# Going rate for sawmilling



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Was at a garage sale today and the guy had a sawmill and I asked him his rate. He told me its $45.00 hr. Plus $20.00 per damaged blade. Is that a good price? Not sure the going rate for having it milled. Is it normal for them to charge per Hour or per Bdf? 
Thanks.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

I've never payed by the hour. I have paid as much as 30 cents per board foot or as little as 21 cents.
Tom


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## fromtheforty (Jan 15, 2011)

I've heard of between $40-60hr or $.20 - 30 per board ft. Lets face it though, the numbers mean nothing if he cuts a crappy board. A $60 per hr price can be way cheaper in the long run over a guy with a slow machine or who cuts bad boards at $40 per hr. 

Geoff


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

fromtheforty said:


> I've heard of between $40-60hr or $.20 - 30 per board ft. Lets face it though, the numbers mean nothing if he cuts a crappy board. A $60 per hr price can be way cheaper in the long run over a guy with a slow machine or who cuts bad boards at $40 per hr.
> 
> Geoff


I agree with you. He sounded pretty confident as far as cutting it. Can't remember how many bdft per hour he said he could mill, I think he said 250 bdft? Does that sound right? 
Thanks.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Dominick said:


> I agree with you. He sounded pretty confident as far as cutting it. Can't remember how many bdft per hour he said he could mill, I think he said 250 bdft? Does that sound right?
> Thanks.


If he can cut around 200 bf/hour that's a good price.
Tom


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

TomC said:


> If he can cut around 200 bf/hour that's a good price.
> Tom


Thanks Tom. Il have to bring him some logs and find out I guess.


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## stevem2 (Jun 13, 2010)

FWIW
If he can cut 250 bdf per hour at $45 that's $180 per thousand or $0.18 per bdf, and the $20 per blade is just replacement cost for the blade and nothing for time to change the blade.

Too many variables to really tell if it's a fair price, but it sounds like he's pretty cheap. I won't cut for that price unless I've got a lot of support from the log owner (log loading, tailing, etc) and enough logs to cut for more than half a day. 

I find that my rate of cutting (Lucas mill) depends a lot on the log size and how much time it takes to get the next log in sawing position. Small logs (under 12") are a real killer. Generally I won't quote until I see the logs and the set up. So my "price" is variable depending....


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

You make good points Steve. I believe it all depends on the logs itself. Especially if it has a crotch, or if it is irregular. I think its a good base price. Only time will tell. 
Thanks.


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## stevem2 (Jun 13, 2010)

Another point in sawing cost is size of board cut. I cut a lot of fir around here and if someone wants all 1" stock it cost me more than cutting larger boards (and I now charge more). I just got burned on that and it won't happen again.

I quoted a really cheap price for a neighbor and all they wanted was 1" and it was all small logs. So much for being a nice guy. Took way too long and for insult to injury it cost me two blades due to rocks. I did get a tip though!


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## Logger (Nov 26, 2009)

I charge .40 a bdft. or $40 an hour, if sawing logs that are fresh,mud free, straight and of decent size (at least 14 inch) I charge by the bdft, when they come in muddy, dry, need branch stubs cut off I go to $40 an hr.. I do tell the customer this before hand to give them a chance to clean the logs up.


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## JDavis21835 (Mar 2, 2009)

General going rate at the local amish mills around here is .30 a bd ft. This is delivered to their mill, and picked up, any which way you get it there. If you are able to leave a trailer, they will cut, sticker, and stack on that for you.


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## MacDuffee (Jan 29, 2012)

Got a quote from a local guy who charged $40/hr if he came to me it was a 3 hour minimum and if I took them to him it was an hour minimum. The other guy said he'd charge me $.25/ft. Too many variables to really say what a better deal is such as size of log, types of cuts, amount of help, etc...The guy that charged by the hour said he can crank them out when it is simple cuts and enough help to move things around.


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## Logger (Nov 26, 2009)

MacDuffee said:


> Got a quote from a local guy who charged $40/hr if he came to me it was a 3 hour minimum and if I took them to him it was an hour minimum. The other guy said he'd charge me $.25/ft. Too many variables to really say what a better deal is such as size of log, types of cuts, amount of help, etc...The guy that charged by the hour said he can crank them out when it is simple cuts and enough help to move things around.


