How much should I charge?

[Backwoods Savage]

He is not a dentist but a self employed fellow who makes dentures for dentists and has quite a good reputation.

Here is a good one. As you recall, we went to Woodstock's party in September. Wouldn't you know, the day before we were to leave for the trip (Labor Day), my wife was cleaning her dentures....and the bottom plate split in two! Oh crap. What to do. Well, we called the man, but got no answer. Fortunately, about 15 minutes later he returned the call. They were fixed that day. Not too many would do that on a holiday.

George can have his wood teeth.

 

[Battenkiller]

Ha! That's a nice story. I wish I had a friend like that.

I need a massive amount of dental work that I've been putting off because I hate dentists and their attitudes. I got a quote of $7-9000, of which my insurance will pay all of $1000. One of my wife's friends is a guy like your fella, owned his own dental lab and everything. Now he's broke and had to go bankrupt because the dentists don't want to pay his "exorbitant" prices. So I asked him how much a seven-tooth bridge like I need would cost my dentist. He said anywhere from $600 to $1000 when he was in business just a few years ago. So a small installation charge of merely $6-8K is not out of line for a starving dentist to demand, what's my complaint I have to ask myself? :vampire:

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Batten, I batted around the idea of a partial for myself. Dentist quoted $4,000. I got both an upper and lower; cost $650. Also the teeth my wife has right now were purchased in Mexico for $300.00

 

[kenny chaos]

How about so much/tree?

 

[btuser]

How do you feel about the liability of having people cutting on your property? In this litigious society I would be concerned.

If the woodlot is big enough you can always hide a body.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Kenny, that would be a tough call because there is so much variance in the size of the trees. We have them from maybe 4" to 36" so how would one know what to charge?

I have thought about just going in a felling all the dead ash and then let the others come in to cut. That would reduce the chances of someone doing some dumb thing when felling the trees.

 

[kenny chaos]

Kenny, that would be a tough call because there is so much variance in the size of the trees. We have them from maybe 4" to 36" so how would one know what to charge?

I have thought about just going in a felling all the dead ash and then let the others come in to cut. That would reduce the chances of someone doing some dumb thing when felling the trees.

I'd charge about 89cents/dia.inch if sold by the tree. %-P
I wouldn't do the felling for someone else. You know you don't have to do something dumb to get killed or maimed.
I still like the shares idea. Have 'em cut, split, and stack by the road for ya.
Or, stick with your idea of so much a truck load but be fair to yourself also.
For a load of logs, we pay about 50% of cut and split firewood. So if a facecord in your area is going for $60, and a tossed in, bed high pile is a facecord, $25/load would not be too much to charge. Especially if you encourage them to go a little extra high.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I would just do the barter thing if I could swing it. Ask how much of your "quality" wood he wants for in return for a "quality" set of dentures. If you let him set the deal terms then he'll be more likely to go for it. If you charge him $15 a truck load it would take an awful lot of trips to pay for those dentures.
It's kind of funny cause I just heard of a deal where a fellow stucco contractor (my trade) made a deal to stucco his dentist's new house in return for some dental work for his family.
I wish I could find some sort of deal like that.

 

[kenny chaos]

I would just do the barter thing I could swing it. Ask how much of your "quality" wood he wants for in return for a "quality" set of dentures. If you let him set the deal terms then he'll be more likely to go for it. If you charge him $15 a truck load it would take an awful lot of trips to pay for those dentures.
It's kind of funny cause I just heard of a deal where a fellow stucco contractor (my trade) made a deal to stucco his dentist's new house in return for some dental work for his family.
I wish I could find some sort of deal like that.

My dad had a dentist who wanted to swap for hair plugs.
Dad paid $.

 

[schortie]

Last year, a guy near me was charging $15 a load for oak that was at first very easy to get to. When he saw that I only had a small 5x8 trailer, he knocked it down to $10 per load. He told me to let him know how many loads I took and to pay him when I was done. He had a bunch of oak tops left over from some lumber operation. After seeing me there every weekend for a while, he told me to just give him $100 and I could take as much as I wanted. I did. Now I have four cords of white oak out back. I thought it was a good deal for $100. He did have me sign a waiver.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That sounds like you got a good deal Schortie.

 

[firefighterjake]

Never having been in this situation I think I might air on the side of caution and at the very least have a signed waiver . . . not that it would mean a whole lot if the folks did decide to sue . . . I guess I look at signed waivers a lot like protection orders . . . it looks good, but no protection order is bullet-proof . . . and no signed waiver is lawyer-proof. I think a lot of this would come down to whether or not you can trust the guys who will be on your land.

As for the price . . . I think $15 would be more than fair for a pick-up load . . . I figure they would be getting 1/3 to a 1/2 cord of green, unsplit wood which is a pretty decent deal.

That said, I would be more inclined to work out a deal where they harvest X amount for you per Y amount for them . . . if money is preferred due to an abundance of wood you can always sell the bucked wood or take your time, split it up, stack it, season it and sell it for an even better price.

 

[Got Wood]

My thoughts... you mentioned that you know these guys. That being so, I would follow to assume that you feel comfortable enough to have them cutting on your property. Yes, all the advice about waivers and all is logical but my take is if you know them and are comfortable with them doing it.... let it happen.

Making a trade sounds like the best option. The dentures for wood could be a great deal for you. Like someone else said, mention it to him and let him come up with a fair trade offer. If that doesnt work out, I seem to have read here more than a dozen times some good advice you have given - you never have too much wood. You never know when life changes prohibit you from doing the work. Setting some sort of arrangement where they buck some rounds up for you while doing the work is reasonable and smart.

Personally, unless you really want to help these guys out, I wouldnt go for the cash deal. I mean is $15/pick up load worth it to you?

