Can anybody give me an idea how much kiln dried and planed Cherry is worth? I have a guy offering me a chance at 2000 bd. ft. but I have no idea what it is worth. He is claiming that it is worth 4.00 per bd. ft. but that seems high to me.
Thanks Dave
He has sent me a picture and from what I can tell it looks great. Looks like 6″-10″ boards but I could only see the top of the stack. I can see some of it has what i call a flame effect in the wood. I am a trim carpenter with no real need for this at the time but if he is going to give me enough I will trade and then try to sell some of the cherry. I am selling the sled for 4200.00 so if I can get him to give me 1300-1400 bd ft I should be good to make a profit and maybe more. If anybody is interested I can e=mail my phone number. I am in western NY.
Edited 1/16/2009 8:01 am ET by DAC747
Replies
Could be a great bargain or a dog. How was it dried? How was it stored? What are the widths, lengths and thicknesses? Does it include delivery? Any sapwood? What kind of figure? In my neighborhood cherry is somewhere north of $7.
All I know at this point is it is kiln dried, planed and stored inside. I am going to assume he has had a log sawed, so I am thinking various widths. I will see if he will send me some pictures. I am selling my snowmobile and this person has offered me 2000 bd ft of Cherry for my sled. If it is worth 3.00 a bd. ft. it would be a great deal for me.
Thanks Dave
If it is worth 3.00 a bd. ft. it would be a great deal for me.
Unless it is all sapwood and/or rotted any price less than $3/bf has got to be a good price. If ye can get it for any less I'd have to say it's a good deal.
Just my 2¢,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Here in North Centeral Ohio I have been paying 4.90/bd.ft. for 4/4 cherry in quantities of 1000bd.ft. or more. This for select & better grade, random width and 8-10 foot, nothing wider than 8" kiln dried to 8% moisture content.
What is the grade of lumber the seller is offering? FAS, Select, #1 Common, #2 Common, etc....
Different grades are worth different amounts.
Also, what are you going to do with 2000 bf? That's a lot of lumber to store. Would you be better off selling the snowmobile and buying the lumber you need for future projects?
2000 bf didn't likely come from "a log". I had a 10 ft long 26" diameter log sawn and it yielded about 180 bf
I would be very careful you don't end up being stuck with someone elses cr@p
Lee
Here are a couple of pictures. Storage is not a problem for me. I just have to make sure I get enough lumber for my sled to make it worth swapping. Also this does not look planed to me, maybe just enough to knock off the rough edges.
Edited 1/16/2009 8:28 am ET by DAC747
The "planed" part of this situation is what I'd be leery of. If the seller planed all the boards to 3/4 inch, for instance, then what you're going to find is that you wind up with quite a few warped 3/4 inch boards. If you were to joint the warping out you'll end up with boards that yield a good bit less then 3/4 inch. That's fine if you're intending to use the lumber for wall paneling or something like that. But for general cabinetwork use it would be of lesser value.
In my opinion, it's best to buy lumber like this in the rough. If the boards are originally milled to 4/4, after jointing and planing they yield a true 3/4 or even a bit over that. But starting from 3/4, as you might be doing here, that's a different story.
I come by this lesson the hard way, having purchased about 200 bd ft of cherry that had been planed to 3/4. The boards were all warped, and I never got much use out of them. That was 20 years ago and I'm still looking to use up the last of that stock.
So, keep this in mind before you go ahead with this deal..
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
At a quick glance, the piece on the right is mostly sapwood and not worth much. I would check around to see what some lumber dealers are getting for FAS, especially in that quantity. That should establish a ceiling price, since the grading rules are pretty tough. Here's a price list from a dealer in PA who has nice stuff. You can see that the price varies quite a bit with width and whether flat or quartersawn. You might call and ask if 2000 bf would get a better price.
http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/hardwoods/pricelist/pricelist.html
DAC,
The pictures look to be of some nice stock. If the stock all looks similar to what is in the pics, then 2000 bf is definitely worth a $3000 snowmobile.
