big pile of logs

[sawwood]

Monday the tree service guy pulled my trailer full with bark
pices from the logs i had cut to where he dumps all his logs
and brush. I whent with him and i looked at the bigest pile
i have seen in a while. I asked if any one cuts any of it for
lumber or fire wood and he said no.

I have been thinking about it and would it be worth the trouble
to work a deal with the land owner to go in and cut the good
logs in to lumber? There is walnut, oaks, soft maples and
many outhers. I would have to buy a mill and a truck but it
my pay for its self. What would be a good price to pay for
the logs? There is room for a mill but the hardest part will
be gitting the logs out of the pile. I am going back next week
to take some photos to post later.

Would it be best to find out if there is a market for the wood
and figure from there if its worth it ? Would like to know what
you full time sawers think.

 Sawwood :-/

[Frank_Pender]

To me the initial thought would be to market the logs.  then take some time and do some research on the number of mills in the area, demand for green lumber in your area, talk to others that might be several miles away and doing what you want to do.  I took three years reseaching before I purchased my first Mobile Dimension sawmill.  Dit the time researching pay back, you bet.  That was 12 years ago and three mills later.  Things are slow out here in Oregon right now.  I have trouble giving a Douglas Fir 2 x 4 away.  We have the highest unemployment in the country and the most children going hungry every day.   Do your research.  A  new mill may run all the way from 3 or 4 grand (very manual) up to 45 or 50.  Then you have to get a vehicle to move the mill from site to site, if that is what you plan to do. :-/   Otherwise, you may have to purchase a peice of machinery to simply handle the logs when they are brought to your site for sawing.  Perhaps the same unit could be used for moving the lumber. once it is sawn.  Are you planning on kil drying your lumber?  If so, there is another outlay of cash or part of a growing line of credit with your local lending agency.

[Sawyerfortyish]

The down side of tree service logs is that most at least in my area have steel or something wrong with them. For me that means down time and I can't get anything done. I know it looks like a waste but anything that is worth something the tree service guys sell and dump the rest.
 As for getting a mill there are many to choose from and once you choose then the fun begins

[Frank_Pender]

Loren you are correct on the metal part, for sure.  I solved that by getting a high quality metal detector.   I jsut pucket up five very nice 30' Pin Oak logs from a tree service job in Salem a week ago. for just the hauling away.  Some of the smaller limbs I alo removed and will get some lumber from them as well as about a 1/2 cord of wood.  It cost me $180 to have a self loader come in and haul the logs.  He had to drive over 55 miles just to get to the site, that day for me special, so I feel I got a good deal.  

[sawwood]

Thanks guys that is what i will do first. See if there is a market for green lumber as i don't have a kiln. The logs
are just 5 miles from the house and there is lot of room
where the logs are. The guy that ownes the place has 20
acers and i could leave the mill there. The biggest thing
will be gitting the logs, good ones out of the pile and checking
them over. How much do you think one should pay for them?

Most tree service git about $100.00 a ton for logs here in
kc. I think may be the guy would let some one cut for some
fire wood on a 50/50 split. Thanks for any help you can throw
my way.

Sawwood

[Tom]

The landowner is probably being paid 30 to 50 dollars a truckload by the tree services for a dump fee.  If he hasn't started his own business to use the logs yet then he doesn't know what to do or doesn't want to mess with it.  Eventually his 20 acres will be covered up.

If you cut on shares, include that he must be part of the salvage.  Perhaps he can pull logs with his equipment or provide labor to help with the operation.  You're going to need help with the saw and somebody is going to have to market the product.

If you are going to get into firewood production, then that will take care of most of the slabs.  Bar-b-cue resturants buy that stuff too and can be steady customers.  You must be able to identify the wood you sell.  They can't use softwoods or overly aromatic woods to cook with.

You might even confront this fellow with the idea of Trying to help him get rid of some of the logs on his place so he can receive more from the tree services.  You might even be able to do it without charging him.