Thread: Source of logs?

I get the majority of the logs I cut up direct from a tree lopper mate.
The rest I get from family & mates, after storms, word of mouth, during the hard rubbish verge side pickups, via the forum, etc

I have never had a log delivered because even though I hinted strongly no one has ever offered to deliver a log and the only person I asked outright if they could deliver a log said no.
Generally I pick up short and small logs with my HIACE van, or I hire a trailer, or I get my tree lopper buddy to go and pick it up.
Apart from the big logs that the tree lopper buddy brings back to his yard I generally mill on site.
A small but good reason for this is the mess - I leave that at the clients/mates place.

Cheers

Keeping the hungry maw of a sawmill fed is the bane of every small sawmillers life, basically the only guys with good resource security are those situated to utilise a large scale plantation resource, and in Australia that means softwood though hardwood plantations will slowly come online in the next 20 years.

So your options are:
Own the ground the logs come off.
Buy logs from private property
Buy logs from whatever agency is responsible for log sales off state controlled land in your state or territory.
Have access to plantation timber, be it hardwood or softwood.
Salvage ... urban development, natural disasters etc.

Most mills do all of the above We take what we can get from where we can get it and fly by the seat of our pants. Resource security is the biggest single issue in Australia's timber industry. That's why theres not a single world class sawmilling operation in the whole country: no-one is in a position to invest serious dollars because theres no guarantees about supply that are better then the next electoral cycle. Hell, even the worlds best eucalypt processing lines are in Argentina and Spain. If I bring in a ten year old second hand machine from the states it means I'm the head of the class here. Sad really.



How they get to the mill depends a lot on what the logs are and where you're situated. Up here most mills cut and haul their own logs, in whole or in part. The industry up here is based on manual felling and skidders/dozers. Down south theres a lot more usage of logging contractors, feller/bunchers, forwarders etc. I wish I had that option quite frankly... theres a fair bit of capital tied up in my logging gear that I'd rather buy a new mill with, and I'd rather run a sawmill then a chainsaw. I think thats why a lot of the portable sawmillers concentrate on contract sawing and/or high value recovery: you can upgrade your sawmill equipment only so far before you start needing log loaders, trucks, skidders, and the men to run them to run efficiently. It's a lot easier to take a portable mill to the logs then it is to take a log to the mill... it costs me $600 dollars just to drop the ramps on a float to shift the dozer so I need a certain volume just to make it worthwhile. Below that volume is why I continue my love/hate relationship with my Lucas.

if your millign for yourself or even selling timber your dest bet is to contact local treeloppers and put adds in teh paper, you should get enought to keep you happy.

to buy logs from a logger you need to be able to unload them from a semi, witch means you need a front end loader with forks that can lift 2 ton or more 4.5m high.

just go searching every time you hear a chainsaw.

Originally Posted by Evanism

G'day chaps,

Where do you source logs for milling from?

Do you get them dropped off to you on the back of a truck?

I ask as I saw a logging truck today, obviously going somewhere, and would have loved to ask the driver both where he came from and where he was going. (and maybe one might fall off accidentally at my place).

I'm in Canberra and there used to be a mill over in Queanbeyan but I believe this closed years ago....someone must be harvesting trees, so obviously they can be purchased....somehow......

Ideas?

Hi Evan,

There is a timber merchant in Wallaroo Road via Hall. His name is Gordon Smith operating as Urban Timber Recovery. Ph 6230 2380 or 0411 480 995. He has a number of mills and can cut logs to any requirement and has a huge store of logs and timber much professionally air dried.

If you are heading out this way you may like to drop into the Hall Mens Shed. We have a variety of blanks which may be of interest to you and you may also be interested in our museum of old tools and trades. We are open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings from 10:00 to 12:30ish, but Thursday is our main day. We are located at the old Hall Primary School in Palmer St.

Graham

Graham, funny you should mention Mr Smith, I was talking to him about the sale of his bowling alley slabs!

Bowling Alley Lanes / Benchtops / Timber Slabs | Building Supplies, Timber | Local Classifieds, Buy and Sell for Free | allclassifieds

3 to 6 metre lengths of rock maple for bench tops!

I have 600 Acres of trees in SE Tasmania, but you'll have to pay for postage and handling

Originally Posted by codeMunk3y

I have 600 Acres of trees in SE Tasmania, but you'll have to pay for postage and handling

Just pop a log in the mail for me.

600, SE Tas....wow! Paradise.

You can get logs like this...

Dammit, file upload not working...maybe a bit later...watch this space