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  1. #1
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    Default Pile of Great Timbers - Rough idea of Value

    Hope some knowledgeable folk on the forum could guide me.

    A former client of mine, in my real job, retired a few years ago. He was an avid hobby woodturner but his profession was a Surveyor. Over his 50 year career he has amassed a huge amount of great timbers.

    Unfortunately due to a lung condition, he has realised that his woodworking days are over so he asked me to have a look at his stock of timber for an idea of what he could get for it if he sold it.

    He wants to offload it in 1 batch as he doesn't have the time or energy to sell piece by piece.

    I estimate that he has approx 6m3 of timber all up ...some pics of part of his stock is attached......in addition to this load in a storage shed, there is another 2m3 of cedar at his home.

    I saw it this morning and should have taken a bib with me to sop up the drool.

    Some of the species that I could identify in the stack:

    Hairy Oak
    Western Rosewood
    Brigalow
    Mulga
    Sandalwood
    Gidgee
    Silky Oak
    Qld Maple

    These are the only ones I could identify on the outside of the stack.

    Just looking for a very rough idea of what he could ask for it if selling it as 1 batch

    Timber 1.jpg Timber 2.jpg Timber 3.jpg Timber 4.jpg

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  3. #2
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    At the mens shed we get asked the same question from time to time, and honestly most of these collections are not worth much as collections. An individual turner will usually find a few pieces they would really like to have, but the rest just ends up becoming a space waster. For the individual who like buying and selling individual bits and pieces they might be able to squirrel a few bob out of it but otherwise it's is a right PITA doing the sort of thing.

    To be somewhat hard-nosed about it, the real value of this sort of collection depends on who is buying. For most people its firewood, a half reasonable price would be a couple of cartons or 6 bottles of wine. A newbie turner who doesn't have any or much stock might get value out of it at ~$100.

    BTW, much to SWMBO's annoyance I have a similar pile in my carport. The collection is a result of 4 wood turners/carvers downsizing or discarding their collections (which I got for free) plus bits and pieces I have (spent far too much fuel driving to pick up) collected over the years. I have used about 5% of what was/is on the pile and chances are its going to get tossed or given away as it grows way faster than I can use it.

  4. #3
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    I suspect that 6 cube of really good timber might be worth more than a ½ crate of wine....

    Looks like there are desert timbers in there too. I can't advise on a price, but to be realistic I very much doubt he'll be able to sell it as a job lot unless he wants to cop a hiding on the price.

    What about if you offer to sell some for him on here to see how it goes? He can pay you in timber of course....

    At least that way he doesn't have to bite the bullet immediately and sell it for peanuts, and can find out what at least some of it might be worth. Like all collections of timber there will be some burners and other worthless crud in there, but he shouldn't just flog it for nothing for the sake of it.
    Regards, FenceFurniture

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  5. #4
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    I did tell him this morning that it would be unlikely he would offload it in 1 hit, but his original intention was to throw it away.

    Like a lot of wood workers that have nice stock of timber, he couldn't do that for 'sentimental' reasons and was looking for someone who would use it to create some nice items.....he just didn't know how much to ask for it but he did realise that it would have to go cheaply.

    BTW, much to SWMBO's annoyance I have a similar pile in my carport. The collection is a result of 4 wood turners/carvers downsizing or discarding their collections (which I got for free) plus bits and pieces I have (spent far too much fuel driving to pick up) collected over the years. I have used about 5% of what was/is on the pile and chances are its going to get tossed or given away as it grows way faster than I can use it.
    For me it's not SWMBO but lack of space for more timber at the moment. My wood racks are packed to the gunnels otherwise I would have taken a stack off his hands.

  6. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by FenceFurniture View Post
    I suspect that 6 cube of really good timber might be worth more than a ½ crate of wine.... .
    Like used tools it's rarely about what its worth but what buyers are prepared to pay. My experience with stashes are that a few pieces are worth real money, and some that are cost neutral ie worth the cost of fuel and time to pick them up, and most pieces will have a negative value ie in reality it will cost money to get rid of.

    If it was 6 cube of planks and boards with real value it would definitely be worth a lot more but it's 6 cubes of mixed value and even negative value turning pieces which immediately reduces the potential buyer space by a significant factor. My experience of interacting with a local turning clubs is that the average wood turner is not that interested in paying for exotics but want something that is stable, easy to turn and free. I contacted one group about 5 years ago about some short, dry, silky oak logs about 600 mm longs and 300 mm in diameter that were given to me, and after endless email ping pong I could not do a deal with them on price. In disgust I gave them away to another club!

    The most exotic wood that any of the dozen or so turners at the mens shed are interested in turning is Sheoak although one did turn some Huon when he was given it for nothing. A year later he went to Tassie and all he bought back was one piece of Huon and has not stopped complaining about how much he paid for it. I offered one of the most experienced mens shed turners some rock oak - a magenta/scarlet coloured sheoak and he took one look at and said it would ruin his chisels. Of the two local turners I have coffee with on an regular basis one is happy turning pine and jarrah while the other will turn anything as long as its free. I have seen him a few times looking over my stash and gave him a big piece of olive which he did turned some really nice pieces with it.

    Really experienced turners that know and chase exotics usually already have a large stash and will only chase specific timbers and might even be prepared to pay fair prices for premium material. The last thing they will want is another stash just to pick up a few exotics that interest them. That's why the owner wants to get rid of the lot, letting buyers pick over the stash and generate a few $ may not even cover the cost of removal of the rest. If he gives it away and "everything must go" he at least doesn't have to get rid of the odds and sods. Last year I was offered a deceased estate metal stash for free as long as I took the lot which consisted mainly of rusty lengths of mild steel pipe and flatbar. What I really wanted were the few small pieces of SS, brass and ally in the stash. I took the lot and stopped off at the recycling centre and dropped off the steel and kept what I wanted. I figure the cost of me disposing of the metal was about the value of the small bits of exotics worth keeping.

