how much money is there in milling?

[pykie]

Was really interested when I came accross this section of the forum, for those millers out there, is there good money in smaller operations etc?

Ive been left some land recently, as a chippy, dont get too much time up there, but this could be a viable option.

[whitewood]

I wouldn't recommend for my sons in law. Big financial outlay. Too many other factors to raise in a forum like this.

John

[Halling51]

Hi John.
I live in Norway and I do my own milling using a chansaw with electric engine. Here it is a lot of money to save and earn if you do this by yourself.
My problem is to get hold of the wood you do have available. I have nothing you guys talk about - I just know about it!
If the freight had been deasent I would buy me a truck load from you down there. Go for this small saws they are not that bad, I looked for the Canadian LM40 - abt US$ 10000 but ended up with a smaller M7 and 6hk electric chainsaw. It work for me perfect and I get the lumber I want. The lumber you buy is not for use in furniture.

Steinar
NORWAY

[Travis Edwards]

Was really interested when I came accross this section of the forum, for those millers out there, is there good money in smaller operations etc?

Ive been left some land recently, as a chippy, dont get too much time up there, but this could be a viable option.

You would have to look into the legalities relating to removal of trees from your land in victoria (thanks to the goddamn greenies) one person I know recently removed a few scrappy looking rubbish trees and planted twice as many new ones and is fighting a rather large fine because of it. Victorian laws are quite harsh as to clearing of trees. Although with this said things have changed a bit since the recent fires and now you are allowed to remove anything within 10 meters of a house and approx 4 m of a boundary fence however there are stipulations in regard to this too.

[Travis Edwards]

honestly unless your name is Carter Holt or Harvey there is not much money in milling. The small guys cannot compete unless they have something very desireable. When I worked in the mills around mt gambier milling Crapiata we used to mill around 80000+ lineal meters of 90 by 45 fully dressed in an 8 hour shift. I believe it is more than this now. (should be! that was over 10 years ago.) the average lucas miller would be lucky to mill more than 6 to 6.5 cubic meters in the same time, and that is not dressed. So with the legalities and everything else as well as outlay on equipment you would soon find it unviable as an income. most guys I know who mill small time with a lucas only consider it as a supplement to the income they have coming from their 9 to 5

[Travis Edwards]

Hi John.
I live in Norway and I do my own milling using a chansaw with electric engine. Here it is a lot of money to save and earn if you do this by yourself.
My problem is to get hold of the wood you do have available. I have nothing you guys talk about - I just know about it!
If the freight had been deasent I would buy me a truck load from you down there. Go for this small saws they are not that bad, I looked for the Canadian LM40 - abt US$ 10000 but ended up with a smaller M7 and 6hk electric chainsaw. It work for me perfect and I get the lumber I want. The lumber you buy is not for use in furniture.

Steinar
NORWAY

show us some pics of your setup steinar.

[funkychicken]

the average lucas miller would be lucky to mill more than 6 to 6.5 cubic meters in the same time, and that is not dressed.

Log or sawn? There's no way you could cut that much sawn on a lucas in eight hours

[Travis Edwards]

Log or sawn? There's no way you could cut that much sawn on a lucas in eight hours

That would depend on dimensions cut etc. but as I say they would be LUCKY to be able to, i do know of a few guys who say they have done that in fairly good going timber in a day (not saying that it is an 8 hour day.) but what I was trying to say is that there is no way that they can compete with the larger spotmills and the big boys like carter holt harvey etc. so they are wasting their time cutting pine, and unless they are cutting something which has an element of rarity or desireability they are not going to be able to compete on cost, and as I said most people I know who have Lucas mills simply view them as a supplement to their 9 to 5 weekday jobs.

[bobsreturn2003]

if you cut furniture timber 3-4 cubes a day is good money . getting the trees is hard .

[charlsie]

i'm with travis. i recon you have to value add. cutting timber is easy but once you make something out of it you make more money