# lumber sharing



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

i know of a tree removal service who turned me down when i approached him for logs. he said he owned an old broken down mill which he wanted to fix and mill the logs into boards himself. he told me that he owned the saw for several years now but has done nothing with it. i think he would be a good candidate to go back to and see if he would give me the logs to mill down in exchange for some lumber in return. what would be a fair amount of lumber to keep for myself in this type of transaction?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Share cutting is a way to get some "free" inventory built up granted, I have done it/still do it for the right logs, but there are a few pitfalls. Since you are working with a tree service (and he sounds a little "different" from your description) you can expect tramp metal in the logs for one thing. You can't afford for that (ruined bandblades) to come out of your share. So striking a deal up front with no wiggle room may come back to bite you, make that a point in the negotiation.

Here is how I do it, right or wrong. Firstly my share is dependant on species. I will go 50/50 on walnut and cherry. Something like oak _if_ I did share cut it would be more like 2 for me 1 for them, but I won't even usually share cut it. I know you are looking at this from a different standpoint than I am, but here are my reasons/numbers. I have to look at what I could just flat out buy a log for versus my custom milling rates. I charge $0.35 bft to mill others logs (+ I charge for blades ruined by metal). Around here, and where you live too, many species can just be purchased _delivered_ from a logger for that amount. Examples: red oak, poplar, hickory, sycamore, sweetgum, elm, silver maple, ash....and more are all $0.25 or less for delivered grade logs. Illinois timber prices.  There are 2 prices on that link, stumpage (price paid on the stump by loggers getting to pick and chose) and FOB, that is delivered to the mill. If you scroll down a little ways one guy is reporting FOB.

Not that I am trying to poo-poo your idea. Since you are just starting out and looking for sources of logs maybe for awhile this could work for you. I just would not get stuck in the rut for too long. Get a little lumber to use/sell by share cutting if you want. I bet you will figure out saw logs are not that hard to find once you get rolling, and I mean FREE ones. Like I said I still do share cut for the right logs or the right customer, I use my own discretion.

To boil down your question as much as I can. Never take less than 1/2 the lumber. You are investing labor, gas, wear and tear on your mill...it's worth at least that much. If the other party is not interested no biggy, you may not have the logs you thought you wanted, but you are not out anything either.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

greg4269ub said:


> . . . i think he would be a good candidate to go back to and see if he would give me the logs to mill down in exchange for some lumber in return. . . .



Most likely he'll let them rot first. He has it stuck in his head he's going to go out one day and whip that mill into shape. You almost certainly aren't going to change his thinking. It's possible, but highly unlikely IMHO.

I'd look for another source for free logs; and from someone you don't have to share cut with. That sucks. Go looking for trees with thte attitude that there a lot of people out there that are just wanting to get rid of some perfectly good trees, but they don't want to have to pay someone to cut them down.


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