The Story of My Life

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Well after 14 months of nothing but Bloody Dramas with things just not going to plan Ive decided to pull the pin on sawmilling for myself for awhile  ;) as the brown stuff just keeps hitting the fan on me ??? : : I think i passed plan XYZ4B a while back  ;) :D :D :D :D  so i can recoupe and get some bills sorted which is going to be easier to do on a wage with out worrying about whats going to go wrong or breakdown next  and cost me more money and time to fix just to get moving again ;)

I was planning to go to the bank this week and going into partenership with my mate Lance as we where going to be putting in a new turn key meadows mill for which we where going to be putting about $500k into equipment and then abit more on a new site and site  works   ;) But thats  been stalled for a good period of time due to lance having a motorbike crash on the weekend and shattering his leg and been in traction for the next 3to5 months pluss recovery time has blown my plans out of the water yet again But like they say Thats Life    ??? : ;) :D :D  :D and i can fully understand lance wanting to wait and see how his recovery goes id be the same if i was in the same boat at 65 yo  ;)

Anyway to the Good News One phone call on friday and ive secured a job as Poduction Manager worth about $75-80 k pa plus Accom,production bonuses and 5% comission on any timber i move of my own bat to new customers which i will be starting in about four weeks in South Australia which is at the mill i was at last week It will be long hrs but good work and Blokes to work for  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8) They have also said that They are more than intrested in helping me get started in My own mill  ;D ;D 8) 8) Like he said You dont want to be living overthere for ever do you Mate   ;) :D :D ;) I just said we'll talk about that once we get his mill upto full production and getting a good profit margin ;) ;D ;D 8)

Another thing thats gone rite for a change is that Mum and Dads Log building business as they have been approved  for a loan for a woodlandia log lathe, notching and docking line which they have been put throgh the ringer to get the money for the equipment but its Great to see things moving ahead for them finnaly as they have two homes to start this year  ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) 8) 8)

Im looking forward to Knowing where my Moneys coming from and that its going to be there every week so i can get things sorted within a few months and finnaly get my house built this year and becoming Dept Free  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8)
and hopefuly fit a trip in for the pig roast and catch up with some of you fine people  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8) seen as getting there last year was another thing that didnt quite go to plan  ;) :D :D :D

Ittl be abit sad about packing the mills away so i can focus 110% on the job at hand but its the only way to do it  ;) But that been said im pretty dang sure Dad will find a use for em while in gone  ;) :D :D ;D ;D 8) 8)

Regards Chris

[Banjo picker]

Chris I hope all the best for you there ole boy. 8)  I am not even any where in your catigory as far as milling is concerned,  but I know a little bit about how you feel....I moth balled my operation last Oct 1 an went to work for the State of Miss..(Hope they don't run plum out of money)  My mill is under shed and I run it a little of the evenings when I got something to do....But the righting was on the wall ...when the tie market went south on me....I still can cut all the pallet cants I want....but alas not enough money.....You at least are still in the game, and I know you will come out on top in the end... ;)  Your friend Tim

[Bibbyman]

I don't know whether to  8) 8) 8) or      

[Magicman]

Sounds like you haven't had time to be bored.....Good luck with your new venture.... 8)

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Tim Its Nice to Be Counted as a Freind Its Mutual Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) I can sell as much Pallet as i want aswell mate   ;) :D about 10 semi loads a week in just that grade  ;) if i could cut it  quickenough with the least amount of labour  :( but i i am and most of us are here are small shows and my main reason was because its just not worth the effort at the lower end of the production scale your just wearing you and your gear out  ;) Hence why Lance and i where going a fairly large mill  ;)

Once ive gotn things sorted and the house built im still toying with the idea of selling it and moving stateside for a while as ill come out of that pretty good  ;D and buying myself a mill and a patch of ground overthere  ;) ;D 8) 8) James/fish seems to reckon ill have no dramas baging myself a nice sourthern girl either  ;) :D :D ;D ;D
Things have been bloody tight and ive had a bad run but the Worlds still there for the Taking i just have to decide what i want to do over the next 12 months Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8)

