Long length premium

[trigger_andy]

Im sure many of you have a figure in your head in cubic foot or cubic meter when quoting and I tend to stick to this regardless if its 2.5m or 4.8m but do any of you add a premium for over 4.8m? I'm being asked to quote for 5.7m Oak beams and wonder what additional premium I should ask for lengths as long as this? 

[Squaredy]

2 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

Im sure many of you have a figure in your head in cubic foot or cubic meter when quoting and I tend to stick to this regardless if its 2.5m or 4.8m but do any of you add a premium for over 4.8m? I'm being asked to quote for 5.7m Oak beams and wonder what additional premium I should ask for lengths as long as this? 

How are you going to ensure that the beams are straight?  Or have you told the customer that they most likely will not be straight?

 

 That is surely more important than price - if you go to all the effort to cut them and the customer rejects them?

[trigger_andy]

Just now, Squaredy said:

How are you going to ensure that the beams are straight?  Or have you told the customer that they most likely will not be straight?

 

 That is surely more important than price - if you go to all the effort to cut them and the customer rejects them?

Thats a good point. Thankfully the Oak I get off the local estate has very little movement in it. Cutting at 3-4m has yet to be an issue but I can see cutting at 5.7 could be. 

 

He knows they'll be green so what happens after they leave my yard is of no interest to me. But ensuring they remain straight whilst I still have them will be. 

 

I've milled 60 off 6"x6"x5.7m Norway Spruce Beams (so far) for my log cabin and very few if any have moved in the last 6-12 months they've been stickered. Hopefully the oak will remain the same. 

 

If the Oak moves then I'll just keep them and mill til I get a good one, or however many he needs. 

[doobin]

I’ve not been asked but I’d definitely charge a premium. Oak that straight and long is hard to come by and would make two sets of 2.8m posts. 

[openspaceman]

44 minutes ago, doobin said:

I’ve not been asked but I’d definitely charge a premium. Oak that straight and long is hard to come by and would make two sets of 2.8m posts. 

not to mention taper

[trigger_andy]

1 hour ago, doobin said:

I’ve not been asked but I’d definitely charge a premium. Oak that straight and long is hard to come by and would make two sets of 2.8m posts. 

Ive at least two 7m Log Logs that are very straight with no branches. I really should get them dug out.  

[Squaredy]

1 hour ago, trigger_andy said:

Ive at least two 7m Log Logs that are very straight with no branches. I really should get them dug out.  

If you can just square off the log it should remain pretty straight.  If the beam you end up with is just from one side it will bow as soon as it is cut.

[trigger_andy]

8 hours ago, Squaredy said:

If you can just square off the log it should remain pretty straight.  If the beam you end up with is just from one side it will bow as soon as it is cut.

You've done far far more milling that I so I bow to your greater knowledge on this.

My personal experience of milling local Oak differs from yours, but that could be because I rarely mill Oak longer than 3m. When I do Im getting between 4 and 9 beams out of a log (excluding sapwood)  and have yet to have an outer beam move at all. Ive milled a few at 4.8m for some personal projects and they have remained straight as well.

But I can see it being an issue when it comes to lengths closer to 6m. Its a 30" log so right on my limits and I intend on getting at least 6x6" beams out of it. I'll see how they end up and report back. 

[Squaredy]

18 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

You've done far far more milling that I so I bow to your greater knowledge on this.

My personal experience of milling local Oak differs from yours, but that could be because I rarely mill Oak longer than 3m. When I do Im getting between 4 and 9 beams out of a log (excluding sapwood)  and have yet to have an outer beam move at all. Ive milled a few at 4.8m for some personal projects and they have remained straight as well.

But I can see it being an issue when it comes to lengths closer to 6m. Its a 30" log so right on my limits and I intend on getting at least 6x6" beams out of it. I'll see how they end up and report back. 

If they do bow at least they can be cross cut shorter and still good for something else.  Good luck with it.

[doobin]

23 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

You've done far far more milling that I so I bow to your greater knowledge on this.

My personal experience of milling local Oak differs from yours, but that could be because I rarely mill Oak longer than 3m. When I do Im getting between 4 and 9 beams out of a log (excluding sapwood)  and have yet to have an outer beam move at all. Ive milled a few at 4.8m for some personal projects and they have remained straight as well.

But I can see it being an issue when it comes to lengths closer to 6m. Its a 30" log so right on my limits and I intend on getting at least 6x6" beams out of it. I'll see how they end up and report back. 

They must be dead straight! I envy you, sounds like good sawlogs.