Newbie

barnesy

G'day all

Just found this forum and thought I'd join in.

I operate a Lucas Mill. I do that because I was frustrated at the waste that goes on with developers and public authorities just destroying timber instead of utilizing the resource they have at hand.

Okay off the soap box.

Look forward to talking with you as I go along.

Jamie

Eric Frei

Hi Jamie

OK, so you are in Ormeau and have a Lucas Mill ... what model?

Do you mill on site?

I'm just up the road in Springwood. Today we dropped a 18" dia silkyoak log in Shailer Park, straight and no branches for 8m ..... went straight into the chipper.

I think you get the idea.

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barnesy

G'day Eric,

Sacrilege

Yes I mill on site and she is the 10-30 with slabber.

Let me know anytime you are felling a tree - please!

Jamie
Barnesys Mobile Sawmilling - Turning Trees into Timber

Eric Frei

If we leave a log, you mill it and take the timber is there a charge or is it free? What about the mess (tons of sawdust)?

What if the customer wants the milled timber, what sort of costs etc?

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Rockin'Robin

That is great to hear, I wish more people would mill the wood, it is always so sad to see great quality lumber go to waste getting junked into cookies and thrown in the back of a chip box. My first day on the job as an arborist we cut two gorgeous black walnuts, at least 10m to the first branch and hammer straight. Bucked them both into 16" cookies and trucked them off to the dump site. A crying shame.

barnesy

Leave me a log of 6m length max and I'll come in and mill it.

Tailings - sapwood and heart generally get chipped by the feller, I take the timber away.

If a client wants the timber I ask for a wish list because you never know what you will get in advance and I charge $190/ log cube. Had a 600mm spotty yesterday that was rotten sapwood to sapwood when I opened it up! How it didn't fall over is beyond me. Started at what looked like a small branch being loped or broken off years ago but was about 10m up the trunk.

Sawdust - well that's up to whoever - good mixed in with chip mulch or the compost process in moderation.

Drouin Tree Service

I avoid milling deals like the plague,never works out,Im cleaning up a milling deal gone wrong at the moment so its not all bad!

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Drouin Tree Services | Excavator Hire - Drouin and SE Gippsland | Landclearing Melbourne

GREENEE

Eric,
You live at Springwood. I live at Cornubia and should keep you in mind for up and coming projects in the Brisbane area. I work as a Landscape Architect and often involved in tree relocations, removals and maintenance specifications. I am also an AQF level 5 Arborist but believe I have a fair way to go in my education.
This is why I like TREEWORLD

Garry Brockley

you never stop learning in this job and I agree treeworld has lots of information

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barnesy

That's OK - Chip the whole lot - Hope you feel good about it rather than working with someone to achieve a better outcome for a valuable resource even if it's a bit extra effort.

I started in this caper because I've seen enormous quantities of usable timber
wasted. Not saying the process is without some hassle or cost but when the only framing or decking our kids will have is steel, what will you tell them - "I helped do that" - I think not.

To each his own - I've got people screaming at me for timber and you can't be bothered

Jeff Darby

it's a lopas choice, you have to accept that some will and some wont and dont take it personal...

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Arboriculture, A life long study for some, a passing phase for others

© Jeffrey J Darby 2011

Apocalypsse

How are you with supplies? All the millers I've seen in Vic will drive half way across the state for a few logs. Personally theres only a few trees I wouldn't mind being milled, otherwise the mulch is more profitable and useful in most cases.

barnesy

Supplies are reasonable - some think they have a goldmine in a silky oak log but generally there are logs about to harvest. There's far too many being turned to chip that should be though!

Whole new government school development near here cut down cypress trees 50 years old and called in a chipper the size of a B-double to get rid of them and are now putting in outdoor seating and tables with timber they've purchased.

Sorry but in my mind that is stupidity. Yet they will slug us if we waste water and put our rates, electricity and service charges up!

Ok I'll get off the hobby horse but really we need to have a real think about how we deal with the resources we have at hand.

Garry Brockley

To make it a viable business option for tree companies you would need to remove the timber whole then process at your leisure and leave no mess for the homeowner i.e get a timber truck.

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barnesy

Yeah - I'd love to but $30k so far and you want me to find another how many for a Hi-Ab and site to put em?

Give me a break!

This is about taking care and use of the resource responsibly by all concerned. As stated before - just chip it all and who cares what our kids inherit.

There are councils who now have a standard clause in development permits that require all logs over 350 mm must be milled. Not a big fan of shiny pants bureaucrats but think this shows responsibility.

Chipping capacity should be limited to 350mm in all but commercial forestry operations. There is a use for anything over that.

OK off again

Jamie

Drouin Tree Service

One guy locally has an old tilt tray and picks up logs

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Drouin Tree Services | Excavator Hire - Drouin and SE Gippsland | Landclearing Melbourne

barnesy

Not sure that would be viable Drouin to Brisbane.

Yeah have been down that track regularly - $85 - $100/hr for a crane truck - Towies are fine getting 'em on but the unload is a bit of a feature if you have limited space.

Who wants it and I'll give you the number. PM me.

Garry Brockley

Barnsey, you see as business people we have found that the more people we get involved in a tree removal operation, the more complicated things get, I have personally found people are generally unreliable, this one element can be the difference between making enough to live on each day and spending your time chasing the person who let you down, so you can get the job finished and get paid by the customer, getting paid by people after a job is finished can be a real P.I.T.A. at the best of times, so if you have a log waiting to be miled / picked up you then will have to wait for the customer to be happy with thier side before payment is made and if you have a few jobs like that you could be waiting for $6-$8 k and as a business personally imnot willing to take the chance and wait for that kind of money.
so you see our predicament! we work to pay the bills, we have found the best way to get the job done and get paid to feed and clothe our children, so why would we take a chance on messing with that business model.

Don't get me wrong i get logs picked up alot but only on jobs where i absolutely know the company will pick it up when they say, i would much rather have a log turn into furniture and save a tree in the forrests that chip it but it's not always a viable option, especially when most people hammer nails and screws into the things over the years.

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Brent Ferris

If you're milling on site, put a tarp down under the mill to catch the sawdust and keep the site clean.

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