 Sometimes cranking them out is not in the favor of the customer, for example a guy ive cut for many times had more logs than he wanted to move and wanted someone to come to him instead of hauling to me, he had a guy with a woodmizer come and crank em out. a couple months later he called me again to mill a pile of logs and said just about every board went from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in thickness. He was more than willing to pay a little more for a useable product. Im sure it was caused by cranking them out with a dull blade or improper set up of the mill not woodmizers fault.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Duffee He sounds like he's un sure of himself. To many variables in his pricing and in the way he operates. Sounds fishy. The sawyer I talked to, I had told him I would probably bring him as little as one log, and he said that would be fine. So he's good with more or less.


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## MacDuffee (Jan 29, 2012)

Yea, I went with the guy who quoted me .25/foot. He cut up a nice cherry log for me in return for a large cotton wood and 2 large pine trees that I was going to cut up and throw in a sink hole. The guy picked up and delivered too:thumbsup:

Got to love good neighbors :thumbsup: He knows it will pay off in the long run. I was willing to pay him full price too but he wouldn't take it.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

MacDuffee said:


> Yea, I went with the guy who quoted me .25/foot. He cut up a nice cherry log for me in return for a large cotton wood and 2 large pine trees that I was going to cut up and throw in a sink hole. The guy picked up and delivered too:thumbsup:
> 
> Got to love good neighbors :thumbsup: He knows it will pay off in the long run. I was willing to pay him full price too but he wouldn't take it.


That's good to have good people like that. Some people do it for the love and some are out for the buck. Glad to hear that. Keep up the good work and thanks for your input.


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## Allen Tomaszek (Dec 11, 2010)

If the sawyer does good work then $45/hr is a good price. I prefer to pay by the hour because I want to be involved in the sawing process and make decisions about what's getting cut. If I pay by the hour no one is worried about getting done fast or trying to crank out the highest volume of wood. That means better quality for me. Even on a slow day 100bf an hour still works out to .45bf which is fine by me if I'm getting the boards I want out of my logs.


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

This thread is killing me. I am going to raise my rate, I have been sawing for 175.00 per mbf.


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## stevem2 (Jun 13, 2010)

Bet you've got more work than you can keep up with.:yes:

People don't generally shop price on sawing. They feel real luck if they can find a sawyer that will do what they want. And if they do, you know what you're worth.

Just saying


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## gvwp (Jun 17, 2012)

You are sawing too cheap Mizer. Do you charge any type of setup or mileage with that price?


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

Thanks guys, I kind of feel like the frog in the cooking pot. It is hard to notice that the water is starting to get hot before it is to late. 

It has not been too busy this summer, defiantly not as busy as I had hoped.
As you might know I have been sawing for the last 16 years at a large mill running two Mizers, cranking out 6 mbf a day per mill, so I could afford to saw for less then. Now that I am back by myself I can't make it on that price, I think I am going to kick it up to .25 per foot.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Mizer said:


> Thanks guys, I kind of feel like the frog in the cooking pot. It is hard to notice that the water is starting to get hot before it is to late.
> 
> It has not been too busy this summer, defiantly not as busy as I had hoped.
> As you might know I have been sawing for the last 16 years at a large mill running two Mizers, cranking out 6 mbf a day per mill, so I could afford to saw for less then. Now that I am back by myself I can't make it on that price, I think I am going to kick it up to .25 per foot.


I would not have a problem paying that rate.
Tom


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## altach (Jul 1, 2012)

I dont think that paying for work by the hour isnt as applicable here compared to other options. The problem is that there is no basic way to do it and would just be based on how the person handling the equipment feels like accomplishing the task. And hopefully he would be able to do it quite fast enough.


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## Logger (Nov 26, 2009)

Mizer said:


> Thanks guys, I kind of feel like the frog in the cooking pot. It is hard to notice that the water is starting to get hot before it is to late.
> 
> It has not been too busy this summer, defiantly not as busy as I had hoped.
> As you might know I have been sawing for the last 16 years at a large mill running two Mizers, cranking out 6 mbf a day per mill, so I could afford to saw for less then. Now that I am back by myself I can't make it on that price, I think I am going to kick it up to .25 per foot.


