where do you get your logs?

[jueston]

You will have to excuse my ignorance, but I am trying to learn as much as I can from this forum before I take the plunge and buy my mill, and I searched this but have not been able to find it discussed before.

I was wondering where you all get your logs? I know those of you with larger operations have long term contracts, but I was wondering how you with smaller operations get a load or 2 delivered on a not so steady basis? Do you go through brokers, do you go directly to home owners, or do you just have to know the loggers?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[islandlogger]

First off dont refer to it as ignorance, it is all part of the learning curve and this here forum as I have found out over the years has more knowledge packed into it then any other place I have seen and alot of very friendly helpful folks!
I don't know much bout the timber industry in your neck of the woods. Are there plentiful land owners around that have timber land and might be willing to sell stumpage?
Round here I just hit up the folks with DFL (designated forest land) and offer them a fair price on timber stumpage and away I go, or alot of my milling is done by contract: in other words getting called in by the land owner to saw their logs...
Your best bet is to hook up with some loggers, if their getting the same price for a truck load of sticks from you as they are from the mill and if you arn't to far out of the way they might be perfectly happy to dump a load of wood for you....

Luck

islandlogger

[Banjo picker]

jueston if you are going to buy from a logger:  You will have to pay as much or a little more than the big boys or they probably won't bother with you... also you have to be able to unload a truck load of logs fast as well...In some areas there are log trucks with knucklebooms on them...not so much here in Ms....don't know about mn.    Tim

[mikeb1079]

it may take a while, but once word gets out that you have a sawmill trust me you will not need to look for logs.  i used to look for logs, now they come to me.  people literally stop me in the street when i'm workin on the mill to ask if i'll mill for them.  at first though, simply keep your eyes open.  craigslist, tree services, friends at work, landowners who need help with labor are all sources of free or cheap logs, and nearly everyone you meet will then tell someone "hey i know a guy with a mill over by so and so...."

be patient and you will soon be busy.  oh also, buy a mill with hydraulics.  i daydream about hydraulic log handling.   :D

[jueston]

be patient and you will soon be busy.  oh also, buy a mill with hydraulics.  i daydream about hydraulic log handling.   :D

oh yea, i know most people that buy a mill start with a smaller mill to get a feel for it and then upgrade, i plan on starting out with at least the basic hydrolics, i'm young now, but my back already punishes me after a long day, so i don't need to abuse my body anymore then i have to.

thanks for all the advice so far. 

[thecfarm]

Watch out for yard trees,those are known to have metal in them,need a metal detector maybe. Kinda hard to put a dollar amount on logs,because they have to be scaled by grade,but some areas do it by weight. I'm very lucky to have land to cut what I need.

[zopi]

If you buy it they will come...I have yet to pay for a log...I will go out of my way to fetch a good o.e though...yeah once word gets out...you will have sawing aplenty...for what it is worth, I have sawed alod of yard trees, and have seldom hit metal...maybe it is just me.
One big advantage to the mobile mill is not hauling logs so much..you scav up a storm downed tree amd go to the tree in alot of cases...which often generates curiosity, which leads to sawing forr people, and very often free logs from folks who want them gone....

[kelLOGg]

Sometimes I buy them from a nearby log yard for personal projects, somtimes people bring them to me to saw for them, sometimes people give them to me and I pick them up and sometimes i take the sawmill to the logs to saw for the customer.
Bob

[jander3]

The MN DNR guys are pretty helpful.   I've run an ad or two in the following paper which got me connected with loggers that had cabin logs on hand.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/forestry/marketplace/2011/marketplace_fall11.pdf


Here is a listing of MN mill operators, might get some info on logs from another mill operator.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/um/twincities_sawmill_drykiln_listing.pdf

When I need logs, I tend to stop and talk with folks that are logging and see if we can work something out.  I look for smaller operations as you can't really get the guys hauling to the mills to slow down for only a load or two.

[Ironwood]

I generally "buy" my logs. I do have folks (some local tree guys) drop them off for free sometimes but generally I buy them. I dont want junk and many times for me anyhow, people want you to take the good and bad. If I have to "go get them" I dont want to waste my time running for junk. I would rather have them "pre qualified" as something I can use/ would want, and hence "pay" my guys for that service. They need to be "thinking" a little and generally their "thinking" costs me money.  :D

Ironwood