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cutting a mantle from pine... how much to charge?

Started by ldman, May 03, 2012, 07:49:03 PM

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ldman

Hello all...  I have run my mill very little since I've had it. strictly for personal use.  I have a person that wants me to cut a mantle for them. 6"x14"x84".  The only tree i have that is big enough for that was just cut down the other day. He said being green was ok with him for he was going to stain it...  ok, whatever...    my question is how much should I charge him?   I personally would not use green lumber for the mantle.
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beenthere

Seems a couple hundred for a mantle would be good for you and fair for him.
And that it is sold as is, no guarantees.

note: you said his response to your comment that it would be green, maybe suggests he is thinking color, and not moisture content.
south central Wisconsin
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Chuck White

On that particular job, I'd probably go to an hourly rate.

If you've reviewed many threads here on the forums, you've noticed that the hourly rates vary from $30.00(something) to upwards of $60.00 per hour and some probably more than that.

Then of course, you could possibly trade services, that is, go to the old barter system.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
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bama20a

What kind of wood is it? Depending on the type it is,being green it will most likely crack to some degree,
& at 6" I'd think it would. Any way there is a CL ad here for cedar 4" thick for $250.Don't know if he's selling any ;D
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cypresskayaksllc

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WDH

I would charge about $150 green off the saw as it is pine, and pine is very common.  Walnut would be 2 1/2 times that.
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macpower

I've sawn a couple of mantles, but it has always been customers log. Basically saw out the biggest cant the log will make and send them home with it. All they seemed to care about is "massive" timber and didn't care how gnarly it looked when dry and finished. Both loved how it came out and parted with $50 for the sawing. One was red oak, the other yellow birch.
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Magicman

$150 is fair.  Be sure that he understands that it may twist as it dries.  If he has a lead time of about 6 months, I would favor sawing it about 8" with the plans of sizing it down to 6" then.

Where in Ms. ??
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

WDH

I usually saw mantles 4" thick by 12" wide.  That is a good proportion.  Just adding 2" to the thickness to bring it to 6" exponentially increases the drying difficulty. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

5quarter

I sell walnut mantle stock for around $200. and up. Pine is around 1/2 that. $150. is a fair price.
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Woodey

Cut out the mantle and check the quality of the wood and set your price. I would suggest that he use some type of end sealer to help with end checking.

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Brucer

I never know what people will want for a mantel. 6x8, 4x12, 3x16, you name it. Some want a lot of wane on one corner. Some want Douglas-Fir, some want "white wood", some like blue-stained pine, and I even did one out of WRC (my very first cutting job). Lengths are all over the map.

I always cut them Free Of Heart Centre and I charge $2.00 per BF. No matter how short they want it, I charge them for a minimum length of 8'.

Everybody thinks they are getting a good deal. Funny thing -- I can cut exactly the same size as part of a structural order and people suck in there breathe and say, "oh, way more than I expected." But call it a mantel and like magic it's worth a lot more ???.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
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colinofthewoods

I just sold a live edge red cedar mantel,  5ΒΌ x 10 x 15' . I gave the guy a good deal. It contained 65 bd/ft . So I charged 2 bucks a board foot ( $130 ) and then an additional $170 for the time I spent with the draw knife and chisel.

It was at around 15 percent moisture and I waxed the ends for him.

Magicman

I always like for the customer (and his wife) to be on site when I saw a mantel.  They may say 6" until they actually see 6" and then it becomes 4".   I can always keep trimming it down for them.  I like to saw them 4" and they can be thinned or trued after they dry and still be plenty thick enough.

Our mantel here is 2X8 and I do not think that it is not out of proportion.

I sawed two 14"X16"X12' out of Poplar for a customer.  :o   I have no idea what it looked like.  I also have no idea how or if it dried satisfactorily.  He planned to sit them on post on each side of the fireplace.
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

Cedarman

Quote from: Brucer on May 04, 2012, 12:42:45 AM
But call it a mantel and like magic it's worth a lot more ???.
I think it is important that the mantel be priced well above other orders. People want to think that their mantel is very special and should have a special price.
Some people don't want a dog from the pound, they want a registered pure bred.  Sitting on the front porch, they both will bark at you, eat dog food, and love you to death.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Magicman

Yes, it is a specialty item intended for a special place.
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

ldman

Quote from: Magicman on May 04, 2012, 09:08:01 AM
I always like for the customer (and his wife) to be on site when I saw a mantel.  They may say 6" until they actually see 6" and then it becomes 4".   I can always keep trimming it down for them.  I like to saw them 4" and they can be thinned or trued after they dry and still be plenty thick enough.

Our mantel here is 2X8 and I do not think that it is not out of proportion.

I sawed two 14"X16"X12' out of Poplar for a customer.  :o   I have no idea what it looked like.  I also have no idea how or if it dried satisfactorily.  He planned to sit them on post on each side of the fireplace.


Thank you ALL for your replies..    Magicman, I like your idea of having the customer be there when I cut it.  This is my very 1st job for $$. I cut some red cedar on the halves for a neighbor last year. I haven't used my mill very much the past 2 years due to health issues. I have 12 very large pines to cut off of a pond bank this year.  Going to build a new building this year..  I have run out of shop space, and I need a place to store lumber. I also have an old 66 ford I'm going to restore and need room for it.  40'x 60' shop with an addition for sawmill on one side. I know, I'll run out of room...  doesn't matter how big you build it, you will fill it up.  But that's all the room I have for a shop out back.\


Thanks again you guys.

Work hard, help others, love God and your family

Too Big To Fail

Just a thought here,
is it possible that your client thinks that when you tell him it's "green" that you mean it's the color green?  Just guessing, since his response was that he was "going to stain it anyway."  I agree that a mantle should be a higher priced timber, but maybe you don't want to charge somebody an arm and a leg and then have them upset with you and grumbling to his neighbors about your sawyer skills when their "green" mantle is actually pale brown, and then twist and warps and splits after a year and won't seat properly.  Not everybody understands basic things that other people take for granted.

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