 I here you on not being as busy, this is the 1st year in 12 years I have not sawed a log by this time, sawed a bunch of reclaimed fir timbers but no logs:thumbdown:


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

TomC said:


> I would not have a problem paying that rate.
> Tom


Thanks Tom! I am on my way.......which way do I go


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Mizer said:


> Thanks Tom! I am on my way.......which way do I go


Sorry, 
I don't have any logs right now. I'll call when I get some.
Tom


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

I was joking in my post but all kidding aside I have traveled out of state several times to saw. I don't do a milage charge just actual fuel cost.


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## scsmith42 (Jan 24, 2011)

Another thing to keep in mind is the millers expertise in milling high quality, _furniture grade lumber_. Pushing a sawmill through the cut is the easy part. Knowing how to mill a log in order to yield the highest grade material is a completely different matter and one that 9 out of 10 millers probably are not well versed on.

Around here, it seems like every other farmer has a sawmill, and they are great for cutting "barn grade" lumber. Only a handfull of those millers understand how to mill to produce FAS lumber, quarter or rift sawn, or how to read and mill the log in order to obtain the most figured lumber.

When you're paying by the board foot, you're not encouraging the miller to spend more time in producing higher grade lumber. IMO it is better to find a miller that understands lumber grade, and pay them by the hour. You'll end up with a greater percentage of higher grade lumber.


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## Logger (Nov 26, 2009)

I agree scsmith42, me being in the logging bis and milling and selling k/d lumber from my own (purchased trees) I needed to no log grades and lumber grades to get the max $ out of a log, it really all starts with where you put your defects in your logs when bucking to get the best lumber out of a tree.


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

i charge 275/m lumber footage, replacement cost of blade if i hit something in log.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

cw log&veneer said:


> i charge 275/m lumber footage, replacement cost of blade if i hit something in log.


Sorry but what's 275/m


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

Dominick said:


> Sorry but what's 275/m


M is Latin for 1000. The lumber industry uses this in describing one thousand board feet. It is usually represented as MBF or mbf. So he is getting 27.5 per bdf.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I'd saw for that......isn't the decimel in wrong place....should be 27 1/2 cents board ft....the 27.5 bdf (dollars as appears quickly but is not specified) but .275 doesn't look correct either. Thanks Mizer on the M input....always wondered how a million divided into all this:blink::laughing::laughing:. Everyone's got a differ figure and opinion....as a business, I figure in ALL overhead including health care, depreciation on equip. and building with normal wear and tears and being able to replace equipment at end of it's life. Most people come up short due to lack of knowledge of actual costs or they price according to everyone else to undercut them. Larger equipment produces quicker lumber but costs more up front but usually allows for an lower bdf costs. I personally couldn't survive @ CW or Mizer's price but I don't saw with a large hp saw as they do nor try to compete against them nor undercut them. At the end of the day if I don't clear/profit more than I would at a good factory job than I haven't achieved anything except a business that I have alot to deal with and NO EXTRA PAY for the troubles.

CW and Mizer I applaude you for being able to keep your costs low, at the end of the year/month, go back and check all figures as business, costs of business, losses and then divide up and see how your surviving. I'm constantly checking and adjusting and also seeing what my construction market can handle.

Have a Blessed and Prosperous day in Jesus's Awesome Love,
Tim


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

And to think this is what I started. Lol. 
Thanks for all the input on this thread. It helps me understand.


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## scsmith42 (Jan 24, 2011)

Tennessee Tim said:


> I'd saw for that......isn't the decimel in wrong place....should be 27 1/2 cents board ft....the 27.5 bdf (dollars as appears quickly but is not specified) but .275 doesn't look correct either. Thanks Mizer on the M input....always wondered how a million divided into all this:blink::laughing::laughing:. Everyone's got a differ figure and opinion....as a business, I figure in ALL overhead including health care, depreciation on equip. and building with normal wear and tears and being able to replace equipment at end of it's life. Most people come up short due to lack of knowledge of actual costs or they price according to everyone else to undercut them. Larger equipment produces quicker lumber but costs more up front but usually allows for an lower bdf costs. I personally couldn't survive @ CW or Mizer's price but I don't saw with a large hp saw as they do nor try to compete against them nor undercut them. At the end of the day if I don't clear/profit more than I would at a good factory job than I haven't achieved anything except a business that I have alot to deal with and NO EXTRA PAY for the troubles.
> 
> CW and Mizer I applaude you for being able to keep your costs low, at the end of the year/month, go back and check all figures as business, costs of business, losses and then divide up and see how your surviving. I'm constantly checking and adjusting and also seeing what my construction market can handle.
> 
> ...


