Tool Pool

[jillybean]

Hi Swoggers, Is there any mileage in starting a tool pool? Im not thinking chainsaws but flail mowers and wood misers, winches, log splitters, so on and so forth. has it been discussed and dismissed as too fraught or is anyone in or near Canterbury willing to get involved? we would need secure storage and a trailer. What do you think you wise wood people?

[DavidJ]

Hi Jilly, sounds like a great idea - we are near Ashford and have some kit already - drop me a line and I'd be happy to discuss the concept further.

Regards

David

[tracy]

I think it is a great idea - and we have thought about it once or twice. Sharing stuff like tractors, saws etc can be a nightmare - and thinking about how you check people are looking after stuff can be tricky. What happens if something gets broken?

As we get to know eachother though, that hopefully won't be too much of an issue. Go with it! I guess we would need lots of these tool pools all over.

We did have a skills pool kind of thing on the forum at some point too...

[jillybean]

Hi David J and Tracy, The more i think about it the more difficult it becomes. if a flail mower for instance is £2000, are there 5 people who want the use of one enough to put in £400 each ? We could I suppose have an online booking system so you know if things are available. Then what if someone else joins? would they put in £400 too? Plus there would be storage rental to pay, unless someone has the room to store everything. then Maintenance. we could have an hourly system of credits for those who can fix things but then we will need mechanically sympathetic members, and possibly training sessions for the uninitiated. then Insurance and transport. its starting to sound like a full time job. mmmm.

[John H]

To collectively buy large scale items I think could work but there could many pitfalls, I would not want to get involved. However a list of machinery that one owned and was prepared to loan out either manned or not would be very useful. For example, I have a Woodmizer mill and will cut on a shares basis,I normally take 50% of the wood.

That reminds me, Toby expressed an interest in borrowing my post peeler, Toby I never heard back from you.

Also have a tirfor winch and a McConnel saw bench that don't get used very much.

John

[tracy]

We haven't forgotten about that tirfor John, just not decided anything!

I suspect that direct sharing with the owners of the machinery might work best. Swap a day with the tractor for... logs, days coppicing etc... might work more easily.

Jill, what you wanted to do is a fab thing - but I also gave up the idea pretty quickly!

Owners in surrounding woods could maybe tool share most easily.

[Darren]

Well you can hire me out with my alaskan saw mill for 50% of the wood or a daily rate.

I think a tool pool is very problematic maybe easier to hire out equipment,, but most likely need insurance etc.

[Toby Allen]

I've not forgot the peeler either john, we took on a trainee, he does most of our peeling and cleaning up posts now...That and we are running out of room in our yard..Though there is space for a sawbench, and I've been activly looking for one to use as a resaw and for pointing stakes....

I used to do milling for wood, now I just take cash, or a mates rates/favours deal. (I'm thinking of selling it by the way).

A list of available kit would be vey handy, and maybe a list of kit people want to sell or buy.

Where shall we start?