1.60 a blank for the lumber. It would save a lot of time on the cutting process. Sounds like you have a good deal going.

Yeah I dry in lumber form, then rip linear to grain so the grain runs perfect along the line of the blank. What you describe is exactly how I process the wood for my own use, and is the quality of wood I am being requested to supply. I just am not sure where i'll find those trees to cut and if I can find enough. I'm going up north in about 6 weeks & will begin running through all the wooded property owners I know to see if I have a sustainable supply without having to buy logs. Might even put a "WTB medium size maple trees" add in the local papers. I'm hoping the time & work of logging my own doesn't eat up my end nut. Would sure be nice to be able to work like that, though. I love the woods & working out in it. The thought of being able to capitalize on it just tickles me pink. Won't be like work at all, just getting paid to do what I do for fun already.