simonm

It's just an experiment I suppose, a more profitable way of moving the wood on other than sending it as firewood. It looks straight forward enough using the chainsaw mill. 

Just ordered a panther 42" mill

Think I best stick to the alaskan for now as I've never done it before. Would be a fraction of the cost... Those panther ones look nice to use. Has anyone used one before? 

1 hour ago, Rough Hewn said:

You've got a 660/661/880?
Get a cheap Alaskan mill,
A straight ladder and a day off.
Do a few logs with that.
Remember bandsaws are limited in size of cut.
Often only 60-90cm.
And cost thousands.
You can get a panther mill and big bar off Rob.D Chainsawbars UK for a few hundred quid.
Then when you've filled your garage and shed and any spare space with milled timber...
Then you get a bandsaw.

So would you be able to cut a wider slab with a chainsaw over band saw? 

Silly question but is it just a case of once they are cut stack them somewhere dry and breezy to dry them out? 

Over the past 10 years all of the timber we have ended up with from tree surgery has gone for firewood. I've being wanting to have a go at milling for a long time but have never really had chance to have a go. I have a lot of oak beech & elm in 3-4 meter lengths just sat around doing nothing, I am wanting to have a go at making them into table tops etc. Am I best off getting an alaskan mill type jobby or just jumping in and buying a mobile band saw? I like the idea of the band saw as we have the space to use it and machinery to load it etc... Suggestions???? Advice??? 

Will probably be used on flower beds on the grounds maintenance sites we manage

Yeah something similar to this, ideally with a conveyor.

Looking for a machine to recycle bits of timber with the odd nail in it, sweepings leaves twigs hedge clippings basically stuff that you would either pay to dispose or burn...stuff that you wouldn't really want to put in a chipper.

Everything I have seen is the size of a wagon!

On 04/02/2019 at 13:23, buffalo606 said:

I'd be tempted with this if I was quite a bit taller

What s useless thing, ties the vehicle up to only ever being able to do 1 job, too high to load by hand all day.

Crazy way things are going in the world nowadays...the MD WILL be abusing it, sorry using it to track whereabouts of their own staff as well as subbies as he is well known to not trust anyone or let anyone do their job without micromanaging to the point nothing gets done. Same man insisted on sending 2 lads to rake weeds out of a 3500sqm piece of mowed grass, also knocking the top out of a line of beautiful magnolia trees as it would stop them growing any taller in the future!

As it's still not ready to be rolled out to us numptys yet I suppose it's a case of cross that bridge if and when we come to it.

This I do know if they want us to use it they can supply it to us and pay for it, right or wrong it's a matter of principle. Plenty more work out there if you're prepared to graft.

13 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

I've subbed to big companies and it's their way or the highway. Good lads are hard to come by but 'they' have a lot more pulling power than 'we' have pulling power. From what you've said they want you/your lads on site from 8-4:30, or whatever. If that's the contract, that's the contract. Turn the iPad off and leave it securely in the van/yard when you've finished work.

Just not prepared to bend over to this one. especially when we will be sat in the van killing time for nothing.

1 minute ago, slasherscot said:

sounds like ground control...have 2 phnes .is the answer

Do they do something similar? My experience with ground control wasn't inspiring.

3 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

Not if you don't go with their iPad idea, by the sound of it.

Who knows it seems to be in the pipeline, but as one of the top brass has warned there will be contractors who walk out and by the sounds of it good lads are hard to come by.

2 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

You're onto a winner here. You can get to site in the morning, hide the ipad, then go off to another job for the day ?

I thought about tie wrapping it to the dog for the day, once they see it whizzing around we would probably get a pay rise.

7 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

But how does the boss know this? How does he gauge your honesty? Would you prefer to keep a log? That might work? But even then its just your word. If you have 30 minutes for lunch then leave 30 minutes earlier then surely you should inform them of this? So they know why the site is empty 30 minutes earlier. 

 

Plus with the ipad, surely you can disable tracking once you clock off? Agree that you're not tracked before or after the working day?

The area manager checks up on us to see what we're doing, we also ping pictures of before during & after over when we have finished. He is fine with us going when done as we bail him out when we have to work over. But due to other subbies doing half arsed jobs we all seem to be considered one idle by those at the top.

