Stihlmans Wood,Tree cutting ramblings...........

[Stihlman441]

What kind of attachment are you using to pick up the rounds with the bobcat?

I will take a pic

 

[KiwiBro]

hmmmm, 2000tonnes of firewood logs. Wonder what the contract rate would be and if enough to pay off good gear:
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/booleroo-centre/other/sawmiller-firewood-cutter-required/1151010060

 

[Stihlman441]

I will take a pic

 

[Rudolf73]

View attachment 585644 View attachment 585645

Oh yeah that will do the job

 

[Rudolf73]

hmmmm, 2000tonnes of firewood logs. Wonder what the contract rate would be and if enough to pay off good gear:
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/booleroo-centre/other/sawmiller-firewood-cutter-required/1151010060

Thats not far from me, old mate is a bit of a wheeler and dealer. I don't think you would get rich anytime soon. And milling green red gum is South Australia, I wonder what he wants to use it for... not the best quality timber.

 

[KiwiBro]

Suspected that to be the case,

I don't think you would get rich anytime soon.

Is a fellow like that here who has a figure in his head what he wants as profit off the top for all the wood he has. Been like that for a few years now. Is happy to bag people for a lack of work ethic, having only had a few people step up to his mountain of wood and ultimately fail rather quickly and leave. Every time I drive passed it seems a little lower, but that'll be rot and the grass getting higher. Have never understood that way of thinking but each to his own. On the flip side, sometimes there are people who just say 'get stuck in' and don't expect much payment because it's a tough, long job with farkall $ in it anyway. Those people I always make sure get something, even if only all the firewood they can burn.

 

[KiwiBro]

I think I've asked this already, but, Andrew, where do the trailers of firewood end up? I mean, is there a second or third handling stage - dumping to dry then reloading to deliver? Or is it all sold green and is driven straight to and dumped at the customers before returning to be reloaded straight off the conveyor? I've found here it's the handling that kills the profit faster than anything else. There;'s not enough of a premium for dry, seasoned firewood to justify the associated costs of holding and handling it.

I'm working on an idea to eliminate almost all those costs but jury is still out if it will work.

 

[Stihlman441]

I think I've asked this already, but, Andrew, where do the trailers of firewood end up? I mean, is there a second or third handling stage - dumping to dry then reloading to deliver? Or is it all sold green and is driven straight to and dumped at the customers before returning to be reloaded straight off the conveyor? I've found here it's the handling that kills the profit faster than anything else. There;'s not enough of a premium for dry, seasoned firewood to justify the associated costs of holding and handling it.

I'm working on an idea to eliminate almost all those costs but jury is still out if it will work.

For us it depends on the plantasoin and where it is
If the plantasoin is on a property where there is no roads and is safe from gear and wood theft is ideal.
Fell the trees remove the tops and branch wood,stack the trees in piles and the branch wood,burn the tops and keep going down the plantasoin.Remove the dry wood and process and sell this helps pay the fuel bills.
Leave the wood for 6 to 8 months the bark falls off and is better to block and split.
Bring splitter and hopper saw bench to wood ,block and splitt into truck and trailer sell semi green if possible at a cheaper rate straight from the paddock,if not stock pill to be sold as dry wood,reload with bobcat.
Plantasoin next to roads ect pile the wood or block and take home daily to be split from home or safe place.

 

[KiwiBro]

Thanks for that.
Great to have jobs within commuting range, and enough room to store the stuff that might come home with you each day on the jobs where you can't leave it there or find a buyer for delivery on the way home.
What happens to the millable logs? Are they dealt with by others before/after you are there? Do you come across stuff you think could be milled/slabbed but find yourself cutting it for firewood? No farmers want chips from the slash for calf bedding or the like, rather than burn the sub-4" stuff?

 

[Stihlman441]

Thanks for that.
Great to have jobs within commuting range, and enough room to store the stuff that might come home with you each day on the jobs where you can't leave it there or find a buyer for delivery on the way home.
What happens to the millable logs? Are they dealt with by others before/after you are there? Do you come across stuff you think could be milled/slabbed but find yourself cutting it for firewood? No farmers want chips from the slash for calf bedding or the like, rather than burn the sub-4" stuff?

When we come across large solid Redgum we do mill them into slabs (I have two on a farm at the moment but can't get back in until the crop is done) but there is no real interest in Sugargum timber.The one problem with Sugargum is when it gets to an age of say 25 30 years old most of it is rotten in the centre to some point and the second or third growth doesn't get a large enough size in diameter.
Farmers here don't use animal bedding,it could be chipped but wouldn't be cost effective .

 

[Stihlman441]

Hi ya gents
Its been a very long time but got into doing more with wood that firewood.
The sun in law has a Lucas mill these days so doing more with the wood to get max $ return.The first project is to cut,mill for a post and rail front fence so of we go and got onto some nice Stringbarks should do the job nicely.

 

[Stihlman441]

The gate posts are 10 inch square and the other posts a 8 inch square,rails are 8 inch by 2 1/2 inch.

 

[Stihlman441]

 

[Stihlman441]

 

[Stihlman441]

Got a new toy as well

 

[derwoodii]

Councils luv this timber for playgrounds and landscape even the off cuts can be re used as habitat logs for critter,, show em some pictures and wait for the $$ calls

 

[deye223]

Nice work Andrew very nice ...

 

[Officer's Match]

Nice looking Breakout too.

 

[Stihlman441]

Got a bit on at the moment semi dry Sugargum

 

[KiwiBro]

G'Day Andrew,

You still using the Whitlands splitter?
Have been milling with a Lucas this last Summer too. Even old and second hand it's light years ahead of the new POS nightmare I had before. The service from Lucas is exceptional too.

I'd like to be adding more value to the lumber. Milled almost 2kms of 4x1 saligna and the cost to transport to and get profiled (decking) by the nearest (and only) machinist willing to do it is about $2k.

Can't afford a 4-sider, so I'm looking at a planer/moulder to run it myself and for anyone else who may have lumber they want to get profiled. There are two brands of planer/molders (as they spell it) in USA I'm looking at that range from about $3.5-8k once delivered and set-up with suitable dust extraction.

Not sure yet but think I might go that route and see how many other people need lumber profiled. If nothing else, I'd have paid the machine off with my own needs in a few years.