Not mentioned here, is pruning your wood lot faster an objective? That could sway the thinking as well.

 

[Dieselbreath]

Here in Oregon we're not liable if u-cutters get hurt on your property as long as you don't charge over $75 a cord.
Even so I would never let anyone other than a professional faller cut any of my trees down due to the likelihood of someone getting hurt.
When I do have a bunch of windfalls I cut and skid the trees myself to a easy to access area so u-cutters can get to it easily. Then I charge $70 a cord for the u-cutters to come in.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For those who do not know, I do not need the woods thinned nor do I need to sell any wood nor do I have to give any away. We are just at the point to where we can not possibly use all the dead and dying trees that the EAB has left in our woods. Ash is a great burning firewood and we burn all we can but if it is just us doing the cutting splitting and burning there is going to be a lot of wood just eventually falling over and rotting in the woods. We really hate to be that wasteful and if we can help someone out, so much the better.

As for charging, it has been my experience that when it comes to things like this, sometimes it appreciated more if they have to pay something for it and if they get it cheaply they feel really great by finding a great bargain. On the other hand, some folks just won't take a handout because of pride so charging a small amount would still help them. In addition, I do know this fellow who makes the dentures and have already supplied him with a little bit of wood and happen to know that he needs and wants more.

Fortunately, we have some time yet to consider options and we do thank everyone who has posted on this thread.


I'll even with everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[struggle]

A waiver is not worth the paper it is written on to a good lawyer.

Do not be fooled thinking this is a way out of any liabilty.

 

[rdust]

Dennis,

I think you're a pretty good judge of character, if you feel they're trust worthy I see no reason not to let them cut. I think you're right on with your pricing structure. I was cutting tree tops a couple years ago and paid 8 bucks a "face" cord.

I've walked your woods so I understand where you're coming from, I remember a bunch of standing dead that will take some time to clean up. If this venture doesn't work out I'd be willing to come out and help you cut/split so you can sell the wood so it doesn't go to waste rotting in the woods.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

rdust, that is a very generous offer and it is greatly appreciated. I will definitely keep you in mind but if you help, you also must agree to bring that big trailer. It shall be empty when you enter; it shall be full when you leave.

btw, in that one stand of ash where they were all almost dead, there were maybe a dozen leafs this summer. On the bright side, I have found some young ash they have not eaten yet.

 

[rdust]

rdust, that is a very generous offer and it is greatly appreciated. I will definitely keep you in mind but if you help, you also must agree to bring that big trailer. It shall be empty when you enter; it shall be full when you leave.

btw, in that one stand of ash where they were all almost dead, there were maybe a dozen leafs this summer. On the bright side, I have found some young ash they have not eaten yet.

:lol: Let me know, I'm sure we can figure out a time that works for the both of us if need be.

I also have a bunch of small ash around here that haven't been killed yet, they're probably not much bigger than a couple inches and 10 feet tall or so.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

rdust, I got one good word today and that is hopefully I will not be having a new hip joint put in just yet. Going to try some shots and hopefully it will go good. It did for my wife so we're hoping it does the same for me. However, the wife is having knee surgery in a couple of weeks. Danged bodies....

 

[firefighterjake]

rdust, I got one good word today and that is hopefully I will not be having a new hip joint put in just yet. Going to try some shots and hopefully it will go good. It did for my wife so we're hoping it does the same for me. However, the wife is having knee surgery in a couple of weeks. Danged bodies....

Good news Dennis . . . we're pulling for you . . . and let your wife know we hope she has a swift recovery.

 

[kenny chaos]

Good luck with the shots Dennis. The first one worked for me. The second was a fiasco.
There was no third.
Crawled around another year and bit the bullet. The back still makes walking tough at times.
Riding a bike is great for me. It takes all the pressure off the back.
But alas, the body is getting old and after working up to 30 miles a day, the knees started to give out. :lol:
I met a 65 yr. old fella biking from Toronto to NYC. He could hardly walk. He said he calls his bike his wheelchair.
Just something to consider for an active guy.

Bad hip and you still sit down? Try standing sometime just for the heck of it.

 

[smokinj]

For those who do not know, I do not need the woods thinned nor do I need to sell any wood nor do I have to give any away. We are just at the point to where we can not possibly use all the dead and dying trees that the EAB has left in our woods. Ash is a great burning firewood and we burn all we can but if it is just us doing the cutting splitting and burning there is going to be a lot of wood just eventually falling over and rotting in the woods. We really hate to be that wasteful and if we can help someone out, so much the better.

As for charging, it has been my experience that when it comes to things like this, sometimes it appreciated more if they have to pay something for it and if they get it cheaply they feel really great by finding a great bargain. On the other hand, some folks just won't take a handout because of pride so charging a small amount would still help them. In addition, I do know this fellow who makes the dentures and have already supplied him with a little bit of wood and happen to know that he needs and wants more.

Fortunately, we have some time yet to consider options and we do thank everyone who has posted on this thread.


I'll even with everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Dennis around here the going rate is 10-15 bucks a truck load for Tops from logging...Hope that helps.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thanks Jay and Jake.


Kenny, indeed riding the bike is much easier than walking, especially so since I started riding the recumbent bike. It is a Bacchetta Giro 26. And I get a kick out of some folks when they learn how far I ride sometimes. I just was talking to a fellow on the phone a bit ago and before we got off the phone he asked (laughing) how the bike riding was going. I told him I'm off until Spring and then he wanted to know if I got in a thousand miles. Well, yes, several, thank you. For most folks it is hard to imagine someone riding even 10 miles per day. It takes me about that long to get warmed up! They just can't imagine going, say, 100 miles on a bike in one day. Well, what about 200? The record is well over 500.