Information for Mobile Clients (Click here for a printer-friendly version of this page.)
Thank you for your enquiry. My goal is to provide a great service at a competitive price. The information here will help you make an informed decision and help you save money. If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to phone me.
Prices:
Milling price is $55/hour, with a minimum of 5 hours for the first day. Rate applies to all milling, decking, tailing and other chores required. Set-up and sharpening when required billed at milling rate; mill arrives sharpened, and full sharpening takes approx. 20 minutes. Time for quick, normal adjustments billed, but maintenance (greasing & oil changes) and breakdowns are not. Broken teeth are billed at $7.00 each. Each blade has 6 teeth and breakage is due normally to embedded nails or stones. Banding lifts: $1.25 each 3/4" band.
The rate for travel from my home (12 km NE of Christopher Lake, SE22 53 26 W2) to your site with the mill is $1.50/km one way. For subsequent commuting days, the rate is $0.65/km. When overnight accommodation and meals are required, the actual costs will be billed to the customer. In such cases, I will try to find the best rates available. Work sites farther than 1¼ hrs drive may be subject to overnight costs.
Production:
I advertise average production of 400 board feet/hour. This value is based on 16' logs ranging in size from large to small. Larger logs, larger dimensions (e.g., 2x10x16', 6x6x16') will result in higher production. Smaller, twisted, dirty and defective logs will lower productivity as will cutting smaller dimensions. Generally, productivity is highest in spruce, followed by pine and poplar.
What you should do:
- logs should be clean
- limbs should be cut flush to the trunk
- logs need to be free of nails or foreign objects
- cut your logs to maximise lumber volume: cut out crooks, forks, excessive sweep, rot and other defects, but keep in mind that longer logs are more efficient to mill than shorter ones
- leave ample room to work: the mill occupies 40'. At least 20' behind, and 40' on both sides is required for loading and stacking
- find a level spot to work in, although some slope can be accommodated.
- please have the site ploughed down to the ground
- have forks on your tractor or skid steer. 2"x2"x4', 3/16 or 1/4 square tubing, bolted to your bucket is a good substitute for forks. Grapples or split buckets work well too
- one helper makes the biggest contribution to productivity; a second will speed us up, but not by such a large amount. I can easily do all the work myself, but you'll save more money by helping
Other Information:
- I give and take advice. I can suggest what sawing style will meet your needs and you should feel free to direct me to cut your logs as you want them. Generally, there are two styles of sawing I follow: "farm use" is faster, produces more 2" lumber but will require more trimming when using it in construction; "grade sawing" produces clean 2" lumber suitable for grading and a higher proportion of 1x6 sorted into various lengths for trimming
- the mill can cut 1"x1" up to 12"x6" without turning the log; larger timbers can easily be cut using the traditional turning method
- dry piling and banding your lumber on 4x4 dunnage will save lots of time later and make better lumber. It is definitely worth cutting dunnage and stickers as is the minimal cost of banding (please see the article on drying lumber)
- off-cuts, culls and first-cut-slabs make great wind boards. Slabs and flitches can be sold for firewood as-is or bundled
- building cribs to stack slabs is worthwhile
Payment Terms:
- cash, cheque or bank draft
- payment due when work is completed or every two weeks, whichever comes first
- NSF cheques will be charged $40
- unpaid invoices will be charged 2% per month
- fees subject to 5% gst, banding subject to 5% gst and 5% pst
- receipts always issued
