Introduction
Numbers on a page only become useful when they drive a decision. This walkthrough follows a hypothetical – but fully worked – scenario from log deck to final decision: a homeowner with storm-damaged trees evaluates whether to sell the logs, hire a portable sawmill, or buy equipment and mill them personally. Every board-foot figure below is calculated with the same formulas the calculator uses, and every price is a typical planning range, so you can substitute your own logs and local prices into the same framework.
Note: this case study is hypothetical and illustrative – the logs, prices, and decisions demonstrate the method; they are not a real transaction. Run your own numbers with the Log Board Feet Calculator and the cost guide.
The Scenario (Hypothetical)
A homeowner in a hardwood region has twelve red oak logs from storm cleanup, cut to length and decked by the driveway. The logs are sound and straight – no rot, minor sweep on two – and the owner wants to know the best financial path: sell the logs to a mill, hire a portable sawyer, or buy a band mill and do it personally. The local market runs on the Doyle scale for hardwood, with standard red oak at a typical $600 per MBF planning price.
Step 1: Scale the Deck
Each log is measured at the small end inside the bark, and the Doyle board feet computed as (D – 4) squared x L / 16:
| Log # | Diameter (in) | Length (ft) | Doyle (BF) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 18 | 12 | 147 each | Straight, sound (4 x 147 = 588) |
| 5-8 | 16 | 12 | 108 each | Straight, sound (4 x 108 = 432) |
| 9-10 | 16 | 10 | 90 each | Minor sweep (2 x 90 = 180) |
| 11-12 | 14 | 8 | 50 each | Sound (2 x 50 = 100) |
Check the arithmetic: log type 1: (18 – 4) squared x 12 / 16 = 196 x 0.75 = 147 BF. Log type 3: (16 – 4) squared x 10 / 16 = 144 x 0.625 = 90 BF. Log type 4: (14 – 4) squared x 8 / 16 = 100 x 0.5 = 50 BF.
Deck total: 588 + 432 + 180 + 100 = 1,300 BF Doyle – about 3.07 cubic meters. (The same deck scales roughly 1,480 BF Scribner and 1,390 BF International – the Doyle basis this market uses is the conservative one.)
Step 2: Option A – Sell the Logs
Gross value: 1,300 BF / 1,000 x $600 = $780, with the buyer hauling. Two adjustments: the two swept logs (180 BF) might draw a 10 percent defect deduction – about $11 – and planning-range prices mean actual offers could land 15 percent either way.
Illustrative net: roughly $700-$780, cash within days, zero labor. This is the baseline every other option must beat.
Step 3: Option B – Hire a Portable Sawyer
A local sawyer quotes $0.45 per BF. Milling cost: 1,300 x $0.45 = $585. The owner supplies two helpers for the day (family labor – no cash cost, but a full Saturday each).
The yield: a thin-kerf band mill typically recovers more than Doyle predicts – assume roughly 1,450 BF of green 4/4 lumber. After 9 months of air drying in the barn (space the owner already has), the lumber is worth roughly $2.50-$3.50 per BF retail for red oak, or $3,600-$5,000 in finished-lumber value.
Illustrative net: $3,600-$5,000 in lumber value minus $585 milling = roughly $3,000-$4,400 – but tied up 9 months, requiring drying space, stacking labor, and a plan to actually use or sell 1,450 BF of oak. The owner needs a workshop project list or a buyer for the surplus; lumber with no destination is just a very heavy savings account.
Step 4: Option C – Buy a Band Mill
An entry band mill at $5,000, plus blades and fuel for the job (about $150). First-job economics: the same $3,600-$5,000 lumber value, minus $5,150 in equipment and consumables, = roughly negative $150 to negative $1,550 on this job alone – but the owner now owns the mill.
Payback math: against the $585-per-job hired milling cost, the $5,000 mill breaks even after about 8 to 9 jobs of this size. The owner mills occasionally with no pipeline of future logs – so the machine would sit idle, and the payback does not work here.
