Did my first mobile job

[WDFL]

Is it a job if I didn't get paid??

Neighbor took down a tree last summer and had been saving the trunk because he knew I had the sawmill.   He came over a couple weekends ago and the timing was just perfect so I said "Sure let's cut i it up tomorrow".

I ended up mounting the aluminum box to the tongue and pulled the mill down the road with my tractor and grapple.  We spent about 4 hours cutting up the trunk of the oak tree, which I sectioned into 3x10' pieces, just barely able to lift them up on the mill with my grapple.

We did some quartersawing and make a bunch of 1x4, 2x4, and some big slabs.  Once I get this wood dried up, if it doesn't warp too bad, I'll sell it.

And thanks to Troy C, I sprayed it down liberally with Timbor from a pressure sprayer and I didn't have the bugs problem I had when I last used the mill (almost a year ago).

[Magicman]

Paid or not, it absolutely counts. 

I once sawed a job 327 miles away, 8965bf, that took 4 1/2 days, and I did not get paid the first dime.  Your time is more valuable than money.  LINK

[NewYankeeSawmill]

@Magicman , I hope they at least bought breakfast!

[fluidpowerpro]

Did you pursue any action to get paid? What was their "justification" for not paying? 
I have not had that happen to me, yet, but I realize that it's always a possibility.
Sorry to ask because I imagine it's one of those thing you just want to forget and move on...

[Magicman]

If you read the LINK provided you would see that this was a Goodwill Effort with no intent of being paid.  The generosity of some FF members paid for all of our expenses and the remainder was given to the Austin Black family to aid with their rebuilding.

[Magicman]

The above is one of 4 different "Goodwill" projects that I have sawed, all for no pay, and three without being reimbursed for any expenses.



And here is another after it was completed.

And here is another that won Wood-Mizer's 1st place and the People's Choice award in their "Best" contest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlc3y3tvzE

The 4th was when we gathered 3 Wood-Mizer sawmills and sawed our late FF Member wwsjr's logs before he passed.  LINK

[fluidpowerpro]

Sorry, didn't notice the link. Those are great projects.

[Digger Don]

I guess I'm weird, but those freebie jobs are the most fun. No pressure to be productive (not as much, anyway) and if stuff happens, well, stuff happens. The people you are sawing for are more appreciative, too!

[Magicman]

You are very Correct Don.  I remember one Cypress job that I sawed about 65 miles away that took about 5 hours.  I found out the day before the sawing that the customer had just been diagnosed with MS.  As I was finishing I saw the wife go into the house and came back out with the checkbook.  After I finished loading up I handed her the invoice that totaled over $600 marked "No Charge".  I will never forget the tearful look of disbelief on her face nor the warm feeling that I had.  I simply told her that she had enough burden so this was my gift to her and her family.

There are many other similar instances where I have suggested that they drop the charges into their church's collect plate or building fund.  Didn't matter to me whether they did or not; If they could live with it, I could live without it.

That being said, I have also received some nice tips.  Last year I sawed a job that invoiced $8940.  He made the check out for $10k.  That's a nice tip.  

[beenthere]

MM
Have you kept in touch with the Texas family?

[WV Sawmiller]

Is it a job if I didn't get paid??

   Did you have a good time?

   Did you help someone?

    Did you learn anything?

    Would you do it again?

    I the answer to any one of these is YES, then you got paid. Many of the most valuable payments I ever got were not in Greenbacks. I think you did too,

[Magicman]

MM
Have you kept in touch with the Texas family?

Somewhat.  Life made some changes job wise and they now live in Waco and of course the children have done much growing up.  Pat is a fb friend so she shows me whatever they post.

[Peter Drouin]

I get some customers' moms with kids most times, and you can tell they have no $$ and want some lumber, I just give it to them.
And I know Jesus would want it that way.

[Digger Don]

If they could live with it, I could live without it.

I have used that line many times, myself. Another one I like for friends and neighbors is, "I'll get it back from you sometime. If not in this life, then in the next. I'm okay with that". 

And, "if you can't take advantage of your friends now and then, what good are they?" Maybe, I'm not so weird after all.

[Magicman]

MM
Have you kept in touch with the Texas family?

My Reply #11 above was "somewhat" and when PatD looked it had been several months since she had any contact with Stacey.  The oldest daughter Madeline is now engaged and all of the children have really grown up.

She is sending Stacey a message, but she will have to log on to fb to see it.  We will wait and see.