Value of big straight beech

[Guest Gimlet]

2 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

 

With the price of all timber so high at the moment, even extremely nasty imported stuff, it baffles me that beautiful home-grown timber like the above doesn't have more a of a market. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by Gimlet

[muttley9050]

Im selling nice seasoned ash slabs at about £60 a ft3 at the minute. Don't see why beech shouldn't sell for the same. All depends what it looks like once milled.

[trigger_andy]

With the price of all timber so high at the moment, even extremely nasty imported stuff, it baffles me that beautiful home-grown timber like the above doesn't have more a of a market. 

It might have a market, but when I’m getting £50 a cubic foot and sometimes £100 a cube for green oak why waste my milling time to mill a product that will bring less than I get for green larch? Better off as firewood unfortunately.

[doobin]

30 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

 

It might have a market, but when I’m getting £50 a cubic foot and sometimes £100 a cube for green oak why waste my milling time to mill a product that will bring less than I get for green larch? Better off as firewood unfortunately.

 

What do you charge for a 6x6 gatepost 8ft long?

[trigger_andy]

Just now, doobin said:

What do you charge for a 6x6 gatepost 8ft long?

To be honest I mostly get requests for mantles or timber framing oak. For that Im £50 a cube. I’d charge the same for a gate post and if I got the order great if not I’ll not lose sleep. 
 

My last green mantle was £100 a cube. 

[doobin]

3 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

To be honest I mostly get requests for mantles or timber framing oak. For that Im £50 a cube. I’d charge the same for a gate post and if I got the order great if not I’ll not lose sleep. 
 

My last green mantle was £100 a cube. 

I’m not getting many takers at £100 for that size post. Not sure why, we are in a rich area. 
 

people went nuts for these yew planks though that I sawed just to save from the firewood pile. £20-£30 each. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by doobin

[trigger_andy]

I’m not getting many takers at £100 for that size post. Not sure why, we are in a rich area. 
 
people went nuts for these yew planks though that I sawed just to save from the firewood pile. £20-£30 each. 

No, I’m guessing not £100 each for gate posts. I’d say £50 each is fair and I’d use some scrappy oak that did not make the Mantle grade.

[surveyor]

The  beech I had milled into lumber (1 by), was a beautiful salmon color with interwoven grain, but when strip stacked and air dried it warped badly and became rock hard.

[spuddog0507]

10 hours ago, Squaredy said:

There certainly are sawmills that take Beech, but of course like other species they want it to arrive by the lorry load, and need it to be forest grown.

 

Hence a few decent stems that add up to half a load with poor access are sadly worth nothing.

Sites we work on are good access and forest grown and a wagon and drag load is no problem, but finding a buyer for it round here these days is near on impossible, we can sell it in loads like 2-3-4 tonne to guys doing a bit of wk end milling, but 15yr ago selling beech, ash, oak and elm local was no problem at all, as in a small near by village we had a company called Berrys who ran what we called locally as chipping chair works who i  think was linked to Waring & Gillows, they employed about 120 people and it was once over a very busy place but i think most of its operation was moved south, this place would take what ever hardwood we could produce back then, but sadly no more,,,,

[harvey b davison]

That’s my thinking.

The Beech I’ve milled and used for my own projects is lovely timber, is a bit of a shame it’s not currently very desirable.

Saying that Dave seems to flog it quite readily.

Andy, did you make that rocking horse yourself ? If so where did you get the plans for it ? Or did you just make it up as you went along ? Cheers.