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J
jeff...
Jack - ERC logs are all over the board as far as pricing. You got your little logs that are used as they are but cut to length for fence posts. Then you got slightly bigger logs that'll square out a clean 4x4 or 4x5(8 ~ 10" diameter) then your 6x6 or 6x8's (10" ~ 12") diameter. Then you got saw logs 12" ~ 16" diameter. Some loggers sell it as pulp wood by the ton, others take logs to the chip yard which also buys the logs by the ton. It take a lot of cedar logs to make a ton by the way. Some people sell the saw logs per log or by the international scale. It all depends on what the logs are and who your dealing with.
Word of advise - look over the butt cuts real well for any sign of dote - pass on the log if you see any hint of dote, chances are it's dote in more than just the small area you see on the butt. I've sawed a little bit of cedar and found generally that if I subtract 4" from your small end diameter and if the log is good and straight with no crook or lobes that's what it'll cant out as.
Your premium sawlogs are inbetween 12" ~ 16" in diameter (little end), no dote and smooth bark'ed a well formed tree, ERC with rough bark and or lobes has a lot of bark inclusion that runs deep into the log and it'll show up in your lumber. Generally ERC logs over 16" in diameter (little end) are dote ridden, not worth the time to put on the mill and should be taken to the chip yard to be made into hamster cage lining. Sometimes you get lucky and can cut around the dote in the bigger logs but not often.
Sorry I could not help more - I've got ERC logs for free and paid all the way upto $750.00 a thousand (international scale) delivered on tractor trailer for premium sawlogs. So somewhere inbetween free and .75 would be about right :gar-Bi
A friend of mine just sold wide (8" ~ 14") green fresh off the log 4/4 ERC for $3.50 a BF it was by far the prettiest ERC I've seen and not something you'll see much of around here.
Word of advise - look over the butt cuts real well for any sign of dote - pass on the log if you see any hint of dote, chances are it's dote in more than just the small area you see on the butt. I've sawed a little bit of cedar and found generally that if I subtract 4" from your small end diameter and if the log is good and straight with no crook or lobes that's what it'll cant out as.
Your premium sawlogs are inbetween 12" ~ 16" in diameter (little end), no dote and smooth bark'ed a well formed tree, ERC with rough bark and or lobes has a lot of bark inclusion that runs deep into the log and it'll show up in your lumber. Generally ERC logs over 16" in diameter (little end) are dote ridden, not worth the time to put on the mill and should be taken to the chip yard to be made into hamster cage lining. Sometimes you get lucky and can cut around the dote in the bigger logs but not often.
Sorry I could not help more - I've got ERC logs for free and paid all the way upto $750.00 a thousand (international scale) delivered on tractor trailer for premium sawlogs. So somewhere inbetween free and .75 would be about right :gar-Bi
A friend of mine just sold wide (8" ~ 14") green fresh off the log 4/4 ERC for $3.50 a BF it was by far the prettiest ERC I've seen and not something you'll see much of around here.
J
jeff...
Reggie one other thing I forgot to mention well maybe a couple things...
Don't concern yourself to much if the logs are old. I've cut ERC that has been off the stump for more than 5 years and sawed out just as nice as could be. There were a few sections of the sap wood that were soft but it only ran about an inch or two deep. ERC heart wood is very rot resistant and for some reason older logs don't split real bad like other species do.
Knots are desirable in ERC and 90% of them stay put after after drying. When sawing try and position the log like you would for cutting pine so you get very little spike knots and the knots are close to the center of the boards - you don''t want knots on the edges of the boards if you can help it.
Pith - most ERC boards with pith will not crack when dry - unlike pithy hardwood species which split up all over the place. But since ERC logs have so much taper it's good to toe up you little end so the pith is roughly the same distance from the bed on both ends. Take your two opening cuts then remove the toe for cuts 3 and 4 which will saw out a sq cant. This does two things for you. 1. you only get one board (the center one) with pith you can decied later to chuck it or keep it and 2. your third and forth cuts yield big barky chunks that people you saw with think your wasting wood
But those big barky chunks make for some mean fire wood - ERC burns HOT and will warm up a fire place in a hurry plus it make for a nice aroma. Besides who wants pith running in every board? Not me...
Expect to flip the cant often when sawing - you can tell how much stress is in the log by how boards are coming off the cant. if you start sawing ship planks or the cant raises off the bed in the middle - it's time to flip the cant and relieve some of that stress by taking a cut off another face.
Thanks
Don't concern yourself to much if the logs are old. I've cut ERC that has been off the stump for more than 5 years and sawed out just as nice as could be. There were a few sections of the sap wood that were soft but it only ran about an inch or two deep. ERC heart wood is very rot resistant and for some reason older logs don't split real bad like other species do.
Knots are desirable in ERC and 90% of them stay put after after drying. When sawing try and position the log like you would for cutting pine so you get very little spike knots and the knots are close to the center of the boards - you don''t want knots on the edges of the boards if you can help it.
Pith - most ERC boards with pith will not crack when dry - unlike pithy hardwood species which split up all over the place. But since ERC logs have so much taper it's good to toe up you little end so the pith is roughly the same distance from the bed on both ends. Take your two opening cuts then remove the toe for cuts 3 and 4 which will saw out a sq cant. This does two things for you. 1. you only get one board (the center one) with pith you can decied later to chuck it or keep it and 2. your third and forth cuts yield big barky chunks that people you saw with think your wasting wood
But those big barky chunks make for some mean fire wood - ERC burns HOT and will warm up a fire place in a hurry plus it make for a nice aroma. Besides who wants pith running in every board? Not me...Expect to flip the cant often when sawing - you can tell how much stress is in the log by how boards are coming off the cant. if you start sawing ship planks or the cant raises off the bed in the middle - it's time to flip the cant and relieve some of that stress by taking a cut off another face.
Thanks
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