Question
I will be sawing spalted maple and beech and I am wondering if there is a going rate for this lumber?
Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor B:
It might be best to see what you have before you price it. Logs with spalting are an unknown until they are sawed. What you saw out of the logs, if you dry it, and your patience waiting for an appreciative buyer will also be factors. I would cut 4/4 or 5/4 wide boards from it.
Your market won't be someone else’s, so make your own prices. You need to make so much money (or else why do it) to make it worthwhile; only you know how long it takes you to do what it is you do, and your time and costs will vary from job to job, so using someone else’s prices cannot function for you. It is a decent estimation of potential, but not much for a bottom line.
I cut a lot of somewhat highly spalted maple, and have a lot more to cut. It is a crap shoot as to what will be inside any piece (often little), so how much to sell it for will vary. The price you need to make it worthwhile will determine the market you sell it to, and the availability of that market will determine your success.
Thicker brings better price. So look in your area for what good lumber of the same type and grade would bring and add half again as a starting point. I have seen spalted wood going for $100's a bdft but do not know how much they really sale. Most of my maple goes for $2 to $5 bdft and I do not have beech here. Sycamore goes for $1.25 to $2.50 bdt unless it gets really wide and thick.
One reason you may not find standard pricing is that spalted wood of any kind is not something that's predictable to source. A lot of places will say they have spalted lumber but when push comes to shove they don't have any kind of regular supply like you've found out.