# Reclaiming barn beams?



## mranum (Mar 27, 2008)

Any of you sawmill guys ever resaw old reclaimed barn beams? There have been some old barns that came down from all the snow we had this winter. There is an ad listed near me that has old beams available but didn't list a price. I've inquired but didn't get a responce yet.

Whats a respectable price for them and are they generally worth resawing? My gut is saying yes, but I haven't seen them either. Most all the barns I've been in around here are all built out of Oak so I assume thats what they would be.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Not an area of expertise for me for sure - but since you are drawing a blank . . . .



1)


mranum said:


> Whats a respectable price for them . . .



2)


mranum said:


> and are they generally worth resawing?



3)


mranum said:


> Most all the barns I've been in around here are all built out of Oak so I assume thats what they would be.



1) Just ask yourself what you are willing to pay, based on why you want them. That's what I do with anything I am looking at negotiating for. I don't care what any "established market" may say I need to pay. Call him and ask what he is trying to get, and if he balks or hesitates make him an offer drastically lower than what you have already decided you will pay. 

If he says "These things are bringing $15BF on the market" ask him without hesitation why he hasn't sold them. Don't be a smat-arse ask it like you are truly befuddled. "Oh wow! Man I would have already cashed the check if I was you what's the holdup!?" Generally, these beams are hard to sell quickly unless it's someone who has already developed his own market. There are individuals/companies that travel the country tearing down barns/buildings and selling these beams, but the guy who goes out and does it on occasion with is college age sons doesn't have the resources to just pick up a phone and sell them at $15BF. Or else he would have already and you would have never heard about them. This is how I sell the majority of my flame boxelder. Pick up the phone or send an email. But I have developed reliable buyers of this niche product and that is what you are looking at here, a niche product. This guy cannot pick up the phone and sell these or he would have. He's fishing. Run a few lures in front of him. 


2) They can be in pretty bad shape and still be worth resawing. It depends on what specie they are, the size they are, and several other factors with which I am sure I am not aware. Here is where you can get burned, or even find a load of treasure. If the guy is a weekend warrior and doesn't know his speices ID, he could have torn down a barn built from old growth American Chestnut. If neither one of you know it though, it's not worht anymore than what you negotiate for. HEre's where you need to have Bruce Hoadley's ID book and 10x mag so you can definately ID any specie. You can't simply take this guys word that "The beams are old growth Larch". I mean, misidentification in the initial processing phases of logs and timber are rampant. HE might have old grwoth pine and calling it oak. The end grain can look suprising similar after 250 years to the naked eye. 

3) You assume eh? See answer #2)


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## skymaster (Oct 30, 2006)

ass/u/me
Dont ever do the above:no: go look, feel, smell and get a small pc and take it to a mill you know of. Get an expert to ID it. Look hard for powder post signs, if you can go to the site where the barn is/was look hard at what is left for the reason it came down.:yes:


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