Step 5: The Decision
| Option | Illustrative net | Time and effort | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: Sell the logs | ~$700-$780 | None | Low – price varies with market |
| B: Hire a sawyer | ~$3,000-$4,400 in lumber value | Stacking labor + 9 months drying | Medium – needs drying space and a use for the lumber |
| C: Buy a mill | Negative on this job; pays back over ~8 jobs | Learning curve + all of B | High – idle equipment if no future logs |
The illustrative outcome: the owner chooses Option B. The household’s workshop project list will absorb roughly 800 BF, and a neighbor agrees to buy the remaining 600+ BF at $2 per BF ($1,200+), covering the milling cost twice over. Option A was the safe baseline; Option B captures roughly four times the value for one Saturday of stacking and patience.
Lessons From the Walkthrough
- Scale first, decide second. The 1,300-BF tally framed every option – without it, the owner was guessing between “$500-ish” and “a lot of wood.”
- Know which scale your market quotes. The Doyle basis cost this hypothetical seller about 15 percent of volume versus Scribner – understood and accepted here, but never a surprise.
- Lumber value is not cash. Option B’s $3,000-$4,400 is real value only if the lumber gets used or sold; otherwise it is a drying stack and a hope.
- Equipment needs a pipeline. A mill without future logs is a depreciating asset. One job never justifies the purchase – the payback math said 8 jobs, and honesty about that killed Option C.
The decision framework – scale the wood, price each path, verify the assumptions – is the same one in the DIY vs pro guide, applied here to a concrete (hypothetical) deck.
Related Guides
- Complete Guide – log board feet basics, the three scales, and a full worked example.
- Cost Guide – typical log prices per MBF and what moves them up or down.
- DIY vs Pro – when to mill it yourself and when to hire a sawyer.
- Estimating Guide – how to measure diameter and length accurately in the field.
- Pro Tips – practical advice for buying, scaling, and milling logs.
- Checklist – everything to verify before you buy, scale, or mill a log.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this case study a real transaction?
No – it is hypothetical and illustrative, constructed to demonstrate the decision method with fully worked arithmetic. Substitute your own log measurements and local prices; the framework is the reusable part.
How do I scale my own log deck like this?
Measure each log’s small-end diameter inside the bark and its length, enter them in the Log Board Feet Calculator, and total the board feet. The estimating guide gives the field procedure.
Why did the sawyer option yield more than the Doyle scale?
Doyle is conservative on small-to-medium logs by design, and thin-kerf band mills waste less wood per cut than the scales assume. Beating the scaled volume by 10 to 20 percent on straight logs is normal – it is not an error in either number.
When does buying a mill actually pay off?
When you have a pipeline: roughly 8 to 10 jobs of 1,000+ BF, or ongoing access to logs, or a small lumber business. A single job’s margin never justifies the capital on its own.
What if I have no use for 1,400 BF of lumber?
Then the milling options’ “value” is theoretical – sell the logs (Option A) or pre-sell the lumber before milling. Never mill on speculation without a buyer or project list.
How do regional prices change this analysis?
Significantly. Per-MBF log prices, sawyer rates, and retail lumber prices all vary by region – in high-price markets the milling margin widens; where sawyers are scarce, Option B may not exist. Re-run the framework with local numbers.
Get Your Number
The method is portable even though the scenario is hypothetical: scale your deck with the Log Board Feet Calculator, price the three paths – sell, hire, buy equipment – against your local rates, and check the two questions that decided this case: do you have a use or buyer for the lumber, and do you have a pipeline to justify equipment? Answer those honestly and the right option is usually obvious.
Disclaimer: This case study is hypothetical and illustrative; all logs, prices, and outcomes are constructed examples, not real transactions or testimonials. Prices are typical planning ranges and vary by region and market. Calculator results are planning estimates – verify volumes and prices locally before making financial decisions.
