Sectioning logs

[slowp]

I continue to make a career out of cutting the crap wood and making it look like decent logs...

Now that I have the Self loader.... Holy S the crap people send in is amazing

Be glad you are there and not here. I mostly see trucks hauling pecker poles. Lots and lots of pecker poles mostly on short loggers. They have to haul them long distances, as there is only one mill left in this valley.

When I worked over here, a sale I had broke the local mill's scale program. There were too many logs on the trucks. It was a lodgepole sale. Now it looks like a lot of small P pine and DF going by. I assume it is from fire prevention work. I also assume they get paid by weight, although I think it is hard to make weight with pecker poles. The logging work I've seen is nicely done on the ground. We rode our bikes up next to a sale last year. It was all mechanized and was a thinning for fire sale.

 

[northmanlogging]

Be glad you are there and not here. I mostly see trucks hauling pecker poles. Lots and lots of pecker poles mostly on short loggers. They have to haul them long distances, as there is only one mill left in this valley.

When I worked over here, a sale I had broke the local mill's scale program. There were too many logs on the trucks. It was a lodgepole sale. Now it looks like a lot of small P pine and DF going by. I assume it is from fire prevention work. I also assume they get paid by weight, although I think it is hard to make weight with pecker poles. The logging work I've seen is nicely done on the ground. We rode our bikes up next to a sale last year. It was all mechanized and was a thinning for fire sale.

a lot of that around here too, mostly mechanized anymore so it's a lot easier to mess with the pecker poles.

SP and Hampton both have a scale by weight program, which I suppose is fine if you produce 20 loads a day, but for me it could take a month to get enough pecker poles and top to make up a load, and I end up losing my ass cause it's all dried out and light by then

 

[woodfarmer]

i should have done more research on scaling years ago. Here are amounts for a typical 30’ hardwood tree.
20” x8’=128 18”x10’=122 12”x12’= 298. 298 bdft
19”x10’=141 16”x12’=108 12”x8’= 32. 281
19”x12’=169 16”x10’=90 12”x8’=32. 291
19”x10’=141 17”x10’=106 12”x10’=40. 287
I usually always take the first log at 12’, so I’ve been shorting myself 7 bdft on every tree as opposed to starting at 8’, which doesn’t sound like much but over 100 trees would have bought me a new saw.
Live and learn, I guess that’s why they call it experience!!

 

[northmanlogging]

i should have done more research on scaling years ago. Here are amounts for a typical 30’ hardwood tree.
20” x8’=128 18”x10’=122 12”x12’= 298. 298 bdft
19”x10’=141 16”x12’=108 12”x8’= 32. 281
19”x12’=169 16”x10’=90 12”x8’=32. 291
19”x10’=141 17”x10’=106 12”x10’=40. 287
I usually always take the first log at 12’, so I’ve been shorting myself 7 bdft on every tree as opposed to starting at 8’, which doesn’t sound like much but over 100 trees would have bought me a new saw.
Live and learn, I guess that’s why they call it experience!!

I've been told by more then a few "loggers" out here, to cut 24's for cedar because of the taper...

but in reality, 30's will pay better... its partly getting more log on the truck, and also getting a better pay rate for the longer logs, generally several hundred more per 1k, the difference could be upwards of $1000 per load depending on current rate.

its one of those tribal knowledge conundrums where some bonehead thinks one way tells all his buddies, and since they respect him they believe him never questioning a word dude says...

anyway, could be that a longer butt log pays better because of a better grade of log, so having more length gets you more cash, rather then more BF at the end of the day... I generally don't mess with short logs like that, so you'll have to experiment and report back... anything under a 16' is heavily frowned on out here lol.

 

[northmanlogging]

if ya think about it a minute... truck can only stack cedar so high before being overheight, cause they will likely not be overweight...

so 30's gain you a chunk of wood 6'Lx8'w x like 6' ish tall,

the truck costs the same whether your hauling 16's or 40's.

If your hualing short wood, you get short wood prices and short wood scale, so you might get 2500bf @$600 per 1k, of 24's and cost $300 to truck it totaling like $1440 "profit"

But you haul 30's you get long wood prices and a longer wood scales, s you get closer to more like 4000bf @ $750 per 1k, and still cost $300 to truck... totaling $2700 profit...

I'm sure there is a ratio in there for truck rate vs pay out... but I think I was sick when we learned ratios in school... (or to be honest, cranking ac/dc, aerosmith and black sabbath and not giving a ****)

 

[woodfarmer]

The buyer only takes logs down to 12” on the small end, so I guess the best thing to do is cut the tree to the 12” dia. mark and then make as many logs from there as possible.
We use the Ontario Log Rule here which is a little more generous than the Doyle Scale.

 

[RandyMac]

 

[woodfarmer]

Somedays.....had a load go out that didn’t pay any better than firewood. Buddy has a tree removal business and can make what the load paid for removing one city tree.

 

[northmanlogging]

Somedays.....had a load go out that didn’t pay any better than firewood. Buddy has a tree removal business and can make what the load paid for removing one city tree.

prices are crap at the moment...

to many crack heads and rednecks around here to even try and make money on firewood, to many hucksters looking for a deal too, so you bring em 10 cord charge em for 8 then they get huffy about the price...

Not ******* worth the headache, the mill buys it, sends a check done, on to the next mess

 

[woodfarmer]

That and I spent several days on that load and the tree removable makes that in one day

 

[northmanlogging]

That and I spent several days on that load and the tree removable makes that in one day

ya but you have to be willing to charge $1000 for what would take a logger 30 minutes... and put up with the rose bushes, the manicured lawn, beauty bark, paving stones, rubber neckers, not to mention the crack heads that arborist work attracts.

Slammed out a load of D fir yesterday, by myself, not a care in the world, on an Island sunny and 80 degrees...

Also a banner day, was able to see Mt Baker, and Mt rainier from one spot,

 

[woodfarmer]

I love working in the Bush, wouldn’t want to work in someone’s front yard all day. Springtime in Canada.