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Sawmill prices (red cedar)

Started by paalsbrook, January 28, 2016, 01:10:28 AM

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paalsbrook

I recently hauled a load of red cedar logs to a friend of mine who has a portable saw mill. He recently purchased his mill as a part-time job/hobby and is fairly ignorant to the business ins and outs. Likewise, I have begun building furniture with materials I harvest from our hunting land and I too am unfamiliar with the milling process, pricing, etc. So I took him 5-10' logs (diameters ranging from 12"-15"). He in return produced 22 rough cuts for me (all with their natural edges, bark intact)... 8- 10'x1"thick cuts and 14- 10'x2"thick cuts. I paid $250 for the load. I'm just wondering if that is a fairly decent price for what I got. Is that enough information for someone to give me a fairly accurate opinion? If anyone could provide some feedback I would thoroughly appreciate it! Thanks.

xlogger

If you paid him that for cutting your 5 logs, I'd like to cut for you in the future.
How long did it take? Did he hit metal or have a problem unloading?
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Ocklawahaboy

Prices vary by region but that sounds a bit high for logs you own and hauled to his site.  Prices around here seem to range from 35 to 50 cents per board foot.  A board foot is 144 cubic inches. For live edge, most wouldn't charge all the way to the bark, they would figure the width of the board roughly what they would get if they edged it.  My early morning rough math in my head sounds like you got about 250bf at $1/BF.  Less than you would likely pay for the lumber  (although not in some areas) if it was cut from some else's logs but I think a little high.

warren46

I normally charge by the hour for sawing red cedar because it usually take extra time due to bark inclusions and small diameters.  Most mills here in North Carolina charge between $35 and $50 per hour. at $250 that is about 5 hours of sawing. An hour a log seems like pretty slow going.
Warren E. Johnson
Timber Harvester 36HTE25, John Deere 300b backhoe/loader.

sandsawmill14

i only charge 750 per mbdft when its my logs :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

Magicman

First, Welcome to the Forestry Forum, paalsbrook.  There are variables and unknowns so we are all second guessing, but my take is that you were charged at least double what it should have been.
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Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

homesteader1972

Around here you can buy cedar logs that size for .55bf, and Amish will mill them for .18-.20 a bf.
Woodmizer LT40HD20G

starmac

Maybe I read it wrong, but I understood the 250 was what he paid for the logs.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

Cedarman

Logs should scale well over 325' on cedar scale.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

WV Sawmiller

Paal,

   Suggest add your location and info to your profile to help folks compare regions, costs and prices, etc.

   Sounds a little high but not too bad. Sounds like your friend may be unfamiliar with his costs and market prices and charged by his time. Me may not be interested in sawing for the public as a rule and figures "Rather not do it but if I do will be well compensated for my time and equipment."

   If you had dropped off at my place I'd have billed $.35/bf or $60/hr. Some charge more some less. If you are both happy that is the important thing.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Ocklawahaboy

Cedarman, I was guesstimating BF based on the number of boards produced.  I too thought those logs should have yielded a lot more.

paalsbrook

Thank you all for your responses, I certainly appreciate all of them. I thought that may have been a little much, but that was purely a guess of mine. I cut and hauled the logs from Sardis, AL and had them cut in Marbury (near Prattville, AL). I have a feeling the cutter's thoughts were in line with what WV Sawmiller posted. I'm trying to post a picture of the cuts I received; hopefully that will provide a little better visual of what I was trying to describe. 2" cuts are in the foreground and middle. 1" cuts are on the rear row.


paalsbrook

Well, I tried to add the photo, but it doesn't look like it posted. I created an album, added the picture, but did not see an 'upload' or 'finish' button so I just closed the 'add photos' window. Any help with that?

beenthere

It is in your gallery. Go to it, and click on your pic and it will enlarge. See the instructions right below the pic to copy it and then paste it in your post (do that by clicking the "modify" button on your post). Easy.

Several ways to get to your gallery.
Click your forum name, and you will see "My Gallery".
or
Click the "Click here to add photo.." and the upload window comes up, then click "my gallery" in the menu tab along the top...
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

paalsbrook

^^^ Thanks for the help. Got the picture posted in the above post.

Ocklawahaboy

You forgot the caption "German shepherd for scale" :)

Finn1903

The picture looks like what Ocklawahaboy said.

Quote from: Ocklawahaboy on January 28, 2016, 06:40:42 AM
Prices vary by region but that sounds a bit high for logs you own and hauled to his site.  Prices around here seem to range from 35 to 50 cents per board foot.  A board foot is 144 cubic inches. For live edge, most wouldn't charge all the way to the bark, they would figure the width of the board roughly what they would get if they edged it.  My early morning rough math in my head sounds like you got about 250bf at $1/BF.  Less than you would likely pay for the lumber  (although not in some areas) if it was cut from some else's logs but I think a little high.

Part of learning to be a sawyer is knowing your worth and charging accordingly, undercutting your price is not fair to you, over charging is not fair to your customer.
Sounds like this guy is charging about 4X what is typical for a new (apprentice level) sawyer.  He is even more then what a master craftsman would charge.
I would not ditch the guy, but next time try to work out a price ahead of time inline with what we have shared.  See the "toolbox" link above for helpful calculators to estimate what your logs would yield.
WM LT40HDD47, bunch of saws, tractor, backhoe, and a loving wife.

WDH

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

terrifictimbersllc

Wondering what you agreed on in advance, was it in line with that?  And if you shopped around what did others quote?

If you didn't shop around then you saved some time right there.

Hard to know how much time was spent unloading logs & handling lumber, and quality of the sawing job (uniform thickness and flat lumber).
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