Timber values

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Can anyone advise a source that can give current values of different timbers? Eg how much should I sell a 20' section of 2' diameter Oak to a timber yard for? Obviously there are variants, wonder if there's a web site with current timber prices?

 

Cheers guys.

[Tom D]

Unless you can deliver it to them then its worthless, timber merchants think in 20ton loads. I have sold one log of rippled sycamore for £400 but I delivered it. I'd guess ( and it is a guess) that your oak log might be between £80 and £150.

[Mesterh]

I have sold one log of rippled sycamore for £400

 

Sorry to jump in on the thread but is it easy to identify rippled sycamore?

We have taken a few down over the years which seemed to have abit of a wavy grain.

[tommer9]

Firstly it kind of depends where you are. I mill timber and do tree surgery so have some idea of value, but it seems that timber in cornwall makes better money than elsewhere, eg devon, as we are lacking in trees down here, hence have to buy a lot in. As a rule of thumb though, i would pay about 50p per cubic foot for hardwoods at the roadside, and about £3.50 for a cubic foot delivered in. The seller ends up with the same as the transport usually makes up the difference. This seems to be the going rate with the three or four bigger mills in cornwall that i deal with also. If the timber needs any extraction then i would not expect to pay anything for it though. The way timber is measured is by the "Hoppus foot", which has been around since 1730's and is still used today. The equation to work it out is as follows. " Mid quarter girth divided by four, then square it, then times by the length of log in feet, then divide that by 144" Therefore to work out the volume of your log you measure the circumference at the halfway point- in your case it must be ABOUT 75 inches, divide that by 4= 18.75. square that= 352. 352 times the length is 7040. divided by 144 = 48. Therefore you have 48 cubic feet in that log. there are various yards on line that will advise on prices, but usually only for sawn stuff, but most will help you out if you call them. Or you could just fone your local sawmill- its not in their interest to mislead you, viz-a-viz future business opportunities- but ring around. Timber in the round is not worth much. Had you thought about having a mobile mill in. Most will charge from 280 upward for a day, and one log is far from a days work, and you will have some beautiful and valuable timber at the end of it- green sawn oak beams can go for around £30/cubic foot depending on quality! Hope this essay helps not bores you!! Good luck- please dont cut it into logs tho'!!!

[tommer9]

Sorry to jump in on the thread but is it easy to identify rippled sycamore?

We have taken a few down over the years which seemed to have abit of a wavy grain.

Tends to have ripples on the bark- called "fiddleback" maple, as used for violin backs!!

[skyhuck]

Sorry to jump in on the thread but is it easy to identify rippled sycamore?

.

 

Just knock a lump of bark of and you will see or feel the ripple.

[skyhuck]

I have sold one log of rippled sycamore for £400 but I delivered it.

 

I hope it was only a small butt for that price.

[mikeyg]

just bought an alaskan mill and started slabbing a load of oak. does anybody know what thickness to cut boards to sell on. cheers

[tommer9]

I started like that before i got a mobile bandsaw, and at first cut everything to 1 3/4 inches. I have still got one or two boards from the early days- about 10 years ago! Nowa days if not milling to order i do thinner boards from the middle of the log- quater sawing for less movement, and thicker boards to go for beams or 4x2's etc from the outside where movement is more of a problem, as the bigger sections resist movement more. That way aswell, there is more scope for sale from each log. What saw

you running your mill on?

[logger]

Sorry to jump in on the thread but is it easy to identify rippled sycamore?

We have taken a few down over the years which seemed to have abit of a wavy grain.

 

Nearly all sycamore will show ripple in the grain at ground level,and it is not possible to tell a figured log without knocking the bark off as the smoothest of trees can be loaded with ripple-- bark needs to be knocked off at around breast height.The strength of figure varies from tree to tree i.e in some trees it just glares out at you, other trees you really need to look closely to detect it. Its also possible to have figure in one side of a butt and not the other , if at all possible never summer fell a figured sycamore-- not always possible in arb work admittedly .