  7. #6
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    What I would do is put it on gum tree for $250

    Before doing that you would need to
    - Establish a half decent inventory - can the owner do this?
    - Take about a dozen of the more exotics and sand them back to clearly show the grain, put some water or meths on the sanded pieces and photograph them to clearly show the grain. Post the better pics on GT in the add
    - lay the "exotic nature of the collection" on the ad with a trowel .
    - hope for a newbie buyer with enough understanding of exotics but not enough "stingy smarts".
    and hope for the best.

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by skot View Post
    My wood racks are packed to the gunnels otherwise I would have taken a stack off his hands.
    Swap some of your "less than" for some of his "to die for"?

    It sounds like he doesn't really need the space but just wants it gone because it's no longer useful to him (or can't be used), so rather than break his heart, if the timber is that good, then it's time to think creatively (like send Dai Sensai a PM - a known timber hoarder if ever there was one ). Cut any highly figured stuff into pen blanks and watch them fall over themselves to buy some. Take a stand at the Brissie wood show - you could be the 16th exhibitor!
    Regards, FenceFurniture

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  9. #8
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    Honestly - the "value" is very low.... Especially if you have to come get it. For example - firewood is $70/rack delivered... As-is, where-is - means you pay someone to haul it off...

    The "problem" is that without him - it's very hard to identify this stuff. It's just miscellaneous wood.... And there is going to be a lot of junk, rotten, and cracked up stuff that's got to go away... And it's all mixed in...

    And then breaking it into lots, cleaning it up, taking photos, and creating listings to sell it is going to take a *lot* of work... I have been through stuff kinda similar to this... And unless you can get the wood basically free you won't be able to make anything on it.

    Sorry..

  10. #9
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    I think his best option would be to sell in lots of timber that he can identify.

    I am guessing that he does not want to do that and does not have anyone that could help him. It would be very heartbreaking to just throw it away after so many decades of collecting. What about a club passing out a hat to the members and collecting the lot?

  11. #10
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    6m3 = around 4 ton = 4 ute loads of firewood = $480 dollars.

    Thats kind of a minimum value I'd say

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Christos View Post
    I think his best option would be to sell in lots of timber that he can identify.
    Agreed. He won't be able to sell all the timber as premium, so sell off what is the best before offering the rest for a pittance. It can't be true that all turners are so stingy - otherwise there wouldn't so many vendors at woodshows selling turning blanks.

    What about digging out the good/great timber and having a well advertised garage sale? There must be someone who would have a suitable venue for that (if not at the storage place itself)? Perhaps sell it by the kilo to save having to individually price each piece (there might be 2-3 different prices per kg for 2-3 different qualities of timber, differentiated with a coloured spot, or better still a coloured chalk mark - stops the cheat from changing spots)
    Regards, FenceFurniture

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  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by John.G View Post
    6m3 = around 4 ton = 4 ute loads of firewood = $480 dollars.
    In WA that sounds like a high end (ie solid good burning) pre-split, delivered firewood price.
    The stash looks pretty typical mixed pile of fiddly bits and small logs and its undelivered.
    It looks like the sort of pile that goes on GT for $20 a trailer load if you pick it up yourself.

  14. #13
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    Hi Skot,
    I would be interested in some of the timber including the cedar. I live in bne and can come over most days. regards John

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    If I lived closer, I would take the sandalwood. But realistically, the cost of transport to Victoria is the deal breaker.

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    Quote Originally Posted by John.G View Post
    6m3 = around 4 ton = 4 ute loads of firewood = $480 dollars.

    Thats kind of a minimum value I'd say
    I think that's probably true delivered firewood cut to standard lengths, stacked, split, and dried... But if you have to dig it out of his shed and it's a jumbled pile of all sort of various lengths and cuts - not nicely cut and stacked firewood.. Not so much.

    I have a sort of similar story from a good friend of mine. Avid woodworker with a well stocked workshop. He had a very substantial pile of very high grade lumber, turning stock, etc.

    High figure walnut, curly maple, a considerable collection of rosewood including a stack of Brazilian rosewood.... Gaboon ebony.. Koa.. He estimated about ten thousand dollars worth of exotic and high figure wood in the late 1990's...

    He got relocated with work. About 2,000 miles across country,. And they wouldn't pay to move the wood.. He couldn't afford to pay the moving company to bring it... And so it had to go... It was unfortunate.. He couldn't get anybody locally interested... A firewood guy came and got about half of it (for free).. And the other half went to the dump... He is still sick about it 20 years later... But most of all - he will not allow himself to accumulate any significant wood hoard - and has warned me several times about my modest hoard...

    And I have heard the similar stories from a number of now retired woodworker friends. And I have seen plenty of widows and kids selling off or hauling off their deceased husband/father's stash for pennies - just to make it go away... One man I recently bought some stuff from was selling off the estate of his father - a regionally well known mandolin maker... He literally burned all the wood and most of the pieces of instruments he found in a big fire before a couple of his friends talked him into posting the whole mess on Craig's list to sell.. Years of expensive curly maple, instrument grade spruce, ebony, rosewood... All burned up.. He was absolutely astonished that anybody would even want so much of this "junk" that was left behind.. But let me tell you - I got a fantastic deal on some nice luthier's tools that would have simply gone to the dump..

    At least now - you could put it on one of the local for-sale websites like Craigs List and it would get some attention... Perhaps run a for sale ad in the nearest big city... And then let people start coming over and at least pay him something to go through the pile - even if it's only a few pieces here and there...

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