How do you charge for milling for others ????

[DarwinAustralia]

A big HELLO to everyone one here, first post for me. I have been researching and reading everything on this site for about six months before I started ask questions on one or two pm's. Now for my first question for everyone out there. Let the answers fly and don't be shy. I will take on board and weigh up all reply's good and/or bad.

I have gained a ton of knowledge from everyone on here - everyone !!! - especially BobL, 820wards, Paige and trx250r180 to name a few.

I have cut a couple of bar tops and a couple of posts my mates. For love and a drop/bottle of Barcardi to keep the worker lubricated/maintenance after a big day milling! Now all of their mates and their mates mates want me to do the same for them. I said it would incur a cost since it takes me so long in labour, setting up, travel plus my running expenses etc etc. Nobody here in Darwin does any kind of milling of any kind on logs.
QUESTION - How do you guys charge for this kind of work ? Hourly rate ? Cost ? Market/ Commercial cost ? Supply timber or use theirs etc etc.
I don't want to make a living from this but I would love to get them to pay for servicing my saws, new bars and chains etc. ( cover costs-wear and tear )So I can play more for myself at a reduced rate.

Thanks in Advance for everybody's reply's
Gary Milburn
Darwin Australia

P.S SIDE NOTE - I did the same with fishing up here in the top end. Everyone I knew wanted me to take them fishing to catch a Wild Barramundi. It cost me a fortune taking everyone else out and doing all the work, supply boat, fuel, fishing gear. drive boat all day and even stay sober to drive motorcar/boat home.
After a couple of years of that, I put a stop to it and started charging people running costs plus a very small touch of cream on top. It knocked the numbers asking down by 80% - but those that did pay for trip (mates rates) allowed me to save a ton of money and I bought a new custom fishing boat soon after. Here are a couple of pics of my boat.

 

[john taliaferro]

Welcome to AS , Got any plans for the tree ?

 

[DarwinAustralia]

Welcome to AS , Got any plans for the tree ?

Have done two small lengths but wide bar tops for mates. African mahogany. Feel great to lean on and look at whilst having a bevy or two.

 

[BobL]

A big HELLO to everyone one here, first post for me. I have been researching and reading everything on this site for about six months before I started ask questions on one or two pm's. Now for my first question for everyone out there. Let the answers fly and don't be shy. I will take on board and weigh up all reply's good and/or bad.

I have gained a ton of knowledge from everyone on here - everyone !!! - especially BobL, 820wards, Paige and trx250r180 to name a few.

I have cut a couple of bar tops and a couple of posts my mates. For love and a drop/bottle of Barcardi to keep the worker lubricated/maintenance after a big day milling! Now all of their mates and their mates mates want me to do the same for them. I said it would incur a cost since it takes me so long in labour, setting up, travel plus my running expenses etc etc. Nobody here in Darwin does any kind of milling of any kind on logs.
QUESTION - How do you guys charge for this kind of work ? Hourly rate ? Cost ? Market/ Commercial cost ? Supply timber or use theirs etc etc.
I don't want to make a living from this but I would love to get them to pay for servicing my saws, new bars and chains etc. ( cover costs-wear and tear )So I can play more for myself at a reduced rate.

I have milled a few logs for cash and charge $65 for work time and $30 for travel time.

 

[DarwinAustralia]

me

I drink a drop or two of it as well - not just drive it.

 

[DarwinAustralia]

My first post on here in milling

Please chip in US and Canadian guys. Prices could be similar for all of us that put in the hard yards milling, It gives me an average going rate all round.
Penny for your thoughts and comments.
Darwin Gary
Aust.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Typically charge 2-3 beers per hour, my buddies are pretty generous though and tip well

 

[rarefish383]

I have a friend that makes custom night tables and custom counter tops for stores and such. Told him big slabs would be $50. We do a bit of tourny fishing off the cost of MD, VA, and NC. My mate has a 30' Contender. He splits all cost 4 ways. He won Captain of the year in our chapter of the MSSA this year. So we don't have to pay the entrance fee to our big North Carolina tournament this year. Welcome aboard, Joe.

 

[Dave Boyt]

If the customer supplies the log, I charge an hourly rate $60, plus replacement of the blade if it hits metal. If I supply the log, I sell the slabs individually. Cost depends on the size, color, and character of the grain, ranging around $30 to $350. The more you do, the more it will be worth. Air dried, surfaced, and ready to install, figure about 4X the value of the wood right from the mill. When someone looks at a nice slab, pulls out his checkbook and asks "how much", don't be bashful! The five 2" thick slabs from this cherry log went for $65 each. With this kind of wood, your time is irrelevant.