Some things to remember: What is the current thickness? Zolton brings a good point - if this lumber has been planed down to 3/4 then I would pass on it quickly. If just a few boards were planed or it was skip planed to 15/16" then all is probably well. If it's down to 7/8ths then you will want to make sure it's as straight as possible. Cherry wants to twist and bow/warp during drying so it's not uncommon to lose quite a bit to warpage if it's not weighted down and stickered properly.
Good luck,
Lee
Bairdbrothers.com handles kiln dried S4S Cherry in various thicknesses and widths. Their grade is FAS plain sawn. Some boards have beautiful grain patterns and some just so so.
Their prices will give you a rough idea of bf price.
i bought 1000 bd ft of black cherry furniture grade not milled air dried 2 years for $ 3.60 a bd ft & it was a 6 hour round trip to pick up
a local mill has it kiln dried for $10.50 a bd ft milled
my supply is now at 8% mc and is spoken for by a customer who is putting on a addition on their house hopefully this year ( now on 5th set of plans )
i sold it for $ 8.50 a bd ft
the only catch is i have to build the cupboards
as others have said value depends a lot on quality , my 1000 bd ft came from 2 30" diameter trees , which yielded boards from 6 to 12 "
the wider they are over 6 " adds to the price !
my 1000 bd ft came from 2 30" diameter trees , which yielded boards from 6 to 12 "
I'd like to meet your sawyer so I could punch him in the f*&#$^% mouth! What an incredible waste of 30" diameter cherry.
When you get into 1000 bf quantities of any lumber the price drops dramatically. I live on the gulf coast and the shop I work at just got a shipment of lumber from a mill in Pennsylvania. The going rate for 1000 bf of kiln dried cherry in widths you mention was about $3800 ($3.80 b/f) So you got a fair deal but I wouldn't say you stole it. That wouldn't be the case if it had been sawn in the boule and you had some 25"+ width boards.
a local mill has it kiln dried for $10.50 a bd ft milled
I bet they don't sell too much of that! If they do, somebody is getting seriously ripped off.
Lee
I met a guy in SC last summer who wanted to sell me cherry in the rough for $2.00/bd ft if I bought at least 200 bd ft of 6/4 and 8/4. I've also seen poplar at $1/bd ft and QS oak for less than $3/bd ft.
Several good sized cabinet shops went out of business and I think that drove down prices as they dumped inventory. Same in the Atlanta area.
You're absolutely right - lumber prices are dropping all over. 3 years ago I was paying $3.30- $3.80 for northern soft maple FAS. Last time I bought it from the same supplier it was $2.73.
We just paid $1.37 for some seriously nice FAS hickory from a mill in Penn. The #1 common oak and #1 common maple was both less than $1.30 b/f. The prices they were quoting were mind blowing. Some of these mills can produce 1 million board feet a day. There is just not any demand, so the stock is sitting.
Lee
the local mill that gets $10 .50 a bd ft does quite well ive noticed
one of their money makers is tearing down old barns and selling the material
they saw the beams to get the two sides for greater coverage & this is done outside year round ( this week -30 c )
the guys working on the saw told me most of it is going to Texas for incorperation into bars , i was curious who the suckers were LOL
Well, more power to them! I wasn't aware cherry was used for barn siding? Once it's aged and weathered I don't think you could tell the difference between cherry and pine. We use reclaimed heart pine and cypress from barns, old houses, etc. in custom cabinets. Before you plane it they both look the same.
Lee
That is in Canadian Dollars correct? That would be about $8.00 USD today.
I liked your first response. $4 probably isnt bad, seeing the pics. But all of those variables he mentioned will affect it.
Just for gee whiz: prices around here
dried, ungraded, rough (they cut a tree and dried it, you get what you get) $2.50 Difference here is some guy with a band mill and a home made kiln. Maybe he's great at it, maybe he ruins the batch, I don't know. Thats the gamble, at least.
From commercial mills with quality control
90/60 (percentage of heart, face and back) whols around 6 retail around 8
Premium which is nary a trace of sap anywhere, wholsale around 7.50 retail prob about 10.