Bibby Thanks Ittle be all sweet in the end Mate  ;)  ;D 8) The main thing is the last 12 months ive avoided carying anymore buisness dept which was and has been running at around $20k . $15k of that was a log order that got stuffed up and i only recived 15% of the grade and length id specd for an order i should have rejected them but i tryied to make the best of a bad situation and i dont want to cause the the forester any dramas as he has coverd the costs for this long   ;) :(  ive had afew good custom jobs that have fallen through or have been draged out that would have sorted that within afew weeks so it got to this point which im not worryed about its a job i should have taken 12 months ago but thats the beauty of hindsight  ;)

Magic thanks Mate theres no time to be bored with me Im allways flatout  ;) ;D  8)  Il be doing between 60 to 80hrs plus per week only $24 n hour base rate but plenty of em Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8) 8)

Regards Chris

[fishpharmer]

Chris,
Sounds like a good move for you.  Maybe a change will change your luck.  The old cliche applies "no venture made, no venture gained"  or something like that.  You still get to do what you love to do.  A good southern girl will make you forget about Australia ;) :D 8) 8)

Let us know when you head this way, I got a place you could stay.

James

[WildDog]

Gday Chris, Have fun in South Oz mate, sounds like the go to me, its bloody nice having that pay check each week and with the chance to add some cream on top I reckon you're on a good wicket. I front up for around $24 an hour as well, its not the ants pants but its better than a kick in the teath, if you live within your means its o.k.

BTW how did you get on with those big bridge timbers you were recycling from up my way at Grafton?

[CLL]

Chris, know what its like, but sometimes its for the best. Seems everything gets sorted out and works better when you get back on your own.  Good Luck!!

[timberfaller390]

Chris I hate to hear that hard times have fallen on you. I know what you are going through. Fishpharmer is right your aussie accent would be a big hit with the girls here. When you get over here I even know a couple I'll introduce you to  8) As far as you coming over here to set up a mill, I don't know if I could take a heavyweight like you for compition  :D  I hope you get over here soon and I hope everything pans out for you in the next few months. Good luck cuz

[backwoods sawyer]

Sounds like you will be fine it is the chipper operator at that operation that needs to get his ducks in a row or he may be a wishing you never showed up and spoiled the game that he had been running. Take care and keep your chin up.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

James thats true Mate Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained  ;) ;D 8) 8) Its great been able to do what i love and am good at even though its 500miles away   ;)  ;D 8) 8)You reckon i might never wanna go home And ill take you up on that offer you can be sure of that Mate   ;) :D :D ;D ;D 8) 8)

Gday Wilddog yeah its the min base rate but the clinsher is the hours i wouldnt be doing it if it was lower and sett hrs  plus its likely we are going to a 6 hr double shift  and an hr or two of saw maint which ill be working through their lunch doing the saws on the Cooper  ;) there should be the opertunity to ad an extra $15 to $25k ontop op that in comissions over the year  ;D ;D 8) 8)

With the hardwood odrers they where held up with the wet weather on the coast so i ended up droping about $90ks worth of orders over the last 12 months i did look into getting Ironbark logs of the Darling Downs but log quality was going to be an issue i reckon  ;) Dad and Paul and I would still be intrested in buying Semi loads 250mm to 800mm dia good quality hardwood logs for beam orders at $220 m3 loaded on truck in lengths upto 12m at 1 load a month or two for ordes we have coming in all the time if your intrested Mate  ??? We'll pay on pickp as these orders as they   have 60% deposits upfront  ;)

CLL Yeah it had gottn to a point where i didnt want to rake any risks that might put me in a worse position if somthing else stuffed up  Mate itll give me a clean slate and a better asset base to work with in the future itll be a different story as ill only deal with larger co's with set trading terms as customers that expect to turn around and say i cant pay for this load and the next it just stuffs up cashflow to thew point where you can get stalled w/o any money for a week or two   ??? : :  ;) ;D ;D

