Peloftus Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 I may have the chance to buy a few black walnut logs that were taken down from a friends yard. The tree was healthy but needed to be removed for some other reason. Logs range from 42" diameter to 18" and are approximately 12-16' already laying on the ground. I'd like to offer him a fair price for them but I will still have to load and haul to a sawyer and pay to have it milled. I also realize there is always risk in getting a sawyer to mill urban logs but assuming I can find one that will saw the lumber up, does anybody have an idea of what a reasonable offer for this wood might be laying on the ground? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 You might locate a local person with a bandsaw mill and see what they would pay. It is probably not much. Sawing, stickering up for air drying , possible kiln drying... And that just gets you rough sawn wood. It's a lot of time and labor to take a tree to lumber. The log on the ground in small quantities isn't worth near what people think it is. Just loading and moving a big log is gonna require some equipment. Some bandsaw mills are on trailers and come to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 You may also look into a mobile saw mill. Many of them tend to stay away from trees in residential areas because of metal objects in them. Kids building tree forts, hanging clothes lines, etc. I agree with Steve in that a tree on the ground isn't worth as much as people think. I was also surprised to learn in my area that kiln drying wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 If you're gonna go through the trouble and expense of having a few logs milled and dried, at least you've chosen the correct species. Based on the little bit I know about the logging/lumber industry, walnut is currently experiencing a surge in demand (Europe and Asia...especially the latter) which is causing both a dip in domestic supply and a spike in price. My dealer is fairly well stocked at the moment, but he's told me that he can't even place an order for more until at least October, and his cost has gone up, and consequently his prices have gone up. The other local dealer in my area is completely out of walnut altogether. That said, I still don't know if it's worth the trouble. I probably wouldn't mess with it unless I could get it for about half the cost of buying it at retail price (the price of ROUGH, not surfaced). And that's only if it's kiln dried. If I had to sticker and stack it in my backyard for a few years, I'd probably be shooting for about 1/4 the cost of retail. It's a real PITA to turn logs into useable lumber, as stated above. Also keep in mind that there's gonna be a lot of sapwood in those smaller logs. If you're a heartwood kind of guy like me, then that's another thing to consider. Sapwood is generally waste in my shop...that's gonna be a lot of waste with 18" logs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 I'm going to go against the grain a bit and say that having logs milled isn't really that much of an issue providing you can find someone locally and their price is right. My guy charges by the hour rather than BF. A couple years ago I had a bunch of red oak milled at my Dad's house. In total I think there were 5 large logs ranging 14-20" diameter. Nice and straight trunks with no limbs / knots. 3 hours and $120 later (which included a tip) I had a pile of rough lumber stickered 5' wide and 3' tall.. 8/4 QS There's no way I could have bought that much lumber for the money. I'm guessing by the time I get the edges cleaned up there will be 15% loss on sap. Not a big deal. I kind of enjoy the process of going from rough to finished wood; kinda like christmas morning unwrapping the presents when you were a kid . Also kind of cool to have a story to go along with a finished piece. Most of the things I've made for our house came from either trees on our property or my Dad's. No idea what the value of your logs would be, but I'm guessing the value of the lumber / milling process might be worth your time. Maybe call a couple mills to see what they pay for their logs? If he's a friend of yours you could just offer to build a nice (small) memento for him in exchange for getting the trees out of his yard. Good bottle of booze goes a long ways as well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Indy Cindy Posted June 25, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Walnut with sapwood in my shop is called beautiful and is highly prized. Save those pieces for a turner. Orient the light sapwood artistically in a turned deep vessel and the contrast with the heartwood is stunning. Check out John Jordan's work. http://www.johnjordanwoodturning.com/John_Jordan_Woodturning/Home.html and here is an example of my work I made using his techniques. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewCremona Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Around here a log laying in a yard that you have to transport is going to fetch $.50/bf. That amount can vary based on the log size and clearness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Peloftus, Two years ago next month, I went to Louisiana to bring back trunks of two cherry trees that my wife's uncle cut down. He knew that I liked to piddle w/ wood and thought he was doing me a favor. I borrowed a trailer and spent $200 on gas and paid his neighbor friend that had a portable saw, $150 to cut it into 6/4 planks. I brought it back to my office/warehouse and stickered it. (I'm really not the biggest fan of cherry so most of it still out there under a cover). Now, this same uncle has two walnut and a poplar tree that he wants me to have. The friends trailer is too small for this and I'm having to rent a trailer next month, spend another $200 for gas and bring it back to Houston and pay a local mill $100 an hour to mill it. And the ones I'm getting are only 23" dia., a 42" thick tree makes for a big ass log! If I had my druthers, I would have saved the above cash and gone to the local hardwood store and buy the amount and type of wood I want and buy it as I need it. Long story short, if you have the room to stack it for a year or so to dry, what is a big stack of walnut worth to ya? