Jump to content

Log in or register to remove this advert

Quartersawn Oak price?


Mikesmill
 Share

Recommended Posts

Can I have some advice please?

I've cut some quartered oak into slabs and there's at least 3, true quartersawn 3 inch slabs at 6 foot long, 2 foot wide one end and 3 foot at the other, per quarter. The windblown tree, from the gardens on the Drax Estate in Dorset, was over 500 years old.

When I cut the other three quarters of the original log, I anticipate having twelve of these slabs, and plenty of riftsawn ones at the same thickness, and 2 inch.

I'm considering paying to have them professionally kiln dried, but have no experience of if that's a good idea/worth it. 

I've researched how much to sell them for and can only come up with a guesstimate of £65 per linear board foot, or £130 a square foot - is that too much?

Thanks in advance

IMG_20190511_160827.jpg

IMG_20190511_144535.jpg

IMG_20190511_152224.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Log in or register to remove this advert

1 hour ago, Mikesmill said:

Can I have some advice please?

I've cut some quartered oak into slabs and there's at least 3, true quartersawn 3 inch slabs at 6 foot long, 2 foot wide one end and 3 foot at the other, per quarter. The windblown tree, from the gardens on the Drax Estate in Dorset, was over 500 years old.

When I cut the other three quarters of the original log, I anticipate having twelve of these slabs, and plenty of riftsawn ones at the same thickness, and 2 inch.

I'm considering paying to have them professionally kiln dried, but have no experience of if that's a good idea/worth it. 

I've researched how much to sell them for and can only come up with a guesstimate of £65 per linear board foot, or £130 a square foot - is that too much?

Thanks in advance

IMG_20190511_160827.jpg

IMG_20190511_144535.jpg

IMG_20190511_152224.jpg

I think you must mean £130 cubic foot and that's a bit steep but if you can get it, well done you.

If they were longer boards you my be in with a chance of getting that price but 6' is a short board in furniture terms.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Forest2Furniture said:

I think you must mean £130 cubic foot and that's a bit steep but if you can get it, well done you.

If they were longer boards you my be in with a chance of getting that price but 6' is a short board in furniture terms.

Thanks, yes I did mean cubic foot (am still learning how to work it out this way).

Do you have any idea how much I should price them at?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 inch is a bit thicker than I would have cut it. You have to think about what the end use of it will be, and quarter sawn oak is usually used in such a way as to display it's figure. So table tops, counter tops, panelling etc. I would have cut a mixture of 32mm, 41mm and 54mm personally. 

 

Secondly, the boards are short. This counts against them, as does the weak medulary ray figure and the brown rot. 

 

Realistically, I wouldn't be pricing them much above normal oak. 6-7 years ago I had some really nice QS oak. One batch of standard and one batch of brown. The standard went out at £45/CF, the brown £48/CF. That was kiln dried.

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Big J said:

3 inch is a bit thicker than I would have cut it. You have to think about what the end use of it will be, and quarter sawn oak is usually used in such a way as to display it's figure. So table tops, counter tops, panelling etc. I would have cut a mixture of 32mm, 41mm and 54mm personally. 

 

Secondly, the boards are short. This counts against them, as does the weak medulary ray figure and the brown rot. 

 

Realistically, I wouldn't be pricing them much above normal oak. 6-7 years ago I had some really nice QS oak. One batch of standard and one batch of brown. The standard went out at £45/CF, the brown £48/CF. That was kiln dried.

Okay, thanks. Back to the drawing board it is

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Mikesmill said:

Okay, thanks. Back to the drawing board it is

I wasn't trying to be overly negative. God knows I've overblown my own expectations on countless logs. It's better to be realistic and it's best not to sit on stock where possible. If you're selling it green, £25/cf would be about right, though I'd settle for £20

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Big J said:

3 inch is a bit thicker than I would have cut it. You have to think about what the end use of it will be, and quarter sawn oak is usually used in such a way as to display it's figure. So table tops, counter tops, panelling etc. I would have cut a mixture of 32mm, 41mm and 54mm personally. 

 

Secondly, the boards are short. This counts against them, as does the weak medulary ray figure and the brown rot. 

 

Realistically, I wouldn't be pricing them much above normal oak. 6-7 years ago I had some really nice QS oak. One batch of standard and one batch of brown. The standard went out at £45/CF, the brown £48/CF. That was kiln dried.

I think Big J is about right, although I would also say 3 inch clear Oak is ideal for window frames, and the 6ft length will be fine for many (but not all) of these.  Once air dried for 3 years it should fetch £40 or maybe £50 per cubic foot as good joinery Oak.

 

Kiln drying is possible but really only once it has air dried.  It can be dried now but would take maybe 4 months in a kiln and the cost would be huge, as it must be done very carefully to avoid checking and honeycomb.

 

I used to sometimes sell clear unseasoned Oak for various purposes and I used to charge £30 per cubic foot.  These days I air dry it but it is a long old process.  The bottom line is good quality unseasoned Oak is available easily from France at around £17 per cubic foot if buying a lorry load (I might be a little out of date I admit but not much) so the real value is in fully dried timber.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 inch is a bit thicker than I would have cut it. You have to think about what the end use of it will be, and quarter sawn oak is usually used in such a way as to display it's figure. So table tops, counter tops, panelling etc. I would have cut a mixture of 32mm, 41mm and 54mm personally. 
 
Secondly, the boards are short. This counts against them, as does the weak medulary ray figure and the brown rot. 
 
Realistically, I wouldn't be pricing them much above normal oak. 6-7 years ago I had some really nice QS oak. One batch of standard and one batch of brown. The standard went out at £45/CF, the brown £48/CF. That was kiln dried.
So would 32, 41 and 54mm be good cuts to go with for the other 3 quarters of the butt?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


  •  

  • Featured Adverts

About

Arbtalk.co.uk is a hub for the arboriculture industry in the UK.  
If you're just starting out and you need business, equipment, tech or training support you're in the right place.  If you've done it, made it, got a van load of oily t-shirts and have decided to give something back by sharing your knowledge or wisdom,  then you're welcome too.
If you would like to contribute to making this industry more effective and safe then welcome.
Just like a living tree, it'll always be a work in progress.
Please have a look around, sign up, share and contribute the best you have.

See you inside.

The Arbtalk Team

Follow us

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.