# Walnut



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I had a guy stop by Friday night about dark with a load of walnut he wanted me to price. He is a tree service and they where clearing timber for a pole building contractor (huge outfit). This pole building company also runs a lumber yard, framing material and the like. Their headquarters is many buildings on several acres and they own several acres of timber. Some of the timber was being removed for a planned expansion (more warehouses). The dude who removed the trees was working in part for 1/2 the log money, he was going to sell them and split it with the owner. Not sure how that all worked out, but he made it clear I was going to have to pay a little more than I usually do or he was heading to another bigger mill that he also sells to. I shot him a price (and no I will not tell, but is the most I have ever offered for a load :surrender
He said that was cool, no hard feelings but he had to take them to the other mill this morning. I said fine but that was all I was comfortable paying and told him I hope he got more at the other mill.

Well the phone rang early this morning and the guy said heck with it that other mill is down south and he would have a guys pay all day there and back/gas and he really needs that guy working not driving. Is my offer still good ?:yes:

23 walnut in a pile, the other little pile he threw on 2 black locust, 2 cedar and a birch. The walnut are not huge, smallest is 12" on the small end-biggest is 20" small end, but they are all straight and not too much sapwood. Several of the butt logs look perfectly clear, hope so.


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## woodchip (Jan 14, 2008)

That's a nice group of logs. If you just didn't hate to take a chance on loosing them you should have told him less than the original offer.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

If I got squirrelly on him he would have went on down the road with them. He had a pretty good idea of what he was going to get at the other mill versus my price (and so did I when I priced them), there was just enough difference that if he figured labor and gas to get them to the other mill it was a wash more or less. If I would have dropped my price the other mill would have them for sure. I always get this guys ones and twos and mixed loads and his big loads of a certain species like walnut/cherry usually go to this other mill or his oak goes to a pallet factory. If I want to match their prices I can have anything I want, but the margins are too slim for me playing that game...a couple bad logs on a load I am in the hole at "market price". :thumbdown: Big mills cranking out millions of bft can absorb that since they are doing volume. A small operation like me basically every log counts.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Sweet. Too bad they are such high grade logs. :laughing:

Oh well, you can get some gnarly, bumpy, crotchety ones down the road sometime. :icon_biggrin:


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## dirtclod (May 7, 2008)

For most small sawmill operators milling that kind of quality/quantity is like setting down at a feast But if they have to pay like they're eating a feast then their enjoyment is affected.

They look real nice. But after selling so much stunning and unique, can you sell real nice?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

dirtclod said:


> They look real nice. But after selling so much stunning and unique, can you sell real nice?


Hope so, if not right away at least some time.

My problem right now (or very soon) is I am running out of room. I really scored this summer and have not moved the wood as fast as I have milled it for a change. I offered a whole pile of oak to a couple guys (good repeat customers, probably could not do that for just anyone ?) who where here last week for $1 bft just to get rid of it...no takers.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Daren said:


> Hope so, if not right away at least some time.
> 
> My problem right now (or very soon) is I am running out of room. I really scored this summer and have not moved the wood as fast as I have milled it for a change. I offered a whole pile of oak to a couple guys (good repeat customers, probably could not do that for just anyone ?) who where here last week for $1 bft just to get rid of it...no takers.


I wonder, how much would it cost me in gas to get where you are and back?


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I started milling some of it yesterday afternoon in the rain :boat:...about have to it will be snowing before long :thumbdown:. I got the 10'ers milled, it's not looking bad. Some 12" wide boards, the 8 footers are a little bigger diameter (and straighter :icon_rolleyes, they are next. I will post more pictures if I find anything interesting.


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## Oscar (Jun 7, 2008)

Daren:
I was wondering, seeing how much cutting you appear to do, where in the world do you keep the stuff? Do you have a multiple of Kilns or do you rotate cuts through one or two?? I've wanted to ask you this for a while, as in the past you've indicated your not a fan of "Air Drying." It seems you could fill a small warehousewith your work!!! I'm asking because I've got over 30 logs and not enough space to kiln dry and based on what I've heard and even you have said logs laying around outside are not the best of ideas (unless special treating/ Spalting etc... .)


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> as in the past you've indicated your not a fan of "Air Drying."
> 
> It seems you could fill a small warehousewith your work!!! )


Not necessarily, I air dry alot. Walnut is a perfect example of a wood I air dry (and kiln dry some on request). I _try_ to keep the wood moving out as fast as I am sawing it, sell what I milled last year as I am milling for next year. Some of my customers will buy it right off the saw and dry it themselves. I only have a 40'x40' pole barn to store lumber here...it is full now. If sales do not pick up I will be looking for additional storage :huh:. I have stored lumber in a buddies 30'x80' before in times like these when I am milling more than selling. It just goes in spurts around here being an urban logger, I have had months I have not seen a single log. That is far scarier than having to find a place to store milled lumber.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

*Still working on it*

Between rain and other interruptions. I have 2 piles going. A small one with boards that may have a little sap or a knot...and this pile. FAS (+ really, practically veneer) there is 650 bft in it so far. If I cut out all the defects they would fit in a 5 gallon bucket. Just gorgeous lumber


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

*Pick your best face*

Grade sawing we pick the best face and saw to maximize the best yield...kind hard to choose when you knock the bark off and all 4 sides are perfectly clear. This one was little odd shaped so there is sap on the cant in the pictures. A couple flips and I still had a 12" x 12" heartwood cant to just saw through and through pulling perfect lumber. Nice one, not a mark on it, many of the logs from this load where just like this :yes:


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## Nate1778 (Mar 10, 2008)

I am jealous.............:yes:




I also wish you lived closer


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## ARECHER (Aug 8, 2008)

Daren said:


> I had a guy stop by Friday night about dark with a load of walnut he wanted me to price. He is a tree service and they where clearing timber for a pole building contractor (huge outfit). This pole building company also runs a lumber yard, framing material and the like. Their headquarters is many buildings on several acres and they own several acres of timber. Some of the timber was being removed for a planned expansion (more warehouses). The dude who removed the trees was working in part for 1/2 the log money, he was going to sell them and split it with the owner. Not sure how that all worked out, but he made it clear I was going to have to pay a little more than I usually do or he was heading to another bigger mill that he also sells to. I shot him a price (and no I will not tell, but is the most I have ever offered for a load :surrender
> He said that was cool, no hard feelings but he had to take them to the other mill this morning. I said fine but that was all I was comfortable paying and told him I hope he got more at the other mill.
> 
> Well the phone rang early this morning and the guy said heck with it that other mill is down south and he would have a guys pay all day there and back/gas and he really needs that guy working not driving. Is my offer still good ?:yes:
> ...


That sure is some beautiful wood you have there. I'm starting to realize the difference between a "yard tree" and what you have there. I can tell from your most recent pics that the growth rings are much tighter on the logs you have than on the big log that I cut up recently. Looks like you have less sapwood in those logs too. I assume that is related to the rate of growth?

I'd love to come down and stroll amongst your stacks but I'm working on getting quotes for rewiring our attic and also running 220V to our garage for some of my new toys (8" jointer and 15" planer-Grizzly's). I can't imagine I could get away from your place without spending at least a few hundreds...

Lookin good-thanks for the pics-they sure grow some nice walnut around these parts!

Andy.


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## dirtclod (May 7, 2008)

That's too perfect. You're going to have to recruit a new (to you) type of customer looking for perfectly clear walnut. [Once you've sold all your stack send them my way and I'll fix them up for some more.] Your existing give-me-character clientel would turn their noses up at it.


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