View attachment 303226

 

[imagineero]

I wouldn't be doing it for less than $60/hour either. At that price you won't get many people asking you to mill though, which is probably a good thing. Even at that rate there really isn't a lot of money in it most of the time. I run a tree company and only do it for customers if they're very sentimental about the tree, and I only do it if we removed the tree for them. Most yard trees are just crap anyway, they're hardly worth milling, but it makes people feel better about having to cut it down. I charge less, or nothing to cut it to firewood.

 

[WidowMaker1]

I charge $50/$60 per hour. ..or i give them my mates number, he uses a lucus mill. $600 a day.

 

[hamish]

For mates its purely an exchange of costs for pints and a good piss-up afterwards, so long as they are active in the process.

As I have a manual mill in an are where your trip over a mill every klick let alone several small commercial mills, bf production cant be met, yet relationships can be. My expenses are always covered (fuel and blade charge $5 a band used (sharpening figure) and $20-30 for metal strike dependant upon damage to the band) and a box of beer for myself and off bearer without question. The biggest payment comes from fresh eggs, yellow beans, tomatoes, all kinds of vegetables, maple syrup, some days I come home and all the snow is gone out of my lane, and all that's left is a hint of tracks leading away.

I enjoy milling and its a great "hobby" for myself, that I enjoy sharing with others. If I owned a boat on the ocean I would have to call it the Titanic, and not many would survive a trip with me at the helm.

For all the others in the goat rodeo its by the hour, I let them do the math of the bf production of me and a manual mill with no helper, versus a fully hydraulic mill with helpers, vs a commercial mill, scrag or band. If they are bad at math I win.

I get a benefit of cutting odd things others wont. Drainage pipe, burls, short pieces, insulation board, all kind of materials, its fun, and they usually pay much better.

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Clearing things up for those outside of the Commonwealth........a pint is usually 20oz, not 16 or lesser oz.

 

[Dave Boyt]

Hamish, I like your response! If I'm ever up your way, I'll buy you a pint. If my mill were a boat, it would just be a row boat named "Becky Sue"-- my wife's name (no kidding... well I am in Missouri, after all). Maybe I should paint her name on the side of the mill.

 

[psuiewalsh]

For mates its purely an exchange of costs for pints and a good piss-up afterwards, so long as they are active in the process.

As I have a manual mill in an are where your trip over a mill every klick let alone several small commercial mills, bf production cant be met, yet relationships can be. My expenses are always covered (fuel and blade charge $5 a band used (sharpening figure) and $20-30 for metal strike dependant upon damage to the band) and a box of beer for myself and off bearer without question. The biggest payment comes from fresh eggs, yellow beans, tomatoes, all kinds of vegetables, maple syrup, some days I come home and all the snow is gone out of my lane, and all that's left is a hint of tracks leading away.

I enjoy milling and its a great "hobby" for myself, that I enjoy sharing with others. If I owned a boat on the ocean I would have to call it the Titanic, and not many would survive a trip with me at the helm.

For all the others in the goat rodeo its by the hour, I let them do the math of the bf production of me and a manual mill with no helper, versus a fully hydraulic mill with helpers, vs a commercial mill, scrag or band. If they are bad at math I win.

I get a benefit of cutting odd things others wont. Drainage pipe, burls, short pieces, insulation board, all kind of materials, its fun, and they usually pay much better.

..................

............

..............


Clearing things up for those outside of the Commonwealth........a pint is usually 20oz, not 16 or lesser oz.

I can't believe that Canada is still installing wooden drainage pipe

 

[hamish]

I can't believe that Canada is still installing wooden drainage pipe

I wish we were, it would be much easier on blades!

On a nearby military base, the contractors doing some work there were shocked to find all the existing underground "plumbing" was made of oak, and has been in service since the mid 1850's.

 

[hamish]

If I'm ever up your way, I'll buy you a pint.

Likewise Dave,

If I ever end up down south in your area, i'll bring some real beer for ya! Share some 8N knowledge and I can pick your brain about some of the things that don't work (log dogs and cam dogs, that's it, thats all)to my satisfaction on my ML26.


Jeremy

Hamish was my everything Dog, when I decide to get another one it too will be a Border Collie, likewise should I ever get another mill it will be a Norwood.

 

[Dave Boyt]