Hand cutting hardwood. How much can we cut in a day?

[Big J]

Is the birch straight enough to put through my stroke processor? The reason I ask is that it's way quicker than hand processing, stacks all the logs for you and stacks all the brash for you too.

 

Edited September 7, 2018 by Big J

[john k]

Just pricing up a job, and wondered if anyone knows a rough idea of how much we can cut realistically in a day, in tons, per person. Pretty level woodland, nice modest sized birch. The owner wants me to give him a price per ton.

The fact that you’re asking this question suggests that you don’t have a lot of experience of production cutting.

If this is the case then you’re likely to be much slower than the figures that Big J is quoting, and you may struggle to keep it up even at a lower speed for a long day.

There’s a big difference between being able to fell trees and being a productive forestry cutter. If you are new to this type of work then you may find that it doesn’t pay very well while you get up to speed.

[john p]

Is the birch straight enough to put through my stroke processor? The reason I ask is that it's way quicker than hand processing, stacks all the logs for you and stacks all the brash for you too.
 

This ll be in your neck of the woods Big J

[john p]

The fact that you’re asking this question suggests that you don’t have a lot of experience of production cutting.

If this is the case then you’re likely to be much slower than the figures that Big J is quoting, and you may struggle to keep it up even at a lower speed for a long day.

There’s a big difference between being able to fell trees and being a productive forestry cutter. If you are new to this type of work then you may find that it doesn’t pay very well while you get up to speed.
I’ve worked with him, don’t think he’ll have any problems getting a decent amount processed.

[Big J]

8 minutes ago, john p said:

This ll be in your neck of the woods Big J

It's just a Google image as I don't have many photos of mine at all, especially not cutting anything. Can't wait to get started with it.

[Big J]

34 minutes ago, john k said:

The fact that you’re asking this question suggests that you don’t have a lot of experience of production cutting.

If this is the case then you’re likely to be much slower than the figures that Big J is quoting, and you may struggle to keep it up even at a lower speed for a long day.

There’s a big difference between being able to fell trees and being a productive forestry cutter. If you are new to this type of work then you may find that it doesn’t pay very well while you get up to speed.

The figures I quoted were from when we were cutting three days a week doing hardwood self select thinning on trees of a similar size. They are certainly doable for competent cutters. On the last job up in Scotland my cutters did about 1.3 tonnes an hour on fiddly, swept and in places windblown larch clearfell with 400kg per tree, and 1.7 tonnes an hour on larger spruce, with plenty of windblow and selective thinning (sitka hangs like nothing else). 

 

Clearfell birch should be quite quick

[Stoke Wood Project]

The fact that you’re asking this question suggests that you don’t have a lot of experience of production cutting.

If this is the case then you’re likely to be much slower than the figures that Big J is quoting, and you may struggle to keep it up even at a lower speed for a long day.

There’s a big difference between being able to fell trees and being a productive forestry cutter. If you are new to this type of work then you may find that it doesn’t pay very well while you get up to speed.

Thanks dad.

[john k]

You’re welcome

[Big J]

A lot does come down to the individual cutter. 

 

Had one chap work for me over a summer (this is going back years). Fresh off a training course, lovely chap, but painfully slow. He'd average 5-6 tonnes per day and no more. On the same material, with a slower saw and not cutting especially quickly I was 9-11 with sometimes 14. He did 8 tonnes in a day twice. 

 

Funny thing is that he went on to teach chainsaw operation later on!

 

My point is, if you find quick and efficient cutters (who can put a tonnage on the deck without endangering themselves or others) then hold onto them as they are worth their weight in gold. They aren't all equal

[spuddog0507]

i agree with J on this all cutters are different, different speeds different technquies make for different out putts a good cutter on say 350 DBH spruce 15+ tonne per day and some one new to the job less than 10 tonne a day, the job i am doing at present is a old windblown spruce site and i am only getting about 20 trees a day out but dead dry stuff so only about 6-8 tonne a day, but bear in mind trees are blown in every direction there is, so its like a massive game of pick up sticks, if trees where all standing it would be a different ball game and i would of been done long ago, next job some 600-850 DBH straight tall beech trees and i will put in the riegon of 18-20 tonne a day on the deck.