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  1. #1
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    Default what to charge to plan and thickness slabs?

    I have been approached by a local timber merchant to process their slabs.

    Due to thicknesser capacity I can only process slabs thats 500mm or under in width. the merchant is ok with this, I now have 60+ slabs in my yard to be process, I can only process 30 of them. We have agreed on a rate per piece which we both think is fair/reasonable.

    Going forward, what is the market rate for slab planing and thicknessing? and then sanding to 180 grit?

    average length is about 2m, width vary between 400mm-500mm

    Is it done by piece or linear metres? and how much per piece/metres?

    Thank you for your input!
    SCM L'Invincibile si X, SCM L'Invincibile S7, SCM TI 145EP, SCM Sandya Win 630, Masterwood OMB1V, Meber 600, Delta RJ42, Nederman S750, Chicago Pneumatics CPRS10500, Ceccato CDX12



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  3. #2
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    At my old work we did generally contract machining at an hourly rate of $80/hr and CNC work at $120/hr with a minimum charge of one hour. Of course if someone came in with a 2 minute job it might just be a nominal charge of $20.

    It depends a bit on how straight they are off the mill, but I figure I could comfortably do a slab that size in about 30 mins with the equipment we had (your setup is pretty much equivalent), so I'd have no issue charging $80 for one. With such a large quantity and the potential for ongoing work however, I think somewhere around $40-50 a piece would be fair.

  4. #3
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    What timber is it? And how thick?
    And what are you going to sand it with?
    Is one of those things listed at the bottom of your post a sander?

    Rob

  5. #4
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    Don't forget to double the time if you have someone tailing out for you...
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  6. #5
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    Instead of pricing out a piece rate. It's best to price out a lineal meter rate. Don't be afraid to bump up the lineal meter rate for lengths longer than 3.0m because they will take more time/meter compared with a piece only 1.8m long (you can add a long length surcharge of a few bux to compensate the extra time needed to get the first face flat using the buzzer. Once the first face is flat, everything that follows is easy and marginally quicker per meter).

    Because you have already agreed on a unit price and you now need to process 30 slabs. That will give you a better understanding of what is involved (effort, skill, time, waste disposal etc) better than any of us here. From there you can work out the meter rate by starting with a day rate.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by elanjacobs View Post
    At my old work we did generally contract machining at an hourly rate of $80/hr and CNC work at $120/hr with a minimum charge of one hour. Of course if someone came in with a 2 minute job it might just be a nominal charge of $20.

    It depends a bit on how straight they are off the mill, but I figure I could comfortably do a slab that size in about 30 mins with the equipment we had (your setup is pretty much equivalent), so I'd have no issue charging $80 for one. With such a large quantity and the potential for ongoing work however, I think somewhere around $40-50 a piece would be fair.
    Thanks Elan! I took one piece with me to try and it took me like 5 minutes or less to do it so I charged only $20 per piece. should have doubled! haha
    SCM L'Invincibile si X, SCM L'Invincibile S7, SCM TI 145EP, SCM Sandya Win 630, Masterwood OMB1V, Meber 600, Delta RJ42, Nederman S750, Chicago Pneumatics CPRS10500, Ceccato CDX12



  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by auscab View Post
    What timber is it? And how thick?
    And what are you going to sand it with?
    Is one of those things listed at the bottom of your post a sander?

    Rob
    They are generally 50mm thick.
    they are mixed timber though. they thought its all Cedar but no, there are some Saligna at 60mm thick/2500mm long/500mm wide . almost broke my back moving them.

    I sand them with my wide belt sander, its 1150mm wide.
    SCM L'Invincibile si X, SCM L'Invincibile S7, SCM TI 145EP, SCM Sandya Win 630, Masterwood OMB1V, Meber 600, Delta RJ42, Nederman S750, Chicago Pneumatics CPRS10500, Ceccato CDX12



  9. #8
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    Mate of mine charged by the hour for his 1500mm wide belt sander as soft timber went straight through but the harder stuff had to be controlled depending on how many amps were being drawn.
    Cheers

    DJ

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Acco View Post
    Mate of mine charged by the hour for his 1500mm wide belt sander as soft timber went straight through but the harder stuff had to be controlled depending on how many amps were being drawn.
    I just charged for my time.... for the next lot I will charge more.

