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How's your bucking?

Started by Ron Wenrich, April 27, 2007, 03:15:51 PM

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Ron Wenrich

Ever wonder how good your bucking techniques stack up?  Here's a nifty download from Michigan Tech.  Its called HW Buck for Windows.  Its been in development for years, and finally, here it is.

http://forest.mtu.edu/research/hwbuck/downloads.htm

Let's hear how you do.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Warren

I suck !   Good thing I am trying to make a living sawing, not logging...

However, it seems to be a fairly easy to use tool to teach the basics of bucking for profit...   No problems down loading, geting it to run, or quickly learning how to use it...

Warren

LT40SHD42, Case 1845C,  Baker Edger ...  And still not near enough time in the day ...

jon12345

wow I suck at it too :).  It is kind of hard to see sweep on there, and some huge knots can be in and others make the log a cull?   Still a fun thing to fool around with.  The closest I've come to the optimum so far was about 17$, usually I'm about 100$ short  :D 
A.A.S. in Forest Technology.....Ironworker

Dan_Shade

this is neat.  i'm really bad at it too!

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Beweller

All I can get is anunusable mess.
Beweller

BBTom

last grading book I read let me have knots or stain in the last 12" of the board, this doesn't seem to allow that.  I get alot of grade out of logs they call cull.  But then I am just a farmboy sawyer, I don't have a bunches of college education.  Maybe I don't understand their program.
2001 LT40HDD42RA with lubemizer, debarker, laser, accuset. Retired, but building a new shop and home in Missouri.

Ron Wenrich

Log grading and board grading aren't necessarily the same thing.  Log bucking determines the value of the tree.  Get it wrong and the value goes down, along with your profits.  If your profits go down, you can't pay the landowner as much, so they end up hurting as well.

This program isn't really designed to be a test.  Its designed to help improve bucking skills. 

   
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Black_Bear

BBTom,

End use markets and mill products determine what the mill considers a defect. Your end use markets may allow for certain defects while other markets (furniture, high end HW lumber) may deduct for the same defect.

If anyone is uncertain about their bucking efficiency they should get the mills wood-buyer out to their landing and have him/her scale and grade the wood on site (as is done with many veneer plants) and comment as to why they would buck a tree a certain way.

I've never bucked for Doyle or Scribner rule, just Int. 1/4" and local rules designed to fit the wood we have in the region. There are significant differences between Doyle, Scribner, and Int. 1/4" tallys in smaller diameter trees (<24" small end diam.).

Cool software. It's one of those programs where you think: why didn't I think of that??

Ed

jokers

It`s interesting but it doesn`t seem to allow for "trim" which all buyers insist upon or they will just scale down the footage in your logs to get the trim. I only did one log, maple/doyle, and it took me a minute to figure out why they could get two veneer logs, an 8 and a 10 out of the first ~18' while I only got a 10' veneer log and an 8' sawlog?

I can see the value in the basic premise of the software but I wouldn`t gauge my abilities entirely upon it`s feedback.  ;)

Black_Bear

No, I wouldn't gauge my ability based on the software either. It is a neat simulator though.

You have to cut the log 8'8", 9'8", etc, etc. in order to get an 8' or 9' log. I just tried cutting all my logs 8'4" and the tally was 0. The tally may list a 12' log, but it is truly 12'8".

Rick Alger

Interesting program.
I haven't hit the jackpot yet, but I missed one by $3.00.
Thanks for posting.

Warren

Never really thought deeply about it.  But, the program seems to put an emphasis on trying to get a veneer log out of the butt section of the tree, even if only 8 ft.   If this is real world, this explains why I am having such a hard time trying to get 21 ft saw logs from the local loggers for wagon rails...  The first 8, 10, 12 feet are always getting cut off in an effort to make veneer.  Typically not enough stem left (around here) to have 21 ft remaining.

Hmmm.....

LT40SHD42, Case 1845C,  Baker Edger ...  And still not near enough time in the day ...

Ron Wenrich

I've read somewhere that your best log will give you 2/3 of the value of the tree.  The 2 best logs will give you about 90% of the value. 

The guys I mill for have been cutting veneer for years.  I haven't seen a good butt log for a very long time, unless its an off species or there is heavy defect or metal.  Their theory has been that the veneer should pay for the stumpage and the logging expenses.  So, all the logs in the mill yard are basically "free".  They pay top dollar on the stumpage, as most of it is bid timber. 

We do get 23' long logs that are second cuts.  These are cut for long switch ties.  We end up with about a trailer load every other month, depending on what species is coming in.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Warren

Around our area, North Central KY, not many oak stems will yield a 21 foot log. Even fewer that will yield a 25 foot log.  When you get further south and east in KY, toward Bill Conley and Big Sid, the trees get taller, but it would still be hard many times to get a 21 or 25 foot second log.

Warren
LT40SHD42, Case 1845C,  Baker Edger ...  And still not near enough time in the day ...

Beweller

Is anyone running this on Windows 2000?  I have been unable to download a working program.
Beweller

OneWithWood

I could not get it to install.  I am running Windows XP.  >:(
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Tom

It took me twice and longer to find what to run and how to get it started.  I think I have it going now but it keeps wanting to cut veneer logs and I don't.  :D

Corley5

I'd better change lines of work according to my scores  :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Jeff

Yep, I broke this virtual logging company with the first 8 logs! I figured I better quit cutting them up and save them for someone with a clue
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jeff

UPDATE!

I still suck. :-\  :D
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jeff

OK, Explain this one to me.  >:(


I left 2 foot on the second log. They call it a 10 foot cull. Theirs is 8 foot, they call it a number2 saw log. I lose $46.75 for giving the mill 2 more foot of log ?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Reddog

Jeff,
I have been playing with it some. And noticed the same thing a few times. Got me confused to.

Corley5

I think they suck  ;)  There's no such thing as cull hardwood where there's a firewood market  ;) :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

BBTom

I know that I could saw a bunch of #1 lumber out of most of their cull logs.
2001 LT40HDD42RA with lubemizer, debarker, laser, accuset. Retired, but building a new shop and home in Missouri.

Engineer

It's tough to figure that out on a computer screen.  I got similar results to Jeff on some of them.  They call theirs a #2 sawlog, and I get a cull.

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