Figured - quilted, premium, or extra wide 12"+ I've seen 14-15 retail.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Dave - What I'd suggest is that if you can't travel to see it, by no means buy it, regardless of the price. As others have noted, if it's planed to less than 1" thick, has a lot of sapwood, or worse - is honeycombed because the guy that sawed it up didn't know how to dry it, it's not a good deal.
And going on just pictures is risky. The guy might be reputable and honest, but then again he might not be. What you might be looking at is the "pick of the litter" and assuming it's the norm for the lot.
Finally, I would not suggest getting something like this and expecting that you'll be able to turn it over and make a profit, at least for a couple of years. Lumber, no matter how good, is not selling well now.
I have been paying about $5.50 for small quantities. (Under 100 bd. ft.) I'm in upstate New York.
Thanks to all of you for your help. I have decided to pass as someone else has offered cash for my sled and I will take the cash in hand over the posibility of turning a profit on the cherry. If anyone would like this guys E-mail PM me and I will get it to you.
Thanks again Dave
Edited 1/17/2009 4:23 pm ET by DAC747
I have decided to pass as someone else has offered cash for my sled and I will take the cash in hand over the posibility of turning a profit on the cherry
Dave,
Smart move. 3 grand will put food on your table for a while. Last time I tried it, cherry was a little tough, no matter how it was cooked ;-)
Lee
I recently purchased 5/4 s3s at $6/bd ft. I negotiated that rate down from their yard's asking of $8, because I had to settle for a number of inconsistencies: color, knots, sapwood, and a few crosscuts that didn't span the board. These were 8 to 10 footers. To net the 35 bd/ft I wanted (5 actual boards), I had to look at about 25 boards (the guy's entire stock). With that experience in mind, I think $6 is too much for the lot you're considering.
OK guys I found out some more about this lumber. It is all 12'5" long most of it being 8/4 X4,6,8 and some 10s and some 4/4 boards. It was just run through a planer 1 time before being kiln dried and is still a full 2" thick. It was cut and dried by a local mill. He also said that this is the complete cutting, no premium boards have been removed. I think I am going to try to buy some of it. If anybody is interested I can send you his E-mail. Thanks Dave
I live in Rochester NY. I buy lumber near my dad where lots of mills are. Near Elmira NY. In quanties of 100BF+ it's at most $2.00 a BF right now. Mills are hurting, There is a guy in Buffalo who is always advertising on Craigs list, selling green cherry at $.60 a BF, If you buy 1000BF at a time.
My dad has a few acres of tree that will be plowed under sometime this year. He called loggers trying to get something for it. It's mostly Maples and Oaks. All of the loggers told him the same thing, that he would have to pay them to log it. Standing lumber is worth about $.05BF or less on the stump.
I'm going to cut out all I can get and see if I can find someone who wants to help pay for the milling. There's at least 100 treas 18" at chest height. I know I can't use all that wood.
Here in NH the lumber yard that I use charges $6.10 per board foot for 4/4 cherry rough(FAS) up to $9.60 per board foot for 16/4 rough (FAS)
Unstack and study most of it, it will be worth the effort. Look for excessive warpage and similar moisture content readings, cracks, rot or other signs of insect activity. Then go with your gut. Sounds like a fun opportunity to me.
Brian
On the surface it sounds like a very good deal. 8/4 boards are usually more expensive per board foot then 4/4. If I had this opportunity i would certainly do the following:
1) Visit the seller and unstack the wood to view it. Pay attention to the straightness, cracks and the amounts of sap wood. What is the percentage of 8/4 to 4/4?
2) Take or borrow a moisture meter. You have metioned that this wood has been kiln dried. Verify consistency of the moisture content in several of the boards in different places in the pile.
If after looking at the wood I did not feel that it is worth the cost, I would try offering him a price that I felt comfortable with. Remember that you are not looking a consuming this wood yourself, you have to leave yourself a resale margin for some profit. I live in norther Missouri and can currently by 4/4 cherry in select and better grade for $3.25/bf if bought in quantities of 1000' or more.
Good Luck and let us know how it turns out!
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled