Thread: WA Blackbutt bonanza

Originally Posted by burlboy

Thats a bonanza alright!!! Nice score
Ive always wondered what was in that West Coast Timbers shed in Myalup...now I know, a bloody big bandsaw!!!
Geez $400/hr is a bit exxy but isnt it...must cut a fair bit/hr
Pity he cant cut over 2m width, or Id send him up some nice big jarrah burls to play with, since theyz too big for me to cut!!!

Would be wanting to cut at least 2 or 3 cubic metres of boards an hour and I aint talking 6x4's, 4x1s or 6x1's maybe, thats just over the top!!! would want to be a shipload better than the outcome PJT had too!!!

Originally Posted by Travis Edwards

Would be wanting to cut at least 2 or 3 cubic metres of boards an hour and I aint talking 6x4's, 4x1s or 6x1's maybe, thats just over the top!!!

Nifty I've done the math and I reckon you did well. People don't seem to realize it's not about how much money the sawyer made in this case it's about what it is worth to you. Id gladly pay him a $1000 bucks and come home with a truckload of slabs bandsaw cut. Reality is it was probably cheaper than someone and yourself spending all day on a lucas with not as nice cut and losing a slab with the extra kerf. Smart working for both with a win, win situation. Well done

I think it was too. Considering the effort to recover the log, freight to and from the mill and the cost of milling, one out of fifteen slabs recovered basically covers costs so all good

hi all i myself own a forrester bandmill it will slab just under 1 metre and i charge $150 an hour +gst and a lucas that does 1500 wide if anyone is interested

A relative of mine has two enormous blackbutt logs, not too far from Myalup. one is about 9m long 80 cents wide top to bottom. the other is about 3m long 120 cents wide.
He is a farmer not a timber man. but was thinking of getting them milled.
he has two questions.
are they of most value slabbed or as boards?
how much could he expect blackbutt to be worth? (ie. is it worth his time/effort). thanks in advance

Value is in the eye of the purchaser. Slabs are propably more valuable by volume, however its possible to have boards be worth up to 5k per cube for the right stuff. Blackbutt is probably our most valuable timber in WA for 2 reasons. Its hard to get hold of it now because it only grows along waterways and it also has a higher fire retardency rating than the other WA natives. However if the logs have been down for a long time, blackbutt can be prone to severe pinhole borer attack, it makes the timber look like a leopards skin. My conclusion, any blackbutt in good nic is worth milling, if i hear of logs available i grab em quick smart

thanks for the reply. sorry for highjacking your thread
regards