Hand cutters for hardwood thinning

[njtimber]

Is there a lack of reliable self employed hand cutters that are capable of getting on with the work and creating a reasonable out turn of timber in a tidy efficient manner ?.. We have had a few subbies lately, and not only do they run out of steam at midday they spend as much time on their phones as they do cutting.....just for the record I am not a slave driver but when it is obvious what needs to be done and they stand there looking at you ,until you do it yourself and even then they just watch ,it does my head in ! Or am I just turning into a miserable old git ?

[TheHungrySquirrel]

Love to get into some thinning again, only done willow before but it beats coppice cutting.

 

Work rules for me are leave phone in the truck all day and keep going all day.

[Timber Man]

Is there a lack of reliable self employed hand cutters that are capable of getting on with the work and creating a reasonable out turn of timber in a tidy efficient manner ?.. We have had a few subbies lately, and not only do they run out of steam at midday they spend as much time on their phones as they do cutting.....just for the record I am not a slave driver but when it is obvious what needs to be done and they stand there looking at you ,until you do it yourself and even then they just watch ,it does my head in ! Or am I just turning into a miserable old git ?

 

Yes there is, and its not difficult to work out why.

Just out of interest what would you consider a reasonable output?

[Brushcutter]

Love to get into some thinning again, only done willow before but it beats coppice cutting.

 

Work rules for me are leave phone in the truck all day and keep going all day.

 

How do you get help if you need it if your phone is in the truck?

 

To answer the original question hand cutters are hard to find. Good ones at least, it's a skill that isn't really taught anymore. Young people don't tend to choose forestry as a career anymore.

[Johny Walker]

Is there a lack of reliable self employed hand cutters that are capable of getting on with the work and creating a reasonable out turn of timber in a tidy efficient manner ?.. We have had a few subbies lately, and not only do they run out of steam at midday they spend as much time on their phones as they do cutting.....just for the record I am not a slave driver but when it is obvious what needs to be done and they stand there looking at you ,until you do it yourself and even then they just watch ,it does my head in ! Or am I just turning into a miserable old git ?

 

are they on day rate or tonnage ,

[Timber Man]

How do you get help if you need it if your phone is in the truck?

 

To answer the original question hand cutters are hard to find. Good ones at least, it's a skill that isn't really taught anymore. Young people don't tend to choose forestry as a career anymore.

 

Perhaps that's because there isn't much work for them ?

[njtimber]

On day rate because some of it is first thinning and you would struggle to earn on tonnage ( some of it is cut to waste hazel etc clearing rackways )

And brush cutter your comment of "its a skill that isn't taught anymore" I agree!.....I also think that they are not taught to look forward and see what needs doing next ,there is never nothing to do!

[njtimber]

Perhaps that's because there isn't much work for them ?

 

Machines can't do everything and there is workout there for well trained forward thinking efficient chainsaw operators .

[Timber Man]

Machines can't do everything and there is workout there for well trained forward thinking efficient chainsaw operators .

 

Continuity of work in an area is a different matter.

Tbh the biggest barrier to someone hiring my skills is rates .

[Stubby]

I would not do it again . It can be " snot gobbling " at worst and rewarding but body knackering at best !