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  1. #1
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    Mar 2009
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    Default Silky Oak (G. robusta) log prices

    Hi everyone

    I am new to the forum and the art of sawmilling, so please forgive me if I demonstrate some level of ignorance.

    I want to get some idea on the market price for silky oak log (g. robusta) in the northern NSW and SE Qld region. Can someone give me some ideas about the price for log?

    My rough guess is; the green slab sells about $1000/m3, so half of the cost is to mill, plus labour of $30/hour, say two hours, plus transport say $100, this comes to $340, Say 30% profit, the max log price paid is around $240, does this sound right? or market price is very different from region to region?

    thank you for your help


    Nick

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  3. #2
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    Armidale NSW
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    Default

    Hi Nick,
    You may want to post this question in the Small Timber Milling section - you might get more interest there.
    Cheers.

    Vernon.
    __________________________________________________
    Bite off more than you can chew and then chew like crazy.

  4. #3
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    Nick, as a rule logs aren't worth much, unless there is a lot of one kind and they're all nice and straight, easily accessible and of good quality.

    I charge $100 an hour for myself and my mill, plus an offsider. Depending on how many logs there are and how easy they are to get at, transport is unlikely to be less then a couple of hundred, or a bit less if you can mill them on site and just transport the product. You'll recover perhaps 40% of the log volume as usable timber.

    Then there is a profit margin to be made.

    Good luck selling green silky.
    Cheers,
    Craig

  5. #4
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    Apr 2006
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    one log is worth noting.

    if you have 20 cube plus then tehy might be worth sompthing.

    aproximate cost breakdown based on 20 cube of logs

    silky log price 20m3 @ $100/m3 $ 1'000
    log cartage 20m3 @ $100/m3 $ 3'000
    Milling 20m3 @ $200/m3 $ 7'000 50%waste
    12 mounths storage/seasoning 10m3 @$ 150/m3 $ 8'500 10% waste
    dressing 9m3 @$400/m3 $12'100 5% waste
    storage 8.5m3 @ $150/m3 $13'375
    sales wages $13'900
    intrest @ 6% $14'732.50
    40% profit margin $20'625.50
    sale price $2426.52/m3 $20'625.50 aprox

    to get $100 per cube you would need big logs 1m diamiter as silky has to have teh sapwood removed recovery is nill on small logs.

    www.carlweiss.com.au
    Mobile Sawmilling & Logging Service
    8" & 10" Lucas Mills, bobcat, 4wd tractor, 12 ton dozer, stihl saws.

  6. #5
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    Jul 2007
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    Nambour queensland
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    its only worth money if you cut it yourself, and sell it yourself,its like the old car salesman when you are looking for a four cylinder auto(wish i had a hundred of them) until you try and trade one (no call for them) look at the prices for slabs in for sale, looks like they are doin alright despite all those costs they have to endure as Carl has pointed out especially milling, cartage, interest,storage ,sales,dressing ,another 12 months storage, wages,40%profit margin, its a wonder how they can let timber go for the mere amount they are asking for it ?????.........bob

  7. #6
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    Nick, are you buying or selling? How big is/are the log(s)?

  8. #7
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    comercial sawmills pay $70 per cube for logs landed in the yard.i'm fairly sure this was the price i was told from a bloke who cut pine, so hardwood might be a bit more.but for small scale mills like craig,carl and myself we don't pay for logs from private land, it's just not economical. the way i work out what price a log is worth is how much work i have put into it. ie if the log has been felled by others.i go to the job and load it on the truck and get it back to the yard =2 hours,the log is worth $160. slab the log,stick it out,paint the ends find a place to put it= 3 hours $240 so the log is now say 6 slabs for arguments sake they're worth $66 dollars each. when they're dry and depending on size.if i broke anything cutting them all gets added in.now if i put 5 logs on the truck and it takes 3 hours to get them home and 8 hours to mill them,i'm starting to make a profit. i know this is a different way to look at it,but it's my way of justifying how i charge for timber rather than just a cube rate. getting back to the question, the log is not worth anything until some one does something to it.like carl said if there is a reasonable volume then together yes they are worth something.

  9. #8
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    in se qld hardwood is worth about $80-$100 at the gate. silky is worth about the same its not a rare tree and there is a lot of rot involved in cutting it.


    i will pay $20 a cubew for logs if i have to go and get tehm.

    www.carlweiss.com.au
    Mobile Sawmilling & Logging Service
    8" & 10" Lucas Mills, bobcat, 4wd tractor, 12 ton dozer, stihl saws.

  10. #9
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    for $20 a cube i would burn them,especially when i see them for sale /green for $100 plus per slab,or the prices per metre for sawn timber, someone is making a profit

  11. #10
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    I go along with timbertalk. There are several factors that influence the price a sawmiller is prepared to pay for logs. Not the least of which is log quality.
    Locally tallowood logs are bringing $200 on the ramp if they are good quality.
    Good blackbutt is around $150.
    Pallet logs bring about $80.
    All these prices are influenced by the location of the logs in relation to the mill.
    Silky Oak is not as common down this way. If the logs are a good size then they are worth a premium.......More info required Nick.

    Cheers
    Steve

  12. #11
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    anyone who buys green silky is in for a nasty shock when it drys.


    for $20 a cube i would burn them,especially when i see them for sale /green for $100 plus per slab,or the prices per metre for sawn timber, someone is making a profit
    that is a bad attitude to have. if i cant make anyhting out of them noone will.

    i offerd a bloke down the road $150 for 2.5 cube of hoop pine logs he didnt think it was enough. i explained that the log had been down for 3 weeks and had sighns of stain on the end.

    he said he wanted more. the logs are still tehre 12 mounths latter half rotten in the middle of his padock.

    i also offerd to take some silky logs away for a bloke they were only small 300mm so there was hardly any wood. he wouldnt let me take them unless i paid for them. he got a bloke to cart them to teh dump i got them form there. cost him $200 to get them carted away.

    people would rather see it go to waste than someoen make a bit out of it.

    www.carlweiss.com.au
    Mobile Sawmilling & Logging Service
    8" & 10" Lucas Mills, bobcat, 4wd tractor, 12 ton dozer, stihl saws.

  13. #12
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    Jan 2009
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    Busselton, WA
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    Default value of silky logs

    Look at it this way boys, I see discussions like this on the forum all the time, but the point is without the machine YOU own to turn a log into timber its worthless and you need to tell yourself that. Everyone out there with a few acres and some treeson it think that they are sitting on a goldmine but they arent. WE as sawyers could only wish thatno unwanted log or trees going to be bowled over due to progress will not go to waste and come our way but thats not the case. Even if you get a call to go look at a tree that someone is going to remove and want to know what its worth to you, is it any of their business? What its worth to you is after you and your machine have value added it into timber. Never say what the timber might be worth, if its only one log, give em a slab n move on, if its a load of logs, work out the value of the recovery in green timber and offer them 33% delivered max, if the deal doesnt happen, swallow your heart and let them go

  14. #13
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    Central Victoria, Australia
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    Milling silky oak? I sure hope you're not sensitive/allergic to the stuff.
    ... as long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation. (A.Hitler)

  15. #14
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    Hello Everyone
    Thank you for all the replies, they have be very informative about the logs prices and all the intricacies of turning a log in to merchantable product.
    Judging from the responses, I got a feeling the small logs are not worth much, if any.

    thank you for all your help

    cheers

    Nick

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