Thread: WA - Sawmill clearance auction

There are industries besides wineries in Margaret River?

The best of both worlds, wine and Pusey.
Its on Pusey Rd you perverts..

too far away

Originally posted by
There are industries besides wineries in Margaret River?

Not anymore, someone was going into coopering, but discovered that wine doesn't age well in barrels made from: "truckloads of Jarrah slabs and boards (and smaller quantities of Blackbutt, Sheoak, Marri, Karri and Pine)."

Mick

G`day Geof,
Saw the add (i`m actually on there mailing list for timber auctions) but a $9000 bathroom reno put paid to any chance of me participating in this one. The timber is old and well seasoned and just about all furniture grade stuff(haven`y seen it myself but have heard from a friend who has) That means it will NOT be cheap.
The last sawmill auction i went to a "Gentleman" ****** from the other side bought nearly ever lot at ridiculus prices and i expect this one to be the same. Seems they can`t get enough of out timber over there and are prepared to pay for it.
The time of reasonablely priced Jarrah in this state is over.By all means go but don`t be to optimistic of picking any thing up cheap!
cooky

Thanks for the info Cooky, although not what I wanted to hear about prices. :mad: I guess because there is a lot of timber it will attract buyers from afar. Still, might go for a look, if the timber is disappointing there's always the wine!

Couple of more specific questions:

1) Can anyone give me an indication of current WA prices for Jarrah per cubic metre? (slabs, rough sawn and dressed - if there's a difference)

2) With the timber being old, well seasoned and good grade, is there anything in particular I should look for or avoid?

Geoff

MMM Might have to go check it out looks like a lotta timber at least worth havin' a decko at.

Wonder if'n I can stretch 'Er Indoors purse a bit further having only just returned from 'banana bendin country' and spent heaps on a property there just so SWMBO can return to 'er familiar surroundings.

Dont agree with cookies comments tho ..plenty of cheap Jarrah around if you know where to look ...but I'm NOT TELLIN' WHERE!

cheers

Originally posted by GeoffW

1) Can anyone give me an indication of current WA prices for Jarrah per cubic metre? (slabs, rough sawn and dressed - if there's a difference)

Geoff

Carbatecwa have a timber price list you can download, though not for cubic metres it should give you some idea of prices.

Carabatecwa timber price list

Hi
Anyone go to the auction?
If so what were some of the prices like.
Cheers, Allan

Good question Allan... Geoff did you go or give it a miss??... WHat did you come back with??!!! I have trouble going to a timber auction without coming back with SOMETHING!!

I wonder if John managed to get her indoors to part with some $$$... I considered going but then me other half went ballistic over "all the ruddy timber sittin around this place the last thing you need is ruddy well more!! your not goin!"

Prices can be weird cant they John?... I mean sometimes we see something we think will go for a truckload seems to be snapped up cheep as chups and others well they get rather expensive REAL fast!... and mate you gotta be on yer toes!!! what you might think is only $400 can quick as turn into $800 faster than a rabbit on heat!

But there are some great timber buys out there... no worries!

Yes, I did go, and now I am broke, very broke! :eek:

I gave it a miss on Friday (mostly lower grade & green timber) and went on Sat. The timber was certainly impressive - lots of it and good quality well seasoned boards and slabs, as per Cooky's comments. The vast majority was jarrah and there was a small amount of dressed and other bits and pieces.

Only the buyers surpassed the timber in quantity and quality! There were LOTS of serious buyers with serious cash to spend, which did make it hard for the local small cabinetmakers and the hobbyist like me. I believe one buyer has 6 road-trains worth heading East, another has the same heading to Perth!

I did hear of a few, very few, bargains but you really had to be on the ball all day to get one. Overall I would say the prices reflected the quality of the timber and the current lack of supply and increased demand. As a guide, prices for the boards started at around $500/cm for short &/or thin boards, $1000 - $1500/cm for good 150x50mm boards >2m long, with premium wide (>250mm) and long (5-6m) x 50mm thick boards fetching $4000/cm. The prices held strong all day! The slabs ranged from $400 per lot (2 x narrow, short slabs) up to $2000 per lot, with most selling for around $800 - $1200 per lot. All prices plus GST.

I realise that in years gone buy jarrah was much cheaper than this in WA, but what do you guys think of these prices compared to current rates being paid? I would be interested in your feedback.

It was a very long, very hot day! But it was worth it, I think. I picked up a couple of packs of short 170mmx38mm boards and quite a few slabs of various sizes. The boards will be useful for a range of projects once dressed up. Now all I need is a thinnesser and maybe a jointer(??). I did attack one of the boards with an electric planner and was quite impressed although there was some tear-out which I couldn't eliminate - hopefully the correct tool with sharp blades will fix this?:confused: Feedback welcome.

As far as the Jarrah slabs go, I have got far more than I really need or will use for a long time (some were sold in packs of 5 or 6). So if anyone in Perth is interested in buying any, let me know.

Did anyone else go? (Duh - from this forum I mean - I realise there were other people there!) If so, what were you experiences?

Geoff

I dont feel too bad now after reading your post, I didnt go, but I had some E-bids riding.
Now I know why they havent contacted me.

Cheers, Eastern Al

WHEW!!!!!!!!! :eek: well bless her little heart this time she was right to make me stay away else Id be broker as well!

Seems the prices have gone upwards since Binningup last year... no surprise on the big buyers was one hell large spender in particular at last years as well... and a couple of others... left everyone else out in the cold.

Did I mention the word WHEW!!!... gawd some interesting prices there by harry! :eek:

Hi Geoff, Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the auction and it sounds like it was a doozy,I had to go out and make a quid.

Seriously, any auctions these days you need to go well heeled or have a friendly handshake from your bank.And this is still a cheaper option than going down to your hardware store/warehouse.

Spoke to the blokes at Binninup yesterday and an auction is still a long way off but hey if you want Jarrah,Marri,Sheoak get onto them.
The price of good Jarrah is certainly changing on the upward side due to increased demand and reduced allotments allowed by the state government but by shopping around and being prepared to travel further you can find what you want.
For instance I once had access to mills, that are now closed because of restricted access to available sawlogs but still there are the small auctions like deceased estates,cockies,and the occassional spot mill still operating.
Further to this is the salvage yards still having an alternative position.
Westwoods shut down last Saturday which sold a lot of second grade timber out of Bunnings mills and was a valuable choice for those who needed to get hold of DAR timber at reasonable prices.
I have always advocated that it's a sound policy to store as much good timber as you can afford and find space for..better than money in the bank in the long term especially with rapid rise in costs.

You can still get reasonably priced timber ..its a case of looking about you ..sometimes virtually in your own area.
Glad to hear you had a win with the slabs Geoff ...hang onto them for a while and they'll pay for your trip south.
Cheers