Hand cutters...

[Jackalope]

Same here in SW, same in S/E I'm told...

 

There is a drastic shortage of decent hand cutters in Sussex at the moment.

Anyone who's interested in a few months flat out should get down here!

[oldwoodcutter]

eh, work picking up??? you joking, the timber market is on its arse up here, everyone is sat about with **** loads of timber at roadside.

 

Not surprised noone wants to do it, i keep going back to it then thinking.....oh dear. saws last literally months, use loads of fuel, pay is rubbish! Arborists buy a saw every 3 years, earn more, get free tea etc and get to look cool to the general public!

 

The hand cutters that i know would rather do anything than handcut full time.

Arthritic and rheumatic from working for years in the pouring rain, or boiling up in summer in full safety kit, mosquitos biting your nuts off, with backs so bad they'd have trouble lifting a kitten up off the carpet, no, hand cut it yourself or get a harvester in.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

The hand cutters that i know would rather do anything than handcut full time.

Arthritic and rheumatic from working for years in the pouring rain, or boiling up in summer in full safety kit, mosquitos biting your nuts off, with backs so bad they'd have trouble lifting a kitten up off the carpet, no, hand cut it yourself or get a harvester in.

 

That about sums it up. Takes 1/2 hour to do up my laces!

[steve collins]

its rise of the machines time at the moment!! too many harvesters/ harvadigs going about cutting any old timber to just pay it off. Everywhere is full i know of and yet timber still being cut knowing its not going anywhere soon

[Stubby]

I have the old " bad back " at the moment . It was set off again by a nasty hire car I had for a day . The clutch was orrible and its given me the familiar left lower pain . I'm i Sussex but I'm finished now !

[luftwaffe]

Well at the age of forty after 24 years of being a forestry contractor, felling and winching and cutting up, i was a bit of a wreck, worn out, my vertibraes in my spine kept popping out putting pressure on my pelvis which in turn put strain on my hips, to which i didn't want to carry on anymore, after taking time out to let the body 'heal' i felt much better again, gained weight to what i should be weighing for my height, after taking a year out i could just about beat my 15 year old son in a 100 metre sprint and hes a fit lad,

Forestry is relentless, working on steep banks day in day out in all weathers is tough, especially in a piece work driven industry,

[Stubby]

Well at the age of forty after 24 years of being a forestry contractor, felling and winching and cutting up, i was a bit of a wreck, worn out, my vertibraes in my spine kept popping out putting pressure on my pelvis which in turn put strain on my hips, to which i didn't want to carry on anymore, after taking time out to let the body 'heal' i felt much better again, gained weight to what i should be weighing for my height, after taking a year out i could just about beat my 15 year old son in a 100 metre sprint and hes a fit lad,

Forestry is relentless, working on steep banks day in day out in all weathers is tough, especially in a piece work driven industry,

 

Continually slipping and falling down on wet slippery poles on a thinned bank is the pits

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Continually slipping and falling down on wet slippery poles on a thinned bank is the pits

 

Dragging the winch cable uphill through stumps and brash in a hail storm...

[Stubby]

Dragging the winch cable uphill through stumps and brash in a hail storm...

 

Heroes only on that one !

[luftwaffe]

Continually slipping and falling down on wet slippery poles on a thinned bank is the pits

 

Yes i know exactly what you mean,

 

the doctor told me to pack the job in, but i like it too much and its all i know, all though in this weather i seriously question it.