Can a person make any money as a saw tech.

[sawinredneck]

I work with computers for a large insurance company. I don't have a really good personality for sitting behind a desk all day and dealing with all the junk that goes along with working in corporate America. But the pay is good (allows my wife to stay at home with our 6 kids), I get vacation days, and it provides health and life insurance.

A few years back, all I wanted to do was start up a small engine repair business and quit my day job. $10,000 and a pile of debt later, I found out some very important things as far as making this a primary occupation:

1. If you don't sell new equipment, you can't make it work.
2. If you don't have a *LARGE* inventory of parts for virtually everything, you can't make it work either.
3. If you live in an area with a lot of regulations dictating what business you can and can't do out of your own home, it will cost thousands of dollars just to get the proper zoning variances, business permits, etc.
4. Customers can be a lot more difficult and stressful to deal with than corporate managers.
5. Rarely will you find somebody that wants to pay what the labor is worth. Customers expect miracles for $15.
6. We live in a throw-away society. If, after 4 years, that $99 made in China mower from Wal-Mart with the Mexican made Briggs engine has a gunked up carburetor, it's not worth it to put $40 into it to rebuild the carb.
7. If you don't specialize in a particular product line, you can end up spending hours researching problems or looking for parts. Much of that time is unbillable, if you don't want "bad press".

This dream has now become a small hobby for me. I don't take anything I don't want to work on (unless it's somebody I owe a favor to). I tell people up front that it might be a while before I get it repaired and if they want it back sooner, they need to take it somewhere else -- I offer no guarantee about when it will be completed -- my family and my primary job come first.

All the negatives aside, if I ever came into a large sum of money (ie: inheritance), I would start this back up in a heartbeat. The satisfaction of a customer telling you it hasn't run like this since it was brand new is priceless. Working with my hands is very satisfying and beats typing and mousing all day.

Anyway, enough of my soapbox, just my 2 cents.

God bless,
Chris

Like I said, What he said!!!!!

 

[ropensaddle]

now

I wonder if a tech that builds comp saws make a little better
probably not just wondered hot saws are cool say maybe a harley
with electric start hard to hold though:bang:

 

[Ax-man]

Keep talking guys, this is a good thread. I too have flirted with this idea of my own repair shop. The more I hear from the people who actually have experienced this the more I am going to be gun shy about getting into this trap.

I did try a long time ago, but got out of it real quick because of the problem of not being a dealer and no parts support. I figure I am better off just getting saws cheap and try to fix them at my own pace and resell them. A person doesn't make any money doing this either, your lucky to break even on the parts and you don't get paid for your time that you put into these project saws. In my case it has it's benefits for our tree biz, I can aquire many more saws than we need or I can sell off the ones the ones I fix after we have gotten our use out of them. All of this is tax deductable for me because it is related directly to our tree biz.

 

[Four Paws]

Airlines will make you money and bennies between lay offs...but it is like the most Gov't regulated job there is.

Unless you work for Uncle Sam...like I did for 3 years of my life I will never get back - HA! Work to live - find something you can tolerate and keep saws your hobby. For most, when hobbies become work, they are no longer fun. Unless you make a ridiculous ammount of money doing it - like those punk b*tch Orange County Choppers guys.

 

[RiverRat2]

Ask Bsnelling about being a Saw Flipper???

I had a feeling these would be the responses i'd get. Maybe I can become a saw flipper. Buy em cheap fix em up. Airlines will make you money and bennies between lay offs. Like what I do but it is like the most Gov't regulated job there is.

Buyin em cheap????? LOL you gotta be lucky & Good @ the same time to do that,,, and then the next problem quality, parts are not cheap,,,, not saying it cant be done,,,, just my experience has been breaking even or a little better sometimes seems to be the norm.... But if ya love tinkering with em like most of us,,,, Well your in the right place and uhhh,,,,don't quit your day job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[windthrown]

Occ...

Unless you work for Uncle Sam...like I did for 3 years of my life I will never get back - HA! Work to live - find something you can tolerate and keep saws your hobby. For most, when hobbies become work, they are no longer fun. Unless you make a ridiculous ammount of money doing it - like those punk b*tch Orange County Choppers guys.

Heh. Yah, American Choppers. Like they really *work* any more? I want Mikey's new contract... Doh!

 

[1953greg]

if you are intrested in small engines i would suggest the outboard marine side. thats where the big bucks are. big bucks.

those guys are willing to pay $3000 for repairs on a $30k engine.
chainsaw guys might be willing to pay $300 on a $1k engine.

big difference

 

[Cedarkerf]

Keep talking guys, this is a good thread. I too have flirted with this idea of my own repair shop. The more I hear from the people who actually have experienced this the more I am going to be gun shy about getting into this trap.

I did try a long time ago, but got out of it real quick because of the problem of not being a dealer and no parts support. I figure I am better off just getting saws cheap and try to fix them at my own pace and resell them. A person doesn't make any money doing this either, your lucky to break even on the parts and you don't get paid for your time that you put into these project saws. In my case it has it's benefits for our tree biz, I can aquire many more saws than we need or I can sell off the ones the ones I fix after we have gotten our use out of them. All of this is tax deductable for me because it is related directly to our tree biz.

Probably will do it as a hobbie go thru differnet saws till I have my perfect set.

 

[Cedarkerf]

Thanks to everyone for your insight. What a great place this site is.:greenchainsaw:

 

[windthrown]

Buying a local saw shop...

Good thread for what I have been musing over the past month or so. Local guy has a Stihl/Husky shop in a small town of 1,000 people here in the land of trees. He was a sawyer in the woods for over 15 years. He is in his 60's and wants to retire. Says he will sell the long established shop for cheap, with the inventory and saw dealerships go with it.

Seems that most of what he can make money on is lawn mowers and blowers. He does a lot of saw stuff too, has piles of them in the 'fixed' and 'to be fixed' areas. Dunno how he does... maybe $35k a year is my best guess??? I can tinker pretty good, I have torn down dozens of car engines, I have several engineering degrees, and I have some income off my high-flying high tech engineering days. Hummmm....

Still scratching head...

 

[windthrown]

Marine... yah...

if you are intrested in small engines i would suggest the outboard marine side. thats where the big bucks are. big bucks.

those guys are willing to pay $3000 for repairs on a $30k engine.
chainsaw guys might be willing to pay $300 on a $1k engine.

big difference

Yah, the saw shop I am talking about is on the main drag out to the coast. I was thinking of adding marine engine repair to selling and fixing saws and mowers, and maybe a dune buggy welding shop to catch the throngs going to the dunes and fishing on the coast. Seems that the real money is in the people that do stuff for a hobby and sport and not for a living.

 

[RiverRat2]

Better than Scratching your watch and winding your A$$ :jawdrop: :jawdrop:

 

[Drive_1305]

6. We live in a throw-away society. If, after 4 years, that $99 made in China mower from Wal-Mart with the Mexican made Briggs engine has a gunked up carburetor, it's not worth it to put $40 into it to rebuild the carb.

Chris

The Briggs and Stratton engines on the lower priced mowers from Wal mart, Lowes, and other retailers aren't made in Mexico. They're made in the USA at there plant in Murray, KY by close to 900 or so hard working people. I know because I work there.

 

[RiverRat2]

The Briggs and Stratton engines on the lower priced mowers from Wal mart, Lowes, and other retailers aren't made in Mexico. They're made in the USA at there plant in Murray, KY by close to 900 or so hard working people. I know because I work there.

Good for you D1305