3 minutes ago, monkeybusiness said:

If you want to work for someone you need to play by their rules, it’s pretty simple really. I’d personally argue the tablet charge but otherwise what they are asking seems reasonable to me. 

I don't work for them, this is the difference. 

1 minute ago, eggsarascal said:

This is where the rub is.

 

But it's up to us if we wanna get stuck in & not have dinner to get off site earlier, works still done it's not cost them anymore they get paid & so do we. Not into this whole go slow drag it out thing.

7 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

But Mark had a good point. Is it day rating or per job?

We get paid for time on site, but more often than not we hammer the work out and often get done earlier. Sometimes get done earlier but we also sometimes work over to get it done so it's swings & roundabouts.

5 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

I don't know what the privacy laws are, but I do a fair bit of sub contact, and freelance work. I'll tell you them to poke it. You send me the spec, I'll do the job, if you don't trust me find someone else. 

If it came to it I wouldn't really want to walk out as it's good work if you ignore the politics...but on principle I wouldn't stay, if we were shit and tossed about doing nowt I would hold my hands up but we do genuinely work.

9 minutes ago, essential said:

they'd be watching and listening to your every word and movement if wanted ...a bit to big brother for my liking and you've got to pay 40 £ for the pleasure ....can they contractually make you commit to this ??

We are half way through a 12 month contract so I suppose they could try write it into any new ones. This isn't set in stone yet just a roumer

4 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Is there any way to prove your worth or are they just that big that they dont care?

We have a portfolio of work we have done for them over the past 2 years & I get on really well with their area managers who both give glowing reports on what we are doing. Were not perfect but we do give them value for money. They do find it had to find good stubbies so I can't see them chopping us. But unfortunately the bloke at the top of the tree is clueless as to the challenges faced on site.

1 minute ago, Mark Wileman said:

I guess if it depends on what sort of sub-contracting you are doing.

 

If the prime contractor tells you "fell those four trees" or "clear that span", so long as you are working within the remit of your RAMS it's my opinion that it's none of his business what time you get to site or leave.

 

If however you are subbing in on a day rate, then if I was the prime contractor I'd want to keep an eye on what my subcontractors were doing... there are too many people in this industry that take people for a ride in terms of value for money.

Yes a argee, actions of a few spoil it for many. But if they are getting through the work you are giving them and it's done well and your not having to go back trying to justify why they have done a shit job as not to make you look bad then for me I would be happy.

Firms should be assessed on their ability and if they are prepared to go the extra mile to keep the work flowing. All this spying on folk on the sly just rubs people up the wrong way and spoils working relationships.

1 minute ago, trigger_andy said:

If it was worth it in the long run then Yes. You can always say no and work for someone else.  

If you dont like it then  dont work for them. 

 

Im not saying your not. But the question has to be asked why they feel the need to implement this then? Clearly you are not the only Sub Contractor and maybe some bad Apples are spoiling it for every one?

 

And it seems the Main Contractor feels they dont have that with their Subbies.  

That's exactly it they have being pissed around by companies in the past but to tar everyone with the same brush just doesn't do it for me. 

Yeah I won't be working for them if this comes through.

8 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. You're on company time, so Im sure you have nothing to hide regarding your work or how you spend time you sold to the company? 

 

If you dont like it then dont Sub to them. 

So you're happy signing up to a £40 a month phone contract for a company you bend over backwards for to see where you are in your own personal vehicle on and off site. To be able to collect and store information on where your equipment and vehicle is kept, we are paid to do a job which we do and do well. I understand there's good and bad stubbies ones you can and can't trust believe me I know. Difference is I retain the good ones and get rid of the bad ones...there is a word called TRUST.

So basically we subcontract to a large company who shall remain nameless, the MD doesn't trust anyone so he is having an app designed to be installed in a tablet to which his employees will use in site to record their site inspections. The app will also record their whereabouts and time on & off site. 

They are pushing for contracts to buy an iPad which presumably will be on a contract around £40 per month "no chance" so we can photograph the work after we have done it and it will automatically be uploaded so the MD can see what we are doing! The iPad will also track our movements throughout the day! 

Does anyone know the privacy laws relating to this? There's no way I am having a firm we subcontract to spying on my whereabouts throughout the day. I want to get my ammunition ready before they try & push this rubbish on us.