Old Wooden Posts - BIG

Well, I think they're big. 12' or longer, 8" in diameter and look to be one piece, turned somehow.

They are holding up the roof of a 1800's or early 1900's stable and part of the internal structure...

I have the right to remove them if I replace them with steel beams as the structure is being gutted...

Thoughts on value?

Wood type unknown.

Photos available in a few days if anyone has a real interest or can provide info.

All money raised if I do sell these goes to a real charity that helps teens in a Metro NY town. I won't make a penny... And I'm not pulling them out unless it is worth the effort for the group.

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. (800) 871-5022

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills:
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Joe AutoDrill
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I gather this is in New York.

Can you take a block plane or a spokeshave to them so you can see the grain and ID the wood(s)?

They could be mixed rot-resistant hardwoods, or all chestnut, maybe even black walnut. Or they could be Old growth white pine or cedar. Or almost anything that grew in the area that wasn't prone to rot. So they are not likely to be maple, poplar, red oak, sycamore, elm, beech, or birch, assuming of course that they are not rotten.

Reply to
fredfighter

Essex County, NJ. Within an old Monestary that our local group purchased a few years ago.

Surrounded by VERY old growth Maple, Pine and some others I don't know how to ID. In fact, so old that many are being taken down because they were not maintained... Pine with 30-40" trunks, Oaks with 48" trunks... And then some...

I'm not a woodworker for the most part... I sell tools... But I can certainly find someone to do this for me.

They are not rotten at all. Always inside and not in an area where water was used... Just about perfect condition.

I'll shoot photos when I can and ID the wood soon. Within a week or so.

What is the worst case scenario if they are in perfect condition, 15' tall,

8" in diameter and I load them on a flat bed for someone?
Reply to
Joe AutoDrill

What is the finish on them?

Reply to
Locutus

Paint. Mint green.

Whomever might be interested in them would have to refinish them... That's my guess.

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. (800) 871-5022

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills:
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Joe AutoDrill

I guess the *worst* case scenario would be if *I* didn't get them!

:-)

Good luck!

Reply to
Joe

There are companies that salvage "barn wood" that will purchase your beams and then resell them at a handsome profit to architectural firms. You might cut out the middleman by asking architects in your area or one of their professional associations. Then again you could try their customers.... You might also advertise among the various Hudson Valley, Long Island and Finger Lakes wineries.... they're always looking for some aesthetic appeal for their tasting rooms, and structural members for their cellars. Bottom line is that I am entirely certain that your timbers would be scoffed up in no time.

J.

Joe AutoDrill wrote:

Reply to
J.

Worst case would probably be poplar. I don't think antique poplar would be worth much more than new. Knot free, maybe it's be worth $1 per board foot (bf) as is, 50 to 60 dollars each. Maybe three times that after being resawn into standard lumber.

Wood prices vary a lot with whatever is locally available, new or antique because the shipping costs are an important factor for all but the most expensive woods. Poplar in California is more expensive than Doug Fir, it's the opposite on the East Coast.

Reply to
fredfighter

Reply to
Mike Berger

Posts... Turned. Large. They look like banister spindles, but huge...

The steel beams to replace them are easy for me to come by. In fact, I'm pretty sure we have them in stock within our building... Getting them installed is the hardest part, but if the posts are sellable for a good price, I'll sell them.

Stories were told a few year ago that led me to believe they would be worth up to $4000 each... But I think everyone was just a wee bit optimistic on that...

Reply to
Joe AutoDrill

Joe,

I think you are going to have to ID the wood and also find out what ever else that you can about them before you will even get a nibble on this one. Used wood, especially that big and "still in use" will limit those interested to just a few. Maybe one of those timber frame outfits would be interested. I've heard that they frequently buy beams from old factories, etc. and then re-saw them into timber frame stock. The cost of removing, hauling, and re-sawing will likely make it un-profitable for most.

Reply to
Charley

If my arithmetic is correct that would be around $70/bf.

That is rather on the optimistic side.

$400 each maybe.

Reply to
fredfighter

Unless someone has a need for a turned column that large. $70/bf for a turned column that large wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility...

Reply to
Locutus

$4000 for one column that size?

If so, I'd be tempted to build my own lathe for turning 15' long

8 inch diameter columns.
Reply to
fredfighter

Well, I am considering the history/age of the wood, that can inflate the value, some people like to brag to their neighbors that their porch posts came from a 17th century monestary :) I purchased some 7' pine turned porch columns for house I rehabed and they were about $800 each, and those were production peices. When you get into a 15' long column you might be getting into custom work, which could expensive really fast...

I've never priced a 15' column, and I couldn't find anything longer than an

8' online, so this all just speculation on my part.

You could, but I doubt you would get a whole lot of business, there just isn't a whole lot of demand these days for that type of product in new construction (unfortunately).

Reply to
Locutus

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