    The way I see it, the sander is not doing anything if its sitting there, it has paid for itself already... I think.
    SCM L'Invincibile si X, SCM L'Invincibile S7, SCM TI 145EP, SCM Sandya Win 630, Masterwood OMB1V, Meber 600, Delta RJ42, Nederman S750, Chicago Pneumatics CPRS10500, Ceccato CDX12



  11. #10
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    Something I don't see mentioned here is to include an amount or allowance for a few other aspects of this operation:

    - You will have timber from another company on site, what about theft or fire? Who is responsible in such an event, and have you got, or can you get insurance for it? Alternatively, can you carry the risk yourself (usually not wise), so consider the value of the stock on hand.

    - You will be using your equipment quite often, so thicknesser/planer blades, sharpening, sandpaper all get used up doing this. It would be worthwhile to estimate the cost of replacement/repair on these items, and ensure you have built enough into the price to cater for it both for equipment depreciation and for consumables. If your blades are the type that can be sharpened, add in the sharpening time.

    - Power (electricity) will be used doing this, perhaps in higher quantities than one might expect. Depending on your electricity rates, this too can add up quickly.

    It's so easy (and I see this happen from time to time) where someone gets into making something or doing something for someone else, and in cases where they haven't considered all their long term costs, it ends up when you do the math they're nearly working for free. Whilst in some specific cases, that might even be an acceptable outcome, in many cases it's not, hence my encouragement to think about all the aspects of this. My apologies to you if you're well versed in all this, and have already done so!

  12. #11
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    Slabs are very variable and time spent on one can be doubled on the next. If the timber is green it clogs the sander. Slabs straight off the mill are usually pretty flat. Air dried slabs can be all over the place with wind and cupping becoming a major issue, requiring a lot of extra work.
    I have found the fairest for all parties is to work on hourly rate.

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Albert View Post
    I just charged for my time.... for the next lot I will charge more.

    The way I see it, the sander is not doing anything if its sitting there, it has paid for itself already... I think.
    Yes, I think you should definitely be charging more.

    As MM said, you have to allow for power and consumables, especially with big sanders. I'm assuming the combined motor power on your sander is in the region of 30-40hp, plus you've got to run a compressor (I think you mentioned you have belt cleaning as well, so that's a LOT of air) and a dust extractor, then there's belts at $80-100+ each. It all adds up.

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Midnight Man View Post
    Something I don't see mentioned here is to include an amount or allowance for a few other aspects of this operation:

    - You will have timber from another company on site, what about theft or fire? Who is responsible in such an event, and have you got, or can you get insurance for it? Alternatively, can you carry the risk yourself (usually not wise), so consider the value of the stock on hand.

    - You will be using your equipment quite often, so thicknesser/planer blades, sharpening, sandpaper all get used up doing this. It would be worthwhile to estimate the cost of replacement/repair on these items, and ensure you have built enough into the price to cater for it both for equipment depreciation and for consumables. If your blades are the type that can be sharpened, add in the sharpening time.

    - Power (electricity) will be used doing this, perhaps in higher quantities than one might expect. Depending on your electricity rates, this too can add up quickly.

    It's so easy (and I see this happen from time to time) where someone gets into making something or doing something for someone else, and in cases where they haven't considered all their long term costs, it ends up when you do the math they're nearly working for free. Whilst in some specific cases, that might even be an acceptable outcome, in many cases it's not, hence my encouragement to think about all the aspects of this. My apologies to you if you're well versed in all this, and have already done so!
    you are absolutely right MM. I have been working for free sometimes, but often I dont realise this until when I do my year end calculations..
    SCM L'Invincibile si X, SCM L'Invincibile S7, SCM TI 145EP, SCM Sandya Win 630, Masterwood OMB1V, Meber 600, Delta RJ42, Nederman S750, Chicago Pneumatics CPRS10500, Ceccato CDX12



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