Posted on Craigslist

[gimpy]

I posted for unwanted downed trees that might be given up instead of sending them to the land fill.

This is my first response: I have some pine and was wondering if you would consider letting me have some of the boards for the trees. My neighbor may also be interested in same type of deal Maybe  60%/40%?

I'm looking for trees to get some experience on my new/used mill. Don't have any idea yet what my costs to operate are. Not counting the $500+ on additions, maintenance and supplies I bought this week.

I'm not interested at this point in taking my mill to a job sight until I can get comfortable with and not look like the complete virgin I am.

Not even sure yet who gets the 60% and who gets the 40%. I'm thinking this isn't what I'm looking for but decided to ask here before responding.

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated? I'm just needing to start making sawdust.

[beenthere]

I'd say stick to your original offer... to take trees (in the form of logs I'd think) instead of being sent to the land fill. See what you get. 
I'd further suggest staying away from splits on lumber sawn out, as that gets complicated all too fast.

You will take the log(s) and no strings attached.. including cleaning up their yard.

At least for starters.

[Nomad]

I'd say stick to your original offer... to take trees (in the form of logs I'd think) instead of being sent to the land fill. See what you get. 
I'd further suggest staying away from splits on lumber sawn out, as that gets complicated all too fast.

You will take the log(s) and no strings attached.. including cleaning up their yard.

At least for starters.

     100%X2  You're saving them money and they want freebies too?

[Banjo picker]

Hello.  If you are considering that swap, you should get the 60%.  I have never sawed on the shares system. I am with Beenthere on that issue, especially with pine.  I have been asked several times and always turned them down.  If I were to do it, they would have to have something that I wanted , in my case it would be really large cedar or walnut, can't think of anything else that I would want.  If you are considering the pine swap I believe I would tell them 75% ---25% my way....Then they would need to be really nice logs.  Banjo

[mesquite buckeye]

Don't forget all the free scrap iron you will get with those yard trees.  :-\

I know. I put some of it there. ;D 8) 8) 8)

[WIwoodworker]

I would stay away from a split. There will be plenty of logs people will just want someone to take away.

[gimpy]

Thanks to all. I decided, with the help from here, I would opt out and wait for free logs.

[Magicman]

Here is the way I handled removing a White Oak tree for a landowner.   LINK
I felled the tree and hauled the logs off.  I bucked the limbs into firewood for him and piled the tops for burning.  Both of us were satisfied.

[hacknchop]

Clicked on the link Magicman provided and that is the way to treat your neighbor and best of all I would think if the neighbor needs anymore trees cut we know who he s gonna call.

[gimpy]

I had another inquiry. She had a downed tree she lost after our recent rain. She wanted to know if I wanted it. She said it was about 18 inch diameter and 20 feet long. I know, I know. But the wife and I went to look.

It was a pine. It was at the base, 12 inches maybe. It was at most, 15'. Was standing dead. Single lady, seasonal worker for Fish and Wildlife. Almost impossible to get to her backyard and it was a steep incline.

So I explained that it wasn't what I was looking for. The look on her face was disappointment. SO I agreed to come back today (5 miles) and cut it up and take it home. I said I'd cut and split it and donate it to someone of little means for firewood. She thought that was great. Hey, I'm retired with time on my hands. My wife and I enjoy helping when we can. My son is our helper. 90 minutes and we were back home. I even took the slash. That goes to my property to bury for compost and/or Hugelkultur beds.

/\/\/\/\

So now I get another inquiry from Craigslist. A guy with a mile long driveway. He needs to fall a bunch of trees to make room. Don't know yet the species or the sizes. But he'd like to know what I give him for them. I am interested. However, while I am able to estimate board feet and understand the ideal sizes I'd like, I might also be interested in his less desirable trees to cut and split to sell for firewood.

How would I price firewood logs? He is falling the trees himself. I'd just pay, load and haul home. Can I estimate the board feet of the logs and roughly convert (estimate) that to cords?

As always, thanks in advance.

[gimpy]

PS: I've been doing a lot of research on the internet. I now have a source to know how the local mills value different species per mbf. So I'd be willing to pay 10% over that price from the public for select logs that I can turn into lumber.

