A while back I posted that a neighbor gave me a fallen black walnut tree - "come and get it". Well, I did. I was only able to harvest about 15 feet of the trunk (diameter - 10" to 12") as the rest was downhill in a ravine and we were unable to get it out.
Today, I took the 3 five foot long logs to a local sawyer. BTW, it is not easy to find a sawyer! They are around, but most don't advertise. I found this guy by word of mouth I called ahead and he said he'd do the work for
35 cents a board foot. I arrived this afternoon expecting to leave the logs and get them another day. He said he'd cut them right now. Cool. He fired up his Wood Mizer Hydraulic and got to work. Man, what a neat machine. He spent over two hours on my logs and we ended up with 18 to 20 4/4 boards five feet long and 4 to 8 inches wide. He figured out my bill - 72 BF at 35 cents. Total was $25. I told him I couldn't pay him that little for that much work. He just said "I quoted you 35 cents, so that's what you owe me". I gave him 2 twenties and insisted he keep the change. Probably should have given him a bit more. So, 72BF for 40 bucks is roughly 50 cents a BF. Not bad. I'll sticker the boards in the morning and put a little green wood end sealer on them and in about a year, build something.