 
Very well stated, Tim. 

It seems as if every few years new sawyers get into the business, with the idea that they will make a fortune. They underprice their work because they don't understand the true costs (as you have stated above), and within a few years they sell their equipment to another new sawyer, and the cycle gets repeated.


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

Tennessee Tim said:


> I'd saw for that......isn't the decimel in wrong place....should be 27 1/2 cents board ft....the 27.5 bdf (dollars as appears quickly but is not specified) but .275 doesn't look correct either. Thanks Mizer on the M input....always wondered how a million divided into all this:blink::laughing::laughing:. Everyone's got a differ figure and opinion....as a business, I figure in ALL overhead including health care, depreciation on equip. and building with normal wear and tears and being able to replace equipment at end of it's life. Most people come up short due to lack of knowledge of actual costs or they price according to everyone else to undercut them. Larger equipment produces quicker lumber but costs more up front but usually allows for an lower bdf costs. I personally couldn't survive @ CW or Mizer's price but I don't saw with a large hp saw as they do nor try to compete against them nor undercut them. At the end of the day if I don't clear/profit more than I would at a good factory job than I haven't achieved anything except a business that I have alot to deal with and NO EXTRA PAY for the troubles.
> 
> CW and Mizer I applaude you for being able to keep your costs low, at the end of the year/month, go back and check all figures as business, costs of business, losses and then divide up and see how your surviving. I'm constantly checking and adjusting and also seeing what my construction market can handle.
> 
> ...


 its definetly not a money maker for me,but it compliments the log business that i have.


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

Tennessee Tim said:


> isn't the decimel in wrong place....should be 27 1/2 cents board ft....the 27.5 bdf (dollars as appears quickly but is not specified)


It is indeed in the wrong place. You would think that someone who was trying to give a detailed reply to a post would have at least placed the decimal point in the right place.:icon_rolleyes:


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## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Cool thread I often ponder this topic at my mill. I used to charge by the board foot but found that to many people brought me knarled, crooked, or otherwise poorly manicured logs. I now charge $40 per hour starting when i first handle a customers log. The customer who brings me the best logs ends up paying the least per bf. I have found that this is the best hedge against poor quality logs and there time consuming nature... the down side is when a guy/gal brings me a nice 20" 10' log and I crank out 200 bf in 60-90 minutes.


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## yellabret (Aug 20, 2012)

two guys here in the Houston area are $110 and $95 per hour, those are bandsaws, another guy with a rotary saw told me this morning $1/bf, i'd gladly pay $45/hr!


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

yellabret said:


> two guys here in the Houston area are $110 and $95 per bf, those are bandsaws, another guy with a rotary saw told me this morning $1/bf, i'd gladly pay $45!


Man who can afford that? I don't really think you mean per BF.
Tom


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## yellabret (Aug 20, 2012)

TomC said:


> Man who can afford that? I don't really think you mean per BF.
> Tom




edited


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## Tom the Sawyer (Sep 4, 2012)

You can always ask for references. Someone who has had similar logs milled by this sawyer can tell you what to expect, pros and cons. 

There are many variables considering the quality of logs, the size of mill, the skill of the sawyer, and the market where you are located. There aren't many mills within a 50 mile radius of me and I'm the only one who is mobile. 90% of my business is mobile. 

I charge by the board foot (4/4=.40 pbf) and progressively less as the thickness increases. I may charge by the hour but only for less productive logs (less than 12" diameter, less than 5' in length, unusual requests, etc.). I do a free site visit in advance and let them know about how many board feet to expect, whether it will be by the hour or per board foot and it also gives me a chance to evaluate the milling site and suggest how they can be prepared for milling day. :thumbsup:

I am a woodworker's sawyer, not a production sawyer (I was a client for 25 years before I got my mill) so I always try to get the most suitable wood for the projects they have in mind. I don't think you can predict the quality of the work based solely on the billing method.
www.tomthesawyer.net


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