pigpen60
ArboristSite Member
how much is a log worth hauled to the mill?. more than as firewood?
log price Q
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treeslayer2003
Addicted to ArboristSite
thats pretty broad................can you be more specific or post a pic
Around 400 per 1k mbf or about $0.40 a board foot is where I cut the line for firewood or saw logs, any less you're barely paying for the truck and fuel for you, little more you can make a few bucks.
This is all entirely depends on trucking rates distance to the mill, difficulty of skid, difficulty of falling and bucking... Many many variables involved.
Figure on how many cords you can get on a local truck, then figure how much you would make in firewood (here its going for 250-300 a true cord cut, split and stacked). Then see how much you might get for a load of logs at the mill. Now factor in the fuel, time and effort it takes to split and deliver X amount of firewood...
Any more if and when I sell firewood its log length and dumped from a dump truck, or sell the tops and what not to the self loader jockey and he turns around and drops it in someones yard... the Hel with splitting and stacking 40 cords a year to only end up making about $500. after expenses.
This is all entirely depends on trucking rates distance to the mill, difficulty of skid, difficulty of falling and bucking... Many many variables involved.
Figure on how many cords you can get on a local truck, then figure how much you would make in firewood (here its going for 250-300 a true cord cut, split and stacked). Then see how much you might get for a load of logs at the mill. Now factor in the fuel, time and effort it takes to split and deliver X amount of firewood...
Any more if and when I sell firewood its log length and dumped from a dump truck, or sell the tops and what not to the self loader jockey and he turns around and drops it in someones yard... the Hel with splitting and stacking 40 cords a year to only end up making about $500. after expenses.
pigpen60
ArboristSite Member
my Q is because when I hauled scrap id see these fellas haulin some real crap in and then see them by their beer with the proceeds. well now im seein those same folks haulin a log or 2 in and I was wondering what the take is? I assume they are doin the same thing with the money.
Call the mill and find out what they are paying, but generally speaking 1-2 average sized logs are just going to get you beer money.
pigpen60
ArboristSite Member
well I guess since the scraps dried up they had to move to the new "scrap". I guess I could understand if it was guinness, but natty lite!?
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
I had a Oak log 12 ft long 30 inches on one end 32 inches on the other end the mills offered me $25.00 to $30.00 I sawed it up into firewood and made about $350.00 a retired timber man came by while I was cutting it up he said it was a vernier. Now I cut up all the logs I get for firewood. At the cafe the timber buyers are mad because I cut up good logs. I have excess to hundreds of acre of timber the profits going in my pockets not the timber buyer later
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
At Westvaco paper mill they pay $30.00 a ton I hauled 4 logs there they payed me a $142.00 I didn't cut them for firewood they were full of barbwire later
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Those fellows are the one's that go from logging to lawn mowing to scraping. The fellows like me are true wood people my life is firewood 365 days a year. I even have a fellow mow my grass because while he's mowing my grass I am making more money than he charges. He has a $20.000.00 mower and that all he does is grass. So he is good at it. Later
bnmc98
ArboristSite Guru
The wood may be worth more as firewood because of the labor you put into it. It all relative. Probably with the time you put into a log to process it as firewood, advertise or whatever (find a buyer) how many logs can be cut and shipped to the mill? out here, based on tonage by the truck load, a load of firewood logs pays considerably less than a load of saw logs, thats why we log and "firewood" the crap.
treeslayer2003
Addicted to ArboristSite
thats what some don't understand about fire wood.........the money is in your labor. raw standing fire wood sticks are almost worthless. i have cut oaks worth up to 2000 each as a log.
Good post. Firewood, for the time that it takes, isn't worth it unless you're set up to do hundreds of cords and have an established market.
We sometimes sell decks of oak and culls to the firewood merchants but we don't mess with it otherwise. We usually chip everything that doesn't go for saw logs.
There are a couple of outfits around here that will buy any kind of junk wood that's offered. They don't pay much but if the chip market is down it's an alternative for us. They have processing setups for firewood and ship most of their product to dealers in the big cities. From the looks of their machinery, their people, and the amount of breakdown time they have I don't think they're netting much money.
bnmc98
ArboristSite Guru
another thought is, based on the mill and what you are bringing in to them, are they able to use the log to the full potential? At one mill we ship to a 12 ft log would only have 8 usable ft based on the lumber they cut, also there would be a dock for the diameter size as they dock for greater than 28". so you are selling them a odd duck. wont get best price. A suggestion would be to make sure you get them the specs they need so you maximize YOUR profits.
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
I work very little selling bundled firewoode andy wifeale about 70 thousand a year
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gunnusmc03
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Proof read for God's sake.
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