Moving to roadside, collecting and transporting 'Big Butts'

[spuddog0507]

On 02/04/2020 at 17:49, arboriculturist said:

Yes totally, if you've spent out on a 800 mill it needs to be productively employed and as you say consistent material is key.

 

My post was really aimed at the Butts I get offered that knowone wants or is able to shift. I should have made that clear.

 

Many many m. stems locally get ringed up for firewood, some with quality burrs etc. and I can be offered them for free just to clear the job.   It will be a fair few years before all those whips we planted today get to a milling size !

Sometimes you have to addmitt defeat !  i know where you are with this as i am working on a solution for the exact same thing myself at the moment, its not easy and its not cheap to work out which is the easy or even a reasonable solution to this problem, but unfortunatly some stems will have to be ringed up as it would be just so un economic to try and remove, i have had nightmares about some timber that i have seen ringed up for firewood over the years and it has been some top notch stuff, if tour thinking of moving a 8.8 tonne stem you must have means to transport as 8.8 tonne is a big stick, We cant save every thing and we have to let some go, watched a video on youtube a couple of wk ago where a bloke was putting pippy oak stems in to a big chipper, and filling arctics up with chip, stems probably 20-30", thats a criminal offence in my book,, 

[Rough Hewn]

One day tree surgeons and foresters might actually know the economic value of the tree they are cutting down.
[emoji13][emoji13][emoji13]?[emoji23]?
Maybe not....

[trigger_andy]

What about roughly quarter sawing the Butt? Maybe more hassle than its worth right enough?

[arboriculturist]

All the posts have given some perspectives on moving timber, which is 'Big Butts' I would want to extract to mill myself.  We are not talking about bog standard really great milling timber, as it is rarely going to be cost effect to move them, as its far less expense to buy a lorry load delivered in as Big J has already pointed out and he should know.

It is the 'special' big butts, that will mill into a 'high value' product.

 

I has sort of resigned myself to having a good working relationship with the Valtra and winch man and the Crane lorry and hefty Hiab man. 

 

Winch man - looks at roadside, route and big butt and says, - NO it's not feasible this time or - Yes I can get it roadside by the bench at the bus stop for £ 220.

 

Crane man - YES I can haul it from the bench by the bus stop to yours for £ 120.

 

I think that's the long and the short of it. Like Spuddog say's - you just have to let some go.

Edited April 4, 2020 by arboriculturist

[Gray git]

You need to have a look for the old Maurice Saunders books with lots of pictures from the 40s onwards of how they shifted truly massive timber with very basic equipment compared to today's machine's

[ESS]

If it was decent quality hardwood and you were having the timber given, and for arguments  sake your 8.8 ton butt cost you £350 to get home it would be under £2 per hoppus,..firewood money.

[arboriculturist]

43 minutes ago, ESS said:

If it was decent quality hardwood and you were having the timber given, and for arguments  sake your 8.8 ton butt cost you £350 to get home it would be under £2 per hoppus,..firewood money.

Wise words there ! - Basically I am not interested in any personal involvement, I would have once but as i'm busy enough, I would prefer to give the work to others. 

[Rough Hewn]

All the posts have given some perspectives on moving timber, which is 'Big Butts' I would want to extract to mill myself.  We are not talking about bog standard really great milling timber, as it is rarely going to be cost effect to move them, as its far less expense to buy a lorry load delivered in as Big J has already pointed out and he should know.
It is the 'special' big butts, that will mill into a 'high value' product.
 
I has sort of resigned myself to having a good working relationship with the Valtra and winch man and the Crane lorry and hefty Hiab man. 
 
Winch man - looks at roadside, route and big butt and says, - NO it's not feasible this time or - Yes I can get it roadside by the bench at the bus stop for £ 220.
 
Crane man - YES I can haul it from the bench by the bus stop to yours for £ 120.
 
I think that's the long and the short of it. Like Spuddog say's - you just have to let some go.

Give me their phone numbers!!!
You're getting a bargain!!!
Get an 8 ton log to your yard for £300 odd quid ?????
Do you know what price slabs would sell for!!!!!!
?????
You've got my number mate.
[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

[arboriculturist]

2 minutes ago, Rough Hewn said:

Give me their phone numbers!!!
You're getting a bargain!!!
Get an 8 ton log to your yard for £300 odd quid ?????
Do you know what price slabs would sell for!!!!!!
?????
You've got my number mate.

Selling the slabs is my main concern - not sure if a listing on Ebay would do the trick ?

[Rough Hewn]

Selling the slabs is my main concern - not sure if a listing on Ebay would do the trick [emoji38]

Green slabs are hard to sell and are cheap compared with dried.
Stick it and store it away in a barn.
By the time it's dry it'll be sold.
Especially if you photograph each board when fresh cut and washed with water to bring out the grain.
Then send the photos to every table maker in a 50 mile radius,
Offering discount for wholesale.
[emoji106]