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mine timbers

Started by spencerhenry, March 22, 2009, 11:02:15 AM

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spencerhenry

just wondering if anybody out there mills timbers for the mines. around here i know of one guy that does. i really havnt looked into it before, i was making more money doing other things. now i am really slow i thought i would look into it. i think they use 7"x7"x4'. i have unlimited aspen logs, and i know they buy aspen. what prices are there out there in the world?

Ron Wenrich

Around our area, they use mine props that are generally glorified pulpwood.  But, they have to be oak, and of a certain size, and straight.  They usually buy by the ton.

I wouldn't expect them to pay much more than pallet blocking, especially in today's market.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Frickman

I sawed different types of mine lumber for years and years. Grandpa sawed for years and years before that. Our area mines are coal mines, and they buy all sorts of lumber. We've cut the round posts that Ron referred to, square posts, cribbing blocks, headers, caps, planks, you name it. The size of wood you specify Spencerhenry we call cribbing. It's usually 5" x 6" x 30", although we have made other sizes. You would have to check with the mine if they would take aspen. Our local mines will take any hardwood species other than basswood, although they frown on aspen too. Some certain pieces must be oak though. No pine or other softwood is allowed.

Ron said that mine props are ususally bought by the ton. In our area they are bought by the piece. I have cut them in lengths from four feet to sixteen feet. The fours, fives, and sixes are a good product to sell. I've cut alot of them out of tops and cull trees.

I've kind of gotten away from the mine lumber business, as many of the mines in our area are slow to pay.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

spencerhenry

i called one of the mines, they buy lots of timbers, and cribbing. tells me they buy 3000 6x6x36 every 3 months, thats a fair amount of wood. i have to send them my business information, they review then send it to company HQ, then when they need more, the put it out to bid. has to be stacked, banded and palletized.
finally he tells me they buy anything BUT aspen. spruce, pine, fir, etc... makes no sense to me as spruce rots faster than aspen, and alot of time "spruce" ends up being alpine fir which rots really fast. he wouldnt even give me a ballpark figure of what they pay, has to be bid he says.
i have unlimited aspen logs, so that would make it favorable for being competitive, having to buy logs probably makes it not worth my time.

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