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 check craigslist in Virginia. It seems like someone always has some Walnut logs for sale. Logs are sized by the small end-not the big end. Sounds like a nice group of logs, and could be up to a grand. Much more if veneer quality, but you would need to find an agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 tell him you will move it off his lawn for a 12 pack 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 tell him you will move it off his lawn for a 12 pack I have to agree with this. SOMETIMES people just want the logs hauled off so they do not have to deal with them. Around here, if you have an old car that you would like to get rid of, and you call a salvage yard, they will come get it and haul it off for only $50.00. I know a guy with a portable saw mill who contacted the city to see what they would sell some tree trunks for that they had cut down. The city said just come get them as soon as you can, how long would you like them? Rog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted July 6, 2014 Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 Here in SC, I see a lot of pine....short leaf, long leaf, pine....did I mention....we have a lot of PINE TREES!!. There are a lot of valid points above. It will be a lot of trouble but you could end up with a couple slabs from the middle of the largest log that would make a dining room table to pass to many generations. Like Steve said...you can find the guy with the portable saw mill to come to the logs and in my pine tar stained mind, it seems worth it. I mean....it's black walnut...and correct me if I'm wrong, that's a lot different than PINE!! ps....nice vase Cindy. I love the incorporation of the sapwood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reberly Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Here in SW Michigan I pay $1/bdft Scribner scale for walnut logs in decent conditions. I then have to pay at least that much to have them loaded and hauled. Sawing under around 30" runs about $.50 bdft and over 30" runs $2/bdft for the slabbing mill. Otherwise the large stock has to be quartered with a chainsaw first. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoreHardwoods Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 I buy logs to mill on my portable bandsaw mill. Normally for black walnut I'll pay 35 cents a BF for a log 12"-18" at the small end. Anything bigger in diameter I pay up to 55 cents. I've seen people around me wanting $3 a board foot for their walnut trees. That's insane, taking the tree down is the easy part. Loading, transporting, and milling the log is the hard and time consuming part. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPCV_Woodworker Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I got my start in woodworking milling logs. My father would go to building sites and offer to haul the logs off for free. Last run we paid $600 for a truckload of poplar, oak, and cherry. I want to to say that came out to something like $0.20/bf, ballpark. I'd say offering .25 a bf would be pretty fair, considering they'd have to pay to remove it otherwise. Here is a pretty good resource if you want to figure out just how much wood you'll be looking at: http://www.americanstavecompany.com/boardfootcalc.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good ole boyz Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 I live in Georgia and we just took down some black walnut trees and we have 14 logs that very in size and the bigger ones are in 8ft sections and the smaller in 12ft sections. I worked for 4 months to find a buyer for them and he caked put on me today. But what I came across was very heathy and very old black walnut that are aged to be about 150 years old and they are not urban they are from a old plantation. We are looking for a buyer and tomorrow we can have pictures. We can be reached at (706))756-7418. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 On 6/25/2014 at 10:44 AM, Eric. said: If you're gonna go through the trouble and expense of having a few logs milled and dried, at least you've chosen the correct species. Based on the little bit I know about the logging/lumber industry, walnut is currently experiencing a surge in demand (Europe and Asia...especially the latter) which is causing both a dip in domestic supply and a spike in price. My dealer is fairly well stocked at the moment, but he's told me that he can't even place an order for more until at least October, and his cost has gone up, and consequently his prices have gone up. The other local dealer in my area is completely out of walnut altogether. Um that is the worst news I've ever heard. Now I really regret losing out on several hundred bf of walnut for such a cheap price at that auction a couple of months ago. In my area, if you come get the wood from my yard, it's free. The cost and work involved is too much to have to pay people when you are doing them the favor of getting wood off their lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good ole boyz Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Well he wants to buy it he's more then welcome . my job is to mostly but them down and leave for the property owner to deal with. But were merging into logging as well I would take these to the mill But why waste such beautiful wood. But if he would like to co tact me he is more then welcome. But we have limbs that are huge the trunks massive and I have to find a buyer asap.and like I said I have 14 logs total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 15 minutes ago, Good ole boyz said: Well he wants to buy it he's more then welcome . my job is to mostly but them down and leave for the property owner to deal with. But were merging into logging as well I would take these to the mill But why waste such beautiful wood. But if he would like to co tact me he is more then welcome. But we have limbs that are huge the trunks massive and I have to find a buyer asap.and like I said I have 14 logs total. With the current climate and what is written on the walls for walnut supply, it would be smarter to pay a mill to mill those logs, cut the branches into 14" sections and seal the ends then have the lumber kilned. Sell the branches as green turning sections, the walnut won't be hard finding a home for. If you're running a business, why leave meat on the bone. You have the trees, make it lumber and get paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good ole boyz Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Sir I don't usually do this. I run a tree service not a logging company. I mostly climb and trim or just cut it down but the property owner gave me the wood for fire wood well I got to looking at it and it was black walnut and I done my research on it . well we had a buyer the. He backed out on us thus morning and he milled them and all he pick the tree to cut and we cut to customer order and had 4 tons loaded he called and said he didn't want it . so I'm like ok ???? And end of story and I live in the middle of Georgia in a county that is on the line of alabama. To find black walnut here that big is very very rare and I want to find it a good home but need help doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Wish I was closer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Amen to that, Tom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 I sent you a PM message of the number of a Sawmill in Clarksville Ga. He might buy your logs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 On 12/20/2015 at 7:15 PM, wdwerker said: I sent you a PM message of the number of a Sawmill in Clarksville Ga. He might buy your logs. Ditto this. I had a friend in a similar situation recently. Had a buyer for his walnut trees, cut them down, etc, and the buyer backed out. Our local sawmill bought it all up without batting an eye. Walnut sells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Once these do sell, I'd be very interested to see what they sold for per bf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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