Thanks! Me too...being a hoarder is a lot like being a hunter and I don't want to ruin our reputation by ticking off the people generous enough to let us pursue our hobby on their land!
Hey Sean Easterly glad everything turned out well. I am sure that you have a firmer relationship now than if you had not cut the log! You showed respect for his feelings in a friendship way but didn't demean the situation by lowering it to a business level. Tickled for you! Congratulations on the upcoming new family member!
First congrats on the new addition, be prepared to be sleep deprived and happy!! 12 years ago, building a spec house, some trees needed to be removed, for daylight around house, driveway and to get trucks in. I was building, so hired a local guy that wanted some wood. My brother came up and wanted 12 of the trees. Black walnut, maple, cherry and 1 oak. He cut them, loaded logs into 1 ton dump, brought them to saw mill.. they were rated v (veneer) e (excellent) and vg (very good). Saw mill was 25 miles away. I still have receipts somewhere he got $215 Gasoline at that time was $4 a gallon. He said never again.
Wow! $18.-/log??? Something doesn't sound right there. There is a sawmill not too far from here, stopped in there one day to see what they do. Only utility grade stuff; surveyors stakes, large timber cribbing for crane supports, house lifting etc. They wouldn't know what to do with fine lumber and don't have the buyers for those products. Guess it's best to know before you go. I think most of the answers to the OP were dead on. A 15" Walnut log isn't a gold mine but it isn't worthless either. You just have to know who wants it. Neighbor recently offered me a Walnut that was cut down on his property. He didn't want anything for it but I went over with my son and bucked up all the Hickory and Ash he had and stacked it by his splitter in exchange. Scored some Walnut! Not a huge tree either but I am turning it into valuable products in the end. Only part of it getting burned is the scraps. Any Greenwood Carvers here? Lot of reading, but sounds like the OP did the right thing, handled it well. It became of value in the end to strengthen the relationship. Another congratulations on the upcoming little one. Stock up all the sleep you can now, it's gonna be a couple years...
Sean you did good. You only get one time to make a first impression, and this was your first time of being called out about something and your response sounds like he accepted it graciously. He also made a good impression. Kudos to the two of you. Work on a system so this doesn't happen again. Either shed hunting or spring or fall mushroom hunting with him walk the woods and mark trees to cut or keep. Will eliminate this problem. Congrats on the little one. Our two girls were just born the other day and yet here I am, a grandpa to 5 grandkids ranging from 12 -5 years old!!! Man don't blink, when our oldest turned 9 I looked at my wife and said, "half her life living at home is now over". Dang, that ticked her off and took a long time for her to understand that I need to mark time or else it goes by without realizing.