Timber Im allways in hard times it just varys mate  ;) :D :D :D :D  ;D ;) Jezz Two I wont know what to do with meself   Il drop in your way for a week if i manage a trip in July and have a swing on your mill mate as far as compatition there wont be mate theres room for us all  ;) ;D 8) 8)  im thinking whatever i do from here on in will be a Circular manual and edger for a start  ;) ;D 8)  like  dad said after 6 months on wages and getting the other things sorted  ill be able to finnish the carriage  and if i do head overseas he'll have a use for it too ;) :D ;D 8) I could settup a nice mill over your way for less than $50k allup But im taking things one step at a time Mate  ;D 8) 8)

Backwoods theres Two that have been short listed and hes one of em Mate  ;) :D :D I told him hes got the makings of a top crew we just have to trim the dead wood  ;) the crew will mostlikely be getting told im on my way and will be there shortly tomorow morning  ;) Our aim is to get to a 20000bft average for an 8 hr shift over the next 6 months with a full crew of 10 including myself which wont be too hard as we plan on upgrading the transformer and updating the resaw to a single bottom arbor linebar feed 6" or 8"  deep bull combo running inserts the thing we will have to watch then will be the vertical edgers will slow down breakdown capacity but thats an easy thing to fix Just take it back from 4saw to 2 saw and open them up on small log and send the wing boards to the edger  ;) ;D Ill also be training machine operators and if im lucky maby even a sawyer  ;) and grading there are also plans to put in a dry kiln and a moulder as we can get better money for graded decking and structural timber which will be another project ill be incharge of  ;)

Another thing i like about this job is that ill only realy have to deal with day to day operation and tallying production recovery figures each night which is easy as i just have to take the scaner figures of the comp on the cooper and get the pack tally of the production board out on the green chain which works in pack lots for the day which will be close enough as they also already kow they are running at around the 60%+ mark which is a respectable for a heavy gauge Circular Production Mill   ;) ;D


Regards Chris

[bandmiller2]

Sorry for your problems mate,consider it a readjustment,good chance to get everything paid off.When you get older and look back you may be thankfull,thing have a way to work themselves out.You've got alot of friends here Chris stay in touch.The lumber industry here is no great shakes now but hopefull will turn around in a couple of years.Frank C.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Frank thats the way im looking at things and i think it will give me some time to think about what i realy want to do  ;) ;D ;D 8) and it wont take all that long to get things incheck  ;) ;D 8) Another thing im considering asfar as travel is Because ive spent since i was 13n1/2 working fulltime 1st as a builder and then when i started in the mills fulltime is that i havent had anything that you could call a real holiday in all that time   ??? :( :  ive worked in almost every state in australia though  ;) ;D 8) 8) and im starting to think that its time to get out and see abit more of the world thats why id like to get the house built n sold by the end of this year ill either have an assett or plenty of spending money to get things on the move either here or there Mate    ;) ;D 8) 8) 8)

Ill be Keeping i touch Mate as i count alot of you as Freinds also we might not see eachover in person but we all share a Comon Bond and thats why there are alot of us on here everyday  ;) ;D 8) and I reckon the day will come soon enough when some of you's wont be able to get rid of Me Mate  ;) :D :D ;D ;D 8) 8)

Regards Chris

[Hilltop366]

Best of luck on your new endeavors Chris.

I think you got it right regrouping and clearing the slate.

Don't worry about getting things done right away, take your time and plan carefully. All good plans have to include the down times, I guess you know that by now.

Here is a short story for ya.(True story)

A few years back a 45 year old guy had decided to go back to school, it was going to take 5 years to complete and people would say " do you realize you are going to be 50 when you done !" and he would say "do you realize I am going to be 50 in 5 years anyway" ;)

Cheers
Hilltop

[JD350Cmark]

/quote]

Chris - What Bibby said,   Way to get back up and dust yourself off!