# Need guidelines for pricing Flame box Elder



## unklegwar (Aug 7, 2009)

Hi All -

Looking for some guidance and help on coming up with fair pricing for some flame box elder logs.

These are rough logs (were being cut for firewood before the "AHA!" moment), only cross sections visible, but they look moderately promising.

Any idea how to (1) price flame box elder and (2) price rough cut logs with the actual figure still a mystery? It is by pound? some approximation of board foot? I don't want to be unreasonable in my offer, but still want to get a deal.

Thanks!


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

The only way to get the most money is to let someone see what the yare buying. Slicing a side at a good point of potential figure isn't a bad idea. If you do not have that capability, you'll need to find just the right person and that can be tough.
Box Elder is in the maple family (group, whatever the right term is) and spalts reasonably quickly; they also feed worms well, so if there are any rotted places a person needs to inspect it well. The red streaking is what most people look for, and tends to be much more evident in larger, unhealthy trees tho not absolutely so. "Damage" can be a good thing, if well (and luckily) balanced.
Little, custom pieces of such a tree could be worth a bunch, while the majority may be typical wood. Pricing such a log is tough, different areas have different potential. Burls are wonderful, straight grain is hard to move. Few people sell it in my area (NW Oregon), looked around once and didn't find many others but the one log I had had wormy burls that I sold to some turners for $10 a board foot. I still have the rest with no potential sales on it now. Good luck with it, would love an update if you work something out with it.


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## unklegwar (Aug 7, 2009)

Sorry, Nomad62, I wasn't very clear. I mean fair in my offer of payment. I'm the buyer.

I'm dealing with someone who found it in their tree business while cutting trees down to firewood and is looking for offers. I want to know what's reasonable to offer for logs - balancing a good bargain for me with a fair price for him. So, how do rough logs get priced, and how much per unit?


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

Had it backward, lol; no opologies, as much my error. Anyway, as a sellers point of view (mine, anyway) you can tell how much they will be worth by how much he may be willing to do to mark up a price. If it was firewood, you'll be saving him work by taking it. It needs service (slicing, drying, artwork applied) to be really valuable. It's a balance, really. I got a huge maple for the price of a pick-up truck load of firewood once and the guy jumped at the offer. I've had people laugh at what I thought was a high offer. If the logs aren't somewhat large they are likely to have little figure; if they are 16" diameter or so they get interesting. Not knowing their size, numbers are hard to throw out there. So, say a log 16" diameter, 10" long, straight but lumpy surface…. couple hundred hi end, but there would be good wood there. A log, 6" diameter, 10' long, firewood. Big ole knuckly, twisted, solid hunk of mass…. just get it.


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## unklegwar (Aug 7, 2009)

16inches by 10inches is worth hundreds? Definitely out of my price range!!!

There's def figure in these, they were chunked into movable peices and put in storage. 12-18" diameters and 6-18" long. All showing signifcant color. A few were split open and it was blood-red inside.
Nice as that is, I can't even afford one chunk, no less all of it.

Oh well. No wonder he's dedicated storage space to it.

Thanks.


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

I think Nomad meant 10 feet.


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## unklegwar (Aug 7, 2009)

Oooooh. I thought he was trying to contrast the huge difference in value for small pretty logs versus large not-so-pretty.

That seems much more reasonable


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

Yeah, ten feet, must be a bad keyboard!

You might consider offering up a turning or two for it…


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