New member saying hi!

[WoodMouse]

Wud up Arborphiles.

 

I'm currently 34 and I've become disillusioned with the whole office malarkey, and I've decided that id like to start an Arboreal business.

 

I don't have much experience with trees, except CDT at school. Craft, Design, Technology. Ive been in the Caribbean for a few years working on boats, so good with ropes and knots. Not much experience climbing, although a recent visit to a climbing wall i stunned the instructor by whipping up the wall lightning fast just using my arms. Seems my slim athletic frame is quite adept to climbing as when i reached the bottom he couldn't believe it was my first climb.

"do it again, but only use the blue ones" he said

I got almost to the top, and was finally taken out by a section that required me to swing from one block to the other using just my fingertips, i fell. Still, the guy said it was impressive, and that i had potential to be a good climber.

I've also been a scuba instructor/commercial diver and a motorcycle courier. So i think I'll be OK outside in the wet and cold. I would continue to dive but perforated my ear drum,

 

Anyways, thinking of going to Capel Manor College and doing all the courses. From what i can see this could take me a few months to get sorted. chainsaw, felling, climbing etc

 

I was thinking to start out, for a one man operation id need, the usual PPE, Climbing gear, Saws, a chipper and a flatbed truck. There is potential for more plant equipment as the enterprise grows but im thinking about starting with this and seeing how i go.

 

Hoping to get involved with everyone here, learn share and grow with the community.

 

Please forgive me if I've said anything drastically stupid, I'm really new to this and will never feel that anyone's being critical. All advice welcome.

 

Kind regards

 

WoodMouse

[Pooch0151]

Good luck woodmouse

[Stubby]

Hi woodmouse . I admire your drive I think you will go far . One small point. with a chipper you would be better off with a tipping truck with a chip box on rather that a flat bed . It would make an awful mess !

[WoodMouse]

Good luck woodmouse

 

Thanks Pooch, i'll need it.

 

Hi woodmouse . I admire your drive I think you will go far . One small point. with a chipper you would be better off with a tipping truck with a chip box on rather that a flat bed . It would make an awful mess !

 

Thanks Stubby, thats nice of you to say. Tipping truck with chip box, good advice.

 

Im thinking that the chipper would be must, i guess pieces suitable for firewood or charcoal making would need transporting away. And i guess if there was good lumbar you wouldn't want to cut it up, oak say. I'd like to be able to transport and store/process allot of this wood too. What sort of setup would you suggest here. I've been looking at those little crane arms and the trailers. Reasonably, i could probably afford one of the smaller ones. Could you see a return on this investment for producing round wood for timber beams. Or would i be better to just get everything taken away by people with trucks and stuff?

 

thanks

Edited October 19, 2012 by WoodMouse

[Joy Yeomans]

good luck . keep us posted on your journey

 

joy

 

 

Sent from my GT-I8160 using Tapatalk 2

[Rich2484]

Ok what you are about to read may seem rude or critical but please read with a pinch of salt.

 

Stick to the office job as long as ou can. Contact arb company around you and offer free work. Or just ask to watch and see what happens. Offer that you will pick up a rake at the end of the day and help clean up.

 

Your rock climbing experience will not help you at all. It's a completely different ball game. Indoors is fine, but going up a tree in wind is something else. I found that the hard way as I used to climb walls and just started tree climbing.

 

Your post sounded energetic. You seem to have drive, how long does this drive last. It's a marathon not sprint.

 

Hold back on starting out a business until you know more or have experience. No climber will like you criticising there work if you can't do it yourself. The old saying don't expect others to do what you can't, or something along those lines.

 

You are trying to enter a swamped market. Competition will be very high. A tipper and chipper are vital. As are tip sites.

 

You need to contact companies to find out more and start doing some work to get an idea of how things work.

 

What is your office job doing?

 

Welcome by the way.

[Woodworks]

I can second what Rich said about climbing. I used to clime indoors and out and was not to shabby. I then did a tree climbing course with the aim to become a tree surgeon, the low stuff was OK but when I had to clime a large parkland type tree with very few branches it was a very different ball game the exposure you experience is far worse up a tall tree than hanging by your finger tips half way up a shear face on Tryfan (large mountain in Wales). Sadly I had to quit the course Having said this you may be very be good up a tree the others on my course were fine and had never climbed before and you clearly have drive but as others have said don't jump to soon,try and test the waters first.

 

Good luck in your quest.

[WoodMouse]

Ok what you are about to read may seem rude or critical but please read with a pinch of salt.

 

Sound advice rarely sounds complimentary, your comments are welcome.

 

Stick to the office job as long as ou can. Contact arb company around you and offer free work. Or just ask to watch and see what happens. Offer that you will pick up a rake at the end of the day and help clean up.

Contractor, out of contract. If one comes up i'll take it, but past experience of late leaves me with little confidence in that sector

 

Your rock climbing experience will not help you at all. It's a completely different ball game. Indoors is fine, but going up a tree in wind is something else. I found that the hard way as I used to climb walls and just started tree climbing.

 

Yea, for sure. I was more just expressing that im not a total couch potato.

 

Your post sounded energetic. You seem to have drive, how long does this drive last. It's a marathon not sprint.

 

Hold back on starting out a business until you know more or have experience. No climber will like you criticising there work if you can't do it yourself. The old saying don't expect others to do what you can't, or something along those lines.

 

I was thinking about starting very small. Considering owning a small plot of woodland which i could manage and produce firewood/charcoal and whatever lumber i could harvest. I would also intend on using this site to process wood from outside work through the business. Possible?

 

You are trying to enter a swamped market. Competition will be very high. A tipper and chipper are vital. As are tip sites.

Coming from IT & Desktop publishing, the former now swamped to the gills the latter now a monopoly with a few suppliers, all work is contractual. Sucks. New to the game, but i been in bear pits before.

 

You need to contact companies to find out more and start doing some work to get an idea of how things work.

 

I've been looking about and considering many options. This is an aspect, i guess towards a change of lifestyle for me which i hope would be complimentary to each other.

 

What is your office job doing?

Sucking up to the man in florescent hell. Only kidding, DTP (desktop publishing) and IT. I'll be able to make myself a great website!

 

Welcome by the way.

 

Thanks man!

 

I can second what Rich said about climbing. I used to clime indoors and out and was not to shabby. I then did a tree climbing course with the aim to become a tree surgeon, the low stuff was OK but when I had to clime a large parkland type tree with very few branches it was a very different ball game the exposure you experience is far worse up a tall tree than hanging by your finger tips half way up a shear face on Tryfan (large mountain in Wales). Sadly I had to quit the course Having said this you may be very be good up a tree the others on my course were fine and had never climbed before and you clearly have drive but as others have said don't jump to soon,try and test the waters first.

 

Good luck in your quest.

 

Yea, i bet a tree sways much more than a mountain. I seem to have it in my mind that tree climbing would be safer, no falling rocks. I guess falling branches are just as deadly, but i would expect landslides and rockfalls to be a more common occurrence than a falling bough.

[Rich2484]

Where abouts in the country are you. It always helps to know so people can see if you are close to them or not.

 

Add it to your profile. Doesn't have to be an address just a general idea to county or the like.

[josharb87]

i think you have an incredibally rose tinted, romanticised view of the industry

 

but good luck