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Thread: Semi Retirement
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9th Jun 2022, 08:41 PM #31Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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This is wood rather than metal related but one thing I love doing is chainsaw milling timber. It must be because it brings back memories of working with my dad in the bush in the South West of WA. The serenity of the bush, the sawdust, the smell of the two stroke, the view of the cut timber etc. I milled timber at a tree loppers yard during my holidays and weekends for 6 years before I retired. I actually didn't care all that much about the timber if a fire went through my stacks I figured, "too bad", but the tree lopper that provided me with logs has them coming out of his ears so I would just cut some more - ie more fun. The tree lopper used quite a few slabs in nature playground structure, I sold some, gave lots way, and the weather and the white ants got their fair share.
When I retired I thought I could occasionally pick up some spare cash by advertising my services to mill timber for others. I milled half a dozen logs for people and even though I was just milling the logs (ie didn't have to look after the slabs etc)- it was not the same. I just found it too stressful so I stopped advertising and only milled (sometimes for nothing) for my mens shed, relatives and friends, or if an exotic log came up . Recently the tree lopper purchased a nice new compact bandsaw mill which is real nice to drive and I have done some milling for people I don't know but I'm keeping it to a minimum by charging $65/hour - which (given how expensive timber is these days) is still dirt cheap, but is funny how many people still hink it's too much.
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9th Jun 2022, 09:55 PM #32Diamond Member
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Good evening Bob, I'm not sure about the "serenity of the bush" going hand in hand with the sound of a screaming smelly two stroke chainsaw, but I do understand how you enjoyed time with your dad in the bush just the same.
I definitely don't think that $65/hour is too much for the services of a bandsaw mill together with an operator who knows what he is doing. At our Community Shed, (a shed with both male and female members) we are currently operating several mills in order to actually fund the purchase of our shed. With timber prices and availability in the current climate being what they are, there will probably never be a better time to achieve that goal.
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10th Jun 2022, 09:24 AM #33Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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It's weird but I don't remember the chainsaw noises so much, and the noise I remember is a faint distant buzz. Although I would sometimes carry the fuel and oil for him, whenever I could I avoided dad - he didn't want me too close to falling trees anyway so I was either riding shotgun on the D9 (another OHS nightmare) that towed the logs back to the log landing, riding the log trucks back to the saw mill with the alcoholic pommie truck driver, starting a billy tea fire for smoko, wandering thru the bush looking for marron creeks etc. I don't know how I didn't get lost as some of teh bush was pretty dense. I tried to keep within ear shot of the chainsaw but the bush muffled that pretty quickly even over short distances. The air horn on the big logging truck was used once to get my attention they were leaving early.
I never saw single live snake, although the truck driver killed a 6ft long dugite he found under pile of logs and put it on a stump for all to see. Dad also said he saw very few snakes as the word is they'd all leave the area as soon a big chainsaw started up. I once ended up inside a 1/4 acre minefield of bull ants nests and managed to get away with just a few bites. I saw snakes at home around the chook pen and it the nearby bush/swamp. Once while walking thru that bush I saw what looked like a smooth black stick and went to step on it but suddenly it moved - frightened the bejeezus out of me. Once there was a small bushfire in that bush and heaps of snakes came out of the swamp and took up residence under peoples houses and sheds etc. It took weeks before they left or we caught and unfortunately often killed.
I definitely don't think that $65/hour is too much for the services of a bandsaw mill together with an operator who knows what he is doing. At our Community Shed, (a shed with both male and female members) we are currently operating several mills in order to actually fund the purchase of our shed. With timber prices and availability in the current climate being what they are, there will probably never be a better time to achieve that goal.
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10th Jun 2022, 11:05 AM #34Senior Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2019
- Location
- Tasmania
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That may well end up being the case. I just can't imagine id hate it more than I hate going to my current job though but I could be wrong.
I do have the potential for other passive income in the way of airbnb'ing a property or long term rental.
Thanks Steve All these things are worthy ideas worth looking into.
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