10 long years

[Johny Walker]

yeah, but those old boys were a pleasure to work with and a mine of knowledge.I started in 73 no a.v lightnings and danarms were commonplace. I, as you well know, knowmost of those mad axemen you are referring to, and they would turn in their graves at some of the work thats been turned out now .. Top fallers then on 100- 150 per week -- if they made more they got their piecerate cut-- a well payed job then.Everything was hand burnt, stumps 2 inch below ground level and every last twig to be burnt or you didnt get your money.

The most noticeable thing between then and now is that they didnt make a big issue out of things it was more a way of life and the things nowadays that become major because of health and safety were just part of the job then and guys just got on and did it without any fuss.

The downturn in safety statistics really came after the storm in 87 when ,attracted by potential earnings ,we saw an influx of a new breed of cutters , most of who would never be any good as long as t[/i][/u][/u] HERE HERE WELL SAID THAT MAN

[Andy Collins]

Was going out cutting down trees with the old chap when i was about 12/13. We had a Series 2 landy with a ropey trailer, a Pioneer 1200 saw and axes. When i was 19 i became a supervisor with the local Wildlife Trust, running a gang of YTS lads, doing coppicing work, they had to use bows and bills, I got the Husky Rancher 50. Skip forward several years, made redundant from a warehouse, joined a local tree company (Eastwoods) in 96, where i worked for 5 years, before moving on to sub around other firms. Now still working, but 98% my own work, just helping people out when they need it.

Best improvements I can recall, the ppe, (hated spats) the saws,(pioneer sooooo loud) and all weather clothing thats far more comfy and actually keeps you warm.

[Graham]

yeah, but those old boys were a pleasure to work with and a mine of knowledge.I started in 73 no a.v lightnings and danarms were commonplace. I, as you well know, knowmost of those mad axemen you are referring to, and they would turn in their graves at some of the work thats been turned out now .. Top fallers then on 100- 150 per week -- if they made more they got their piecerate cut-- a well payed job then.Everything was hand burnt, stumps 2 inch below ground level and every last twig to be burnt or you didnt get your money.

The most noticeable thing between then and now is that they didnt make a big issue out of things it was more a way of life and the things nowadays that become major because of health and safety were just part of the job then and guys just got on and did it without any fuss.

The downturn in safety statistics really came after the storm in 87

when ,attracted by potential earnings ,we saw an influx of a new breed of cutters , most of who would never be any good as long as t[/i][/u][/u] HERE HERE WELL SAID THAT MAN

 

I'll always remember an old faller saying one day in his broad south shrops accent: 'Ay......you need a piece of f*$!in paper now to fell a tree:001_smile:

[Topcat]

Into my 31st year now.Started doing logs and then bought a black & decker electric saw out of mums cataloge for £17 first takedown a silver birch for £18 (had to get cash for saw). Remember p/x me escort £375 against a new Honda acty 1/2 ton pickup on tick,£66 a month x18 months. Never looked back,had me first range rover within 3 years,but made more money then than now for sure.

[paul adrian]

I've been in business for nearly a year now, started in March 08, before that was workking in devon looking after an acre n half of woodland for 2 Holiday parks. Im in the learning stages of Arb work, and boy there is alot to learn.....

[Chris Sheppard]

I left school in 2000, got in on a local Estate driving the old 2wd zetor with winch and rounding the fires up, one of the others passed me a saw one dinnertime - kept doing a bit more and a bit more then went off to college, did bits over the holidays, came back spent a year working for someone else and started with my own firewood whilst with them.

 

Went out on my own in 2003 as a cutter, mainly thinning softwood for local estates, started taking on my own jobs, bought the Carraro soon after, few months later bought the County as I was doing more of my own jobs and less day rate stuff then as all the local estates started to restrict access because of there pheasants I started winding down until I was just running the county and a pickup doing firewood and then had a few local contractors I'd go and hand cut for.

 

Diesel got too expensive and my firewood supply dried up so in 2007 I went to work on the books for a local estate during the days and was doing what firewood I could get hold of on a weekend and after work. Lasted just under a year before I'd had enough - didn't get on with boss (before I started he'd gone through 5 woodmen in 18 months as no one would work with him)

Edited January 2, 2009 by Chris Sheppard

[penfold]

woodpicker if you look at my profile you'll see i'm 31 so i was 10 (same age as buzz) when the storm hit. The school i was at is near holmbury st mary in surrey and backed onto a huge FC plantation which was mostly flattened and the school was cut off for about three days until the road could be cleared.

[Buzz]

I know that area well, did a lot of work in that area for SCC and SWT.

[penfold]

i was at the duke of kent school near peaslake, probably where i got my love for trees. Do you know the hurtwood inn, serves a very nice pint of hog's back T.E.A

[Mesterh]

14 years atm but its starting to feel like a lifetime.

 

 

Mate you can read my mind!

 

I was thinking of going down the consultancy route (maybe buy a picus, do tree surveys and gather a list of contractors I can use for the work generated from the surveys)

 

Trouble is the £19k ….

 

Caterham or Picus ? I can’t drive a Picus!

 

You dont need a Picus to become a consultant.

 

Just buy the Caterham and replace the Picus with a hammer