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Wood priceing?

Started by MWS, February 25, 2011, 07:24:06 PM

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MWS


    I am very new to all of this, and find myself very lost..  Being on the other end (the consumer) and getting my lumber at the store, I am now at a loss to know what to charge for cutting someone some wood. Where would i look for that kind of pricing for the Finger Lakes Region of N.Y.  I am using a manual wood mizer  LT15.  I know that it not a production model  and as of now I charge .21 cents a ft.  I also have no idea a log go's for.
    Any suggestion where to start looking? 

junkorgem

Sounds real,.... inexpensive to me. I gotta price for sawing butternut for .26 per board foot. I would think it would depend on the difficulty of the job. I've never sawed though.

sdunston

welcome to the FF MWS. I am a little east of you but the amish are selling hemlock for 50 cents a BF so that kinda sets the price around here. Log prices vary, the last I checked hemlock was around 200 bucks a MBF. I think the going rate around here for sawing others logs is 25-30cents a BF. Check the fourm extras, there is a lot of good info there on calculating BF

Sam
WM LT28, American fordge 18x8 planer,Orange and white chainsaws, NH TC33, IHT6 dozer, IH-H tractor and alot of other stuff that keeps me agravated trying to keep running

Magicman

I'm not in your market area, but I can say Welcome MWS, to the Forestry Forum.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

tyb525

Charge what you need to make the amount of money you want...

I personally charge $.35 per board foot, but I've seen prices from $.15 to $.50. Kind of like the saying, you get what you pay for, don't worry too much about your price, if you do a good job you'll get customers.

As far as log prices, here is a place to start:

http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/econ/data/prices/
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

woodmills1

I am in NH

but can give you east coast lumber trend prices and NH log prices

PM me for details
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

jdtuttle

Welcome to the forum. I live in the Finger Lakes Region & have an LT40 HD. I charge .30 BF. Minimum 1000 BF. I also charge by the hour for small or unusual logs at $50.00 per hr. If I hit junk in a log I charge $10.00 for dulling a band & $25.00 if I ruin one.
jim
Have a great day

Brad_S.

Don't try to price match the Amish and Mennonites, you will loose money. When I got out of the business 3 years ago, 30ยข a board foot was the going rate. I didn't like charging a bdft price because it gave the log owner no incentive to have decent logs or help out with the sawmilling. I charged $60 an hour but had an all hydraulic machine so a manual mill should be charged out at less since your production will be less.
Call around to other millers and see what they are charging. Charge the going rate, (except the A & M rates, they work far too cheap but their quality shows it) don't undercut the others. Everyone looses when you do that.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

Chuck White

Welcome to the Forestry Forum MWS!  Good to have another NY'r here.

Prices are way lower here than in your area, so I can't really help you much.

You might try contacting "Petefrombearswamp"!
He's here on the forum and he lives in Homer, NY, in the Finger Lakes Region.
So, he's not far from you.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Chuck White

Quote from: sdunston on February 25, 2011, 07:39:32 PM
welcome to the FF MWS. I am a little east of you but the amish are selling hemlock for 50 cents a BF so that kinda sets the price around here. Log prices vary, the last I checked hemlock was around 200 bucks a MBF. I think the going rate around here for sawing others logs is 25-30cents a BF. Check the fourm extras, there is a lot of good info there on calculating BF
Sam



Happy Birthday SAM!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Magicman

Looks like Sam baked a cake for us and everything.  Or maybe Jeff baked it for him.   ;D
Happy Birthday Sam. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

terrifictimbersllc

Welcome to FF.  Good advice given already on your question.  You have to start somewhere.  And even after a few years you'll probably be wondering how to fine tune your pricing to make it work better for all the situations you encounter.  Always think hard about what you're providing the customer.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Magicman

Always be very aware of the retail lumber market.  It helps to go by your local lumber yard and get an updated "estimate" of framing lumber.  I do.  No matter what your quality level is, you don't want to price yourself out of business.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

sdunston

Thanks Guys for the happy birthday. Well somebody baked me a cake and covered it with a foot of white frosting :D, Just got in from plowing snow.
Thanks again Sam
WM LT28, American fordge 18x8 planer,Orange and white chainsaws, NH TC33, IHT6 dozer, IH-H tractor and alot of other stuff that keeps me agravated trying to keep running

Woodbuzzer

Welcome to the forum MWS.You are charging .21 a bd ft right? Buzz
Frick saw mills,NHTC29Dtractors,Jonsered chain saws,Northern Hyd. woodsplitters,Central Outdoor woodboilers,and Arctic Cats too!

Woodbuzzer

Happy Birthday,Sam 8)What time does the party start? :D  Buzz
Frick saw mills,NHTC29Dtractors,Jonsered chain saws,Northern Hyd. woodsplitters,Central Outdoor woodboilers,and Arctic Cats too!

SwampDonkey

Quote from: Brad_S. on February 26, 2011, 07:46:12 AM
Don't try to price match the Amish and Mennonites, you will loose money.

They are losing to and I see there operations every day, small volumes, never a days work and will sit on wood both logs and lumber/cants for several months before it moves. Anyone on here that has done this for awhile would never come up with the math to sustain it. Yet someone driving buy will see someone working. Come back in an hour or two and I can almost bet the place is vacant. There sure are a lot of the public that can be easily fooled by brief glimpses of their "work".  :D I won't get into any further details because people with their own mindset will think I'm crazy. There is a lot of under ground economy, let's just put it that way. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

sdunston

Quote from: Woodbuzzer on February 26, 2011, 01:51:31 PM
Happy Birthday,Sam 8)What time does the party start? :D  Buzz

9pm at the tumbleweed,rt162 and corbin hill rd montgomery county ny. Buzz its just a little east of you :D :D  8)I just hope they dont run out of bourdon 8)

Sam
WM LT28, American fordge 18x8 planer,Orange and white chainsaws, NH TC33, IHT6 dozer, IH-H tractor and alot of other stuff that keeps me agravated trying to keep running

Woodbuzzer

Sam I hope you had a great time at your party,and you didnt over indulge in the JD :D :D Buzz
Frick saw mills,NHTC29Dtractors,Jonsered chain saws,Northern Hyd. woodsplitters,Central Outdoor woodboilers,and Arctic Cats too!

sdunston

Quote from: Woodbuzzer on February 27, 2011, 08:10:46 AM
Sam I hope you had a great time at your party,and you didnt over indulge in the JD :D :D Buzz

We ran them out of knob creek 8) :-[
Sam
WM LT28, American fordge 18x8 planer,Orange and white chainsaws, NH TC33, IHT6 dozer, IH-H tractor and alot of other stuff that keeps me agravated trying to keep running

MWS

    Well thank everyone for the greetings.. and I thank all for the great info.  As i am doing more and more I will just have to adjust as to the jobs as they come along.. as was my last job was 16'x28" oak log  being cut into 2" full slabs. I only charged .21 bdft.  Very heavy board by your self. Swore I wouldn't do that again, just not enough.  a learn as you go thing, A ?

MWS


    Well, thank you for all of your answers,  the information is very helpful and it will make ant adjustments much easier in the future.  Thanks for the warm welcome..

tyb525

I charge by the hour on the really difficult jobs.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

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