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

PS: I've been doing a lot of research on the internet. I now have a source to know how the local mills value different species per mbf. So I'd be willing to pay 10% over that price from the public for select logs that I can turn into lumber.

I think you'd do well offering LESS than the mills. The mills aren't going to want to deal with the small amounts of logs per transaction that most of your possible suppliers will be offering.

Just me, but I'd offer them 10% LESS than the mills if it's only a few logs.

Herb

[beenthere]

Don't know yet the species or the sizes. But he'd like to know what I give him for them.

For sure, I'd think you would first want to know the species and the sizes. And then if you even want that wood for your firewood.
If so, then whatever you are willing to lay out for that firewood figuring in your labor/time/expenses. Weigh that against having cords of like firewood delivered to your door.
From there you can estimate what you'd "give" for them.. seems to me. ;)

(unless you are going to do as you did for the lady as a nice gesture)

[Southside]

You can print out a chart for BF in a log at various lengths and just keep it with you, I have one for Doyle and one for International that I keep in my processor as there are two different mills I ship to that buy the same wood, some works out better going to one over the other, of course one measures in Doyle and the other in International, so I have to keep both charts handy and do some figuring on certain logs to decide which mill they go to. 

Like the other said I would not offer a premium for logs,  homeowners are not going to be able to market their logs, so either they spend the time to cut it up into firewood, give it away, or pay to dump it. Be sure to figure in waste, metal (yard trees are metal magnets), damaged logs from hard felling, fiber pulls from poor felling, etc and pretty soon you will realize you are really doing them a favor. Most homeowners are not going to take the time to buck a log with 6" of trim, or look at sweep, knots, etc and buck the log to the best grade for you so you can make quality lumber.   

There is a local kid who buys tree service wood, when I say buys, he pays $30 a load for the tree service to deliver them to his yard and he turns it into firewood.  It gives the tree service guys a break as they don't have to pay to dump them and they get some money for fuel. He gets all the wood he needs. 

[LeeB]

How much is he going to pay you to haul off his waste would be my question.

[gimpy]

Okay, I get it.

[Joe Hillmann]

Just last week I had a deal kind of like that where they were clearing a lot for a house.  The logs were free when I was going to cut them.  I had one afternoon to cut about 150 pine trees.  As you can imagine I didn't get much cut.  The next day the contractor came in with equipment and cut all the trees delimbed them down to about 6" in diameter. Bucked them into approximately 10foot lengths and threw the logs and firewood sticks in one pile and the limbs in the other.

Since he had to pay to have them cut he wanted $600 for the pile of logs.  I told him it looked like about 4 cords of wood and the most I would pay is $200.  The next day I heard back from him, he said he would take the $200 (I think he tried to sell them as pulp and they weren't interested or by the time he paid for trucking he was better off selling them to me)

When it was all said and done I got about 6-7 cords of pine with about 1/2 of it being good enough to mill and the rest being firewood.

I figure to cut it my self would have taken me a month of working on weekends so by paying the $200 I got it for less that it would have cost me to cut the trees myself.

[Joe Hillmann]

I look at craigslist every so often and search in the free section for "fire wood", "firewood", "tree" and "trees"  If you live near a large population center there is stuff posted every day,  some of them are good deals and some of them are ones I wouldn't want to touch with a 10 foot pole.

My favorite one showed a picture of a "nice walnut tree"  It was growing between a garage and a fence.  The roots were right up against the garage and it was leaning towards the fence  and it looked like there was a power line running right above the fence.  The deal was the person how got it had to be fully insured, they were to cut the tree,  take all the limbs/brush grind the stump, fill the hole where the stump was and not rut up the yard.  And in exchange for all that work you would get to keep the "valuable" walnut logs.

[sealark37]

When you are cutting on shares, it is common for the owner to pick out the boards he wants, leaving you with the remainder.  Hint: The remainder is seldom the percentage you bargained for.  Stick with hourly or BF charges.  Regards, Clark

[Magicman]

It is common for either the log owner or the sawyer to divide the logs, and then the other chooses which whack he wants.  The sawyer then saws the owner's logs to his specifications.

The sawyer's logs can then be sawed or transported according to the sawyer's wishes.