Oak

[Johnpl315]

Hi all, got some oak I have milled over the past few days. Got some 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, 8x8 as well as 5x3, 6x3, 7x4 etc. unfortunately I always seem to be a bit unlucky and a lot of it has some woodworm infestation.

What is it worth per cubic foot? £17? Thanks

[se7enthdevil]

any green wood i buy is £15 but structural oak may be more...

[Johnpl315]

:blink::blink:Have you got a link to a company that sells oak posts at £15 a cube? Uk oak in my experiance are the cheapest with a 6x6 post 8' long priced at £33 + vat.

That equates to around £20 a cube including vat, and that's about the cheapest.

Good quality posts I have sold at up to £25 a cube

Ironic you think all butts are worth milling but want to pay rock bottom!

[Jim B]

If it's oak it is likely to be Pinhole Borer. The trees need milling as soon as they are felled to combat this. A lot of people will not accept this damage when buying beams etc.

[Johnpl315]

Yeah I did not fell the trees unfortunately. I believe one of the butts had been down for around 10 years so that would explain it.

Is it reasonable to ask for a partial refund as this has significantly affected the value of the wood?

[Mike Dempsey]

I wouldnt be happy either selling or buying that timber. Might get away with selling it for non structural outdoor work but not high quality furniture etc.

[Johnpl315]

So what would you do? I paid over £1000 for the butts at a rate of £4.50 per hoppus foot. I knew it had some woodworm but in my experience all oak has some in the sapwood. I had no way of telling it extended in to the heartwood.

I am not really happy selling it either but even if I got a refund I would still be way out of pocket as I have to pay the guy who was helping me and I have to cover my costs.

[Copford sawmill sussex]

It's very difficult when buying timber. The only way we get around this is if we see the tell take signs we pay less and if it's an extra ordinary tree we suspect. we have an understanding that we pay x amount if the worm is bad that's why we paid less and if it's nice we pay a difference then everyone's happy. We often have to pay fellers a few extra quid if a tree turns out nice. All timber is a gamble we have bought parcels before that end up being full of metal or seem to all be dead from half way up. Nothing's a suprise any more lol

[se7enthdevil]

i'd look for a partial refund as £1000 should be for good timber not worm eaten butts.

 

i don't have a link to a website selling at £15 ft3 in oak because the green timber i have bought has always been some sort of deal between me and the miller not through normal retail at lumber yards.

 

perhaps you could put up a picture of the worm so we can see how bad it is for ourselves. it may still be good enough for exterior uses like garden benches or gates?

[Johnpl315]

Thank you very much for your input guys. It's mostly concentrated around the ends of the posts where the end grain has softened slightly.

Will try and get some pics up later.