What length to (re)buck 20 footers for milling?

[Shamus]

I just got me a whack o' logs (I do believe this'll qualify) from a customer from a land clearing project. In the last two weeks I've had 20 dump truck loads of logs show up from his property, roughly 200 cubic metres. About 1/3 of it will be firewood (about 30 cords)





and the rest I will be milling on a 50/50 shares type of deal. Its roughly 1/3 western redcedar, 1/3 Douglas-fir, and 1/3 western hemlock. Should keep me busy for a little while. Almost all the logs are 20 footers.





Now, my mill can cut up to 20 foot lengths, but I don't usually cut 20s unless its for a custom order, too much trouble moving around, etc. So I am wondering what lengths I should buck them to, as most of it I will be breaking down into dimensional lumber. Are 10 footers basically a waste of two feet of lumber? Should I go with 8's and 12's? Should I just buck 4 feet off the 20's and mill 16's? The fellow that brought me the wood has no need for his share of the wood, so I can pretty much mill it up as I see fit.

I'm leaning towards bucking the smaller logs to 16 feet, and turning the trim ends into firewood (for the fir and hemlock), and bucking the nicer logs to 8' and 12' lengths. Would the cedar be okay in 10' lengths?

What do you all suggest?

[beenthere]

Shamus
What are your markets like?   Seems knowing your market is what is needed to answer your question on length of bucking cut.  Grade of the log, and the straightness of the log also important. If no market for 8' or 10', then longer would be the choice. Hopefully you know the market there.

Nice pile whack 'o logs.

[Shamus]

Thanks beenthere.

Well the logs are pretty low grade in general, averaging from 16" to 24" in diameter, but I'll pull all clears and vertical grain stuff aside for sure. My main market is with local contractors and home owners, so I'm milling structural lumber for sheds, fencing, etc. There is a market for hemlock railway ties, but they only pay $425 per thousand board feet, I can do better selling it locally to home owners (although slowly).

[Tom]

It's hard to go wrong with 16 foot stuff.  1 x whatever, 2 x 4's and 2 x 6's.   

Bigger stuff is premium.  If you start cutting 2 x 10 or 2 x 12  I'd keep them as long as I could.

When you start building, it's a lot easier to cut some off than it is to cut some on.

If handling is a problem then I would stick with as much 16' as I could.  It will make your drying stacks all be even and you won't have to intermingle lengths.

We've talked about this blind inventory stuff before and there is really no good answer for the dimensions.  You either have to have an idea what you are going to use it for, or know your market.  By cutting 16' lengths you will still have waste in the log and perhaps some waste in the lumber later too. I would vie for living with the "moving around" difficulty just to maximize the use of the log.

Being able to build your drying stack with the same size lumber is a serious consideration.

[mike_van]

Always a tough call - It seems if you make 12 & 8 footers, they'll ask for 10's. :D  At least you have 20's, lots of choices there. The most useless length I think I've seen is 14'.   Unless someone askes for it, I don't make them. Every load of logs I get, I try to save a few long ones for awhile.  I agree on the 20' length, I wouldn't saw any lumber that long without an order for it.

[bull]

How much trim is left on the 20 footers..... If I sell 8',10"or 12" rough sawn it has at least 3" of trim,if not some one will be sqawkin!!!!! 14,16,18,20 footers better have 4" trim...... These carpenters and framers all want to square their own ends.......

[Shamus]

Thanks guys,

16 footers are my preference for milling, as you get a good rate of board feet per hour, and they seem to be in pretty good demand. I always leave 4" for trim on my boards, so I'll have to check the logs as I go before I start hacking 'em down into shorter pieces (thanks bull).

I get the feeling I should stay away from bucking down to 10 footers, and stick to 8', 12', and 16' lengths. I'd keep a few of the 20 footers around in case of special orders for that length, but since this is a 'milling on shares' type of situation I'll have to mill it all up. Plus I have access to logs on my smallish woodlot if anyone were to want 20's.

I wonder if anyone has an opinion on the cedar though. If it will mostly be used for decking and siding, would 10' lengths be okay, or should I try to stay with the 8' and 12' lengths? I'll try to ask around a bit today locally, and see what people think...

[Tom]

I've never been one to tell someone to throw away pieces of a lot if they can utilize it.  If 8' and 12' can be used in decking, and I know it can, I'd make my judgement based on utilizing the log.

[Dale Hatfield]

Tom is spot on. Buck the log to the best grade. so you get the most clear cuttings and dont worry about length. 20 foot is a tuff one to cut stringers . should have been a bit longer to allow you more choice as to what you could cut.
Dale