Thread: before asking what its worth.

And it certainly wouldn't hurt to read this post. Not blowing my own trumpet, but like Weisyboy and others I just get a bit tired of people thinking they've got an absolute goldmine sitting in their back yard.

For those who are too lazy to follow the link:

Tree in backyard = liability of thousand$.
Log on ground = possible liability of hundred$ to remove to $0 to possibly a few cartons of beer worth.

Mick

Its not all doom and gloom and theres no denying that money can be made from timber.Before even starting a saw you need a market doesnt hurt to be a bit diverse here either.My opinion what good is this site if you cant ask silly questions as whats it worth.We all arent timber experts.Geez journeyman you would have saved yourself some typing cramps if you just said that in the 1st place.

here,here weisy. but mick, they might have a gold mine in the back yard ,they just dont know if it is or isn't. i've had customers ask me to mill trees that are 6 foot through and it ends up crap timber after all the milling and drying. then i come across small trees that are worth their weight in gold. but people still need others to tell them if they are worth anything. isn't that why some of us blokes spend our sundays driving around looking at different jobs, quoting, thinking it's all a waste off time until you come across a great tree and find it is worth the time and effort. weisy the guide lines you put up will help others decide whether it is ringing blokes like us. it might be worth our time to set up a check list for people to run through before contacting sawmillers .when i get a chance i'll pm you on my thoughts
cheers charlsie

Well said carl and Mick!!

well said charlsie there are many variables, and qaulity sawn logs are getting harder to source.Good idea with the checklist.

Hi there,
I've just come back from an overnighter in Brisbane, and noticed a stack of logs on a fenceline with a 'for sale' sign nearby. It said "Red Cedar logs $20,000"!!! Now I didn't stop and count them , so initial impressions only: there were maybe 8-10 logs and the bark looked like red cedar, but they weren't huge, one or two maybe 500mm across. Curved, pretty average looking trees really...I see better looking street trees of the same type in Toowoomba, and because of their small size, I'd reckon there isn't much deep red colour in there.
I am stunned to tell the truth, I know red cedar is hard to source, highly sought after and all, but $20,000 and it still needs milling?!?
If you are interested, don't take my jaundiced view, its on the LH side of the Warrego H'way heading west out of Blacksoil (near Ipswich), in a rural supply yard. Just past the Wulkaraka Connection road, as you head into open country.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Andy Mac

. It said "Red Cedar logs $20,000"!!!
Cheers,

tell him he's dreamin

somebody probably told him that red cedar goes for $4000 a cube,
he has a cursory glance at his pile of logs,
figures that they take up about 5 mtrs of space,
does the maths, bingo, gold mine

maybe weisey or JM could do a quick calculation and give us a rough idea
of the actual price per (finished ) cube, after processing, drying, etc,etc

would need to know quantity lenght and size of logs to work it out.

didnt get a phone number did u?

Good thread weisyboy.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

There have been many, many threads started here asking what a log is worth so I thought I would explain it here.

Most people have a over inflated opinion of what a raw log is worth. The timber from the log may be worth upwards of $3000 a cube when you go to buy it at the timber yard but very rarely will the raw logs will be worth over $100 a cube.

The reasons behind this:

1. The log must be branched, bucked, barked, loaded, transported before milling can even begin.
2. Once milling has begun there is a 40% waste factor. Sapwood and heart is worth nothing so you could say up to 60% waste on some species.
3. The timber must then be stickered and stacked for at least a year or kiln dried.
4. There are many defects lying within the logs that cannot bee seen from the outside. The log could have hollow pith sections, dead knots, borer and other bug damage, it could be wind shook (causing it to break when sawn) it could contain bad gum veins to mention a few.
5. A further 20% can be lost in some species during the drying process, through cracking, warping, twists and spring.
6. Dressing can lose a further 10%
7. It is a time consuming process.

So before you ask what is this log worth just think of all the work that goes into converting it into useable timber.

That's interesting - so basically 10 cubic meters of average size Cedar logs are worth $1,000 ?

Seems cheap but you know far more about this than I - so you may lose as much as 50% - 80% in waste etc milling Cedar for example before you end up with dressed useable timber ?

Originally Posted by BowlingBall

That's interesting - so basically 10 cubic meters of average size Cedar logs are worth $1,000 ?

Seems cheap but you know far more about this than I - so you may lose as much as 50% - 80% in waste etc milling Cedar for example before you end up with dressed useable timber ?

You'd lose at least 40-50%, depending on the size of the logs, what sort of board size you're after and what method of sawing you're using. Don't forget that sapwood is no use in most cases, nor is the dead heart and each saw cut will take somewhere around 5mm of kerf, and that's assuming the logs are sound with no nasties in them.

Thanks for the tip Craig,

The seller is telling me there will only be 20% waste all up as they are "good logs" hmmm... some bovine waste in the air seems likely.