# What do you pay for logs?



## amalina (Apr 1, 2013)

Just recently have I started to buy a few logs. Here is what I am paying:

Ash: $00.12 per board foot
Walnut: $00.26 Per board foot
White Oak: $00.13 per board foot

I am getting 14 logs at an average cost of $57.14 per log

Will have to calculate maple and sycamore. I forgot to measure the logs. Will post these later.

So, is this a good price. The logs are mainly the butt logs. A few are straight, with no crotch and the smallest is the walnut at 16" smallest end to 24" widest end and 16 feet in length.

Cost of sawyer is $700 per day so that will be for 2 days $1400, with him cutting 19 big logs. Probably will have about 5000 board feet when done. 

Thanks for your input!


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

Sorry, I can't help you, but I'm curious.

How much for drying?


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## Tom the Sawyer (Sep 4, 2012)

amalina,

I'm not in your area and I don't buy that many logs but those seem like pretty low prices. I usually pay .50 for walnut, .35-.40 for oaks, and .25-.30 for ash, maple, sycamore... if I need to buy them at all. The milling fee works out to .28 per board foot which is pretty cheap too.


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## amalina (Apr 1, 2013)

*Log prices*

WillemJM thanks for the question. Makes me further calculate. I built a kiln. Look up Daren on this forum (you can buy plans from him). I didn't keep real good records for the amount I spent for the kiln. My estimate is $1400, so once I am done (with the lumber just listed) I will have a cost about .21 per board foot. The kiln is 12x8x8. I can dry about 2000 board feet. I did not calculate electricity or my time. 

Tom the Sawyer thanks for the information. I am trying to find the happy price where I am happy and my log guy is happy. Just not sure where that is, since I am so new at this. Nice setup you have. I figure I can have 283 logs cut before I buy a timberking (at least the one I want).

Thanks!:thumbsup:


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

i dont pay a dime. i look on craigslist and get what ppl dont want. had a guy just call about sawmilling and he just gave me a bunch of pine 17 inches in diameer.


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## fromtheforty (Jan 15, 2011)

Those prices are dirt cheap by what we pay around this area of the country. I would say that those prices are about 1/3 of what I have to pay.

Geoff


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## stevem2 (Jun 13, 2010)

And if the log has metal in it the whole log is a cull.


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## Tom the Sawyer (Sep 4, 2012)

Just a note on cull logs...

When buying logs, if you can get what you need by passing over those with metal then that is great. But with a bandsaw mill, metal in a log is not the kiss of death. My clients usually already have the logs and didn't have a choice. Here is a 20"x12', perfectly straight and round walnut with obvious metal.









If you look closely you can see that there is a metal stain from 11:00 to 12:00, another from 12:00 to 1:00, and another at 2:00. You can also see that there is a deeper penetration almost to the center at about 12:00. You could almost count the rings and determine how long ago the metal was placed in the tree. I explained the situation to the client and he decided to proceed.

The first metal we hit corresponded to the 12:00 deep penetration, about an 8 penny nail.









It was only about 1' from the butt end of the log, the other 11' were clear. As we got closer to the center we found the other metal, strand of fence wire with staples 11:00, 12:00 and 2:00, also near the base of the log. All metal was dug out and pulled so it was only hit once.









This log was milled for several different projects, 4/4, 6/4, 8/4 and 16/4 boards. Total yield was 272 bf. Hitting metal required two blade changes, both could be resharpened @ $10 apiece so add $20 for blade damage. That represented only 7.4 cents per board foot.

Stain won't tell you where the metal is in the length of the log, my handheld metal detector wouldn't pick it up. Would you have culled out 272 bf of walnut over $20 ? This log represented more than 1/2 of the wood in his tree. Consult with your sawyer and see what they are willing to tackle. :thumbsup:


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## amalina (Apr 1, 2013)

Great information Tom! I have a big white oak that will either be stabbed or quarter sawn that has blue. We shall see.


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## stevem2 (Jun 13, 2010)

If you're buying the logs or a customer wants you to saw metal you're talking two different things. A commercial mill will cull the whole log or pencil buck the log to avoid metal. Yes you can cut around the nails to a certain extent and hand pull nails when you find them, but what's your time worth?

If I'm slabbing with my Lucas and hit a 5" nail it's a good chance I just blew a $109 chain and might not have even cut the nail. (Just did that in black walnut).

Galvanized nails won't stain the wood as long as the zinc coating is intact nor will coated hardened deck screw.


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## amalina (Apr 1, 2013)

*Blue Logs*

That is the problem, what to do with great trees with metal. Most of the logs I get are the type of logs that mills don't want...they are crotchety, burlly etc. So far only 1 log has blue. Talked to my sawyer and he is comfortable. We shall see. I appreciate your insight. Always helps a new guy taking care of logs.


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## cw log&veneer (Mar 7, 2011)

Tom the Sawyer said:


> Just a note on cull logs...
> 
> When buying logs, if you can get what you need by passing over those with metal then that is great. But with a bandsaw mill, metal in a log is not the kiss of death. My clients usually already have the logs and didn't have a choice. Here is a 20"x12', perfectly straight and round walnut with obvious metal.
> 
> ...


 nice oversaw n a 20 in.log


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