Sawmills in Ma. that will split job cost
cashmandoo
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hi,
As part of a major renovation, I have ended up with two large Eastern White Pine trunks that have been cut into pieces about 12-15 feet long. Each piece is between 15 and 25 inches in diameter.
I would love to find a sawmill in Eastern mass (ideally; RI or NH less so) that will pick up these logs, mill them into usable rough cuts of lumber, kiln dry them, then keep a portion for their effort, and provide me back a portion. (portion %’s to be negotiated).
The logs appear very clear; no branches, hence very few knots.
Anyone have any experience with this type of “green barter”?
Thanks
cashmandoo
Replies
Right now you are unlikely to find a sawmill to do so.. the profit margin on wood is pretty slim. Those aren't very big logs (measure at the narrow end not the fat end) not worth to cost of diesel to even come and get them..
Eastern White pine is a pretty cheap wood..
Thanks Frenchy!
" Eastern White pine is a pretty cheap wood.. "Huh?
Maybe in your neck of the woods, but that's not true here with premium...and premium isn't even clear anymore.
I pay more for premium clear pine than I do for maple, oak or poplar.
Wow!!!!!???
Eastern White pine is 20 cents a bd.ft. and sometimes less if it's been blue stained. Maple on the other hand commands $1.65 a bd.ft. for all white FAS (and has commanded as high as $2.15)
Mill run white oak is .80 cents but poplar seldom pulls more than .40 cents
"Wow!!!!!???"Exactly.
And as I said, the premium ain't all that premium!
When I do run across a good supply, I'll pick some up. Trouble is, I don't really have storage space anymore.
I cut down a walnut tree once and took it to a guy who had one of those small bandsaw mills. One main trunk 15-16" in dia 8' long and some large branches was like $30-40. I had to haul though and sticker and air dry.
Some of these guys have the mill for their own use and may barter.
Thanks Craig. I measured the main trunk the other day.... its 24". Going to have to be a BIG bandsaw... but I will look.
"Going to have to be a BIG bandsaw"nah - any of the common bandmills will saw 24" - "there's enough for everyone"
Hey, the locl guy here charges .20 cents a BF for softwood and .22 cents for hardwood, sawing only. Sound about right?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4
sounds cheap to me - but it is KY (not a slam, CoL is less there) - I use $.35/ft, $60/hour as benchmarks - haven't charged for travel/set up yet - and I'm not worried about staying busy with the mill either - "there's enough for everyone"
I thought so too..heck, he's selling 1/4sawn Cherry ( Why he 1/4'd it I don't know, its not a good specie for that) for 1.50 a BF, and all other flatsawn, for 1.00..thats HIS wood, the cedar he is sawing is someone else's and he sells that .75cents ( the owner of the trees that is).
Seems like a long day if you saw say 1 K BF a day.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4
I really don't see him covering overhead and profit at that price - it's fun, so if he want's to keep doing it, he needs to take a pencil and do some scratching - "there's enough for everyone"
sounds high to me.. Since I pay .20 a bd. ft. for soft wood (he supplies the logs) and soft wood doesn't always mean soft wood.. it's any wood he has in abundance with little or no market for.. Tamarack, Hackberry, ash, pine, poplar, basswood, etc.. have all come under that heading at various times..
That is mill run prices, another words just as it came off the log. could be FAS or could be 3b
I seem to recall that someone once said here that either Wood Mizer or one of those small bandsaw manufacturers kept a referral list of owners in various areas. You might spend a few minutes trying to track down someone in your area. I'd be shocked if they did it for a percentage of the wood but you could always ask.
Thanks for the tip Fingers!
In Middleboro Ma, somewhere near Zion Bros. Junk Yard, there is a mom and pop outfit that will work with you. For the life of me, I cannot remember their name. Ask the Fire Dept. in Middleboro, Ma. They picked up a storm damaged Walnut tree in Boston and a year later I had 4 slabs of 4" x 26" x 55" black walnut. Good Luck!
Thanks Cubesquare... i will try the Middleborough FD... and get back to this msg string if I find anything.
Poke around a little on this site http://www.forestryforum.com
I've got my fingers crossed. I haven't been in the Boston area for 5 years. Your gonnah love this little hole in the wall. While your there, stop into the Tremont nail co. ( I hope that's the right name) and pick up a couple of kegs of cut nails, and stop by the Zion Bros. Junk Yard and check out the grandsons log cabin. I think those logs are 24" in diameter! Some Canadian co. delivered the package and flew the logs into place. I think they have a Cetol finish. Good Luck, Good Buddy
look for Gurneys Sawmill just out side of Dartmouth Ma.
Cubesquare... i was 0 for 2 yesterday. I called Middleboro FD, they were very helpful in telling me where they thought a sawmill might be. They suggested Old Bedford St. Couldn't find it. I stopped in at a little restaurant on a corner and asked. Someone mentioned Derossiers... does that sound familiar? We found that one, but it was no longer operating. Looked for another one on Wood Rd that the people at the restaurant suggested, but found nothing there either.
At that point, wife, 4 year old and 2 year old started asking if we were almost over the bridge yet (to Cape Cod) so I called off the search.
I will try the place in Dartmouth the other poster suggested.
Cheers
Cash
Oh, Sorry good buddy, Derossiers was the place. Was the 48" saw blade still hanging on the corner when you got there? Also, I think that the Tremont Nail Co. is right there on the left just before you go over the Bourne Bridge.
Another place I used to use was in Hampton Falls, NH. I can't remember there name either. All I do remember is that the wood was plentiful and cheap, especially custom orders of timber. Although, if your up in that area, watch out for some of the more famous re-cyclers of old timbers, barn bord and the like. They know exactly what they've got, and won't budge for anything less than gold. Silver-neers need not apply.
Gurney's is in East Freetown. They're great people, same family owned for something like 135 years.I've bought quite a bit of Pine from them in the last couple years. Very good quality,imo, air and kiln dried.
The've sawn wood for me before, all oak, for .20 a bf, but I think you may have a hard time doing the deal you're looking for. With fuel cost, and the building material market being what it is currently, I'd be surprised if it would be worth it to them. Can't hurt to try, tho. Ask for Jen. 508-763-2502
Another guy I've heard of (but haven't met),is named Andy Gravel, and he has a band saw mill in Rehoboth. Might be worth tracking down......
Thanks for the tip, Bing. I tried them today and will keep the blog posted on what I hear from them.
For that little bit of lumber you might consider buying a chainsaw mill for under $400 then selling it on ebay...or buying one off of Ebay or one of the mill sites like The Forestry Forum Jim left a link to.
Bailey's is a good place to deal with. http://www.baileysonline.com/search.asp?PageNo=1&SKW=KW153&catID=196
one of many. this is about the least expensive
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"Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit". abbie
"Give them what they want" abbie
Edited 11/2/2008 11:47 am ET by AbbieHoffman
There's a sawmill in Hopkinton, MA called Garner Brothers. I don't know much about them - if they will work with the arrangement you suggested but you can probably find them listed and give them a call.