Starting a chainsaw repair buisness

[Willard]

I'm a full time tree service owner operator with a 5 month winter off season.
I'm toying with the idea of starting a chainsaw sharpening service, also selling Oregon bars, chains and sprockets.
I'll never get into saw repair for the public but do plan on selling off about 30 well used pro grade saws that probably will come back to me.

 

[Willard]

Does anyone know how much a person needs to invest in inventory to sell Oregon sawchain and accessories? A contract to sign?
I see all the hardware and box stores selling Oregon bars, chains, files (except rim sprockets) .Im not intetested in selling premade kits . Only buying the rolls and making up my own loops.
I can see good business potential just servicing, sharpening and selling the cutting end of the chainsaw.

 

[GCJenks204]

Does anyone know how much a person needs to invest in inventory to sell Oregon sawchain and accessories? A contract to sign?
I see all the hardware and box stores selling Oregon bars, chains, files (except rim sprockets) .Im not intetested in selling premade kits . Only buying the rolls and making up my own loops.
I can see good business potential just servicing, sharpening and selling the cutting end of the chainsaw.

Around here I don't think it is likely that much. There is a store near me called Dr Saw that stocks 4 or 5 rolls of Oregon chain but no bars or other parts. Mostly a sharpening business and repairs of non-chain saws...

 

[Willard]

Thanks Gary for the lead on Dr Saw!
Now I can get my hundred or so chipper knives resharpened at a decent price.

I was paying over double their rates here up north.

 

[GCJenks204]

Thanks Gary for the lead on Dr Saw!
Now I can get my hundred or so chipper knives resharpened at a decent price.

I was paying over double their rates here up north.

I've only been in a couple of times and never when the owner is in. I would like to get in to the back room to see what is there. In the front showroom is nothing but crap... but then it's only maybe 120sq ft...

 

[Wood Doctor]

Ever notice that whenever you repair a chainsaw or sell a used one, the owner comes back and asks for free repairs after he breaks or screws up something else on the same saw?

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

The most rewarding part of the job for me is making customers and friends happy. That's why I offer a 30 day labor warranty on all saws I build for sale. Even if it's a part broken by them, but they pay for the part.

In this industry a business will struggle without repeat customers and referrals. There's no way you can please everyone, but everyone notices when you try.

 

[Wood Doctor]

The most rewarding part of the job for me is making customers and friends happy. That's why I offer a 30 day labor warranty on all saws I build for sale. Even if it's a part broken by them, but they pay for the part.

In this industry a business will struggle without repeat customers and referrals. There's no way you can please everyone, but everyone notices when you try.

That's how I do it. If they break another part, I replace it at the cost of the part unless it's a major rebuild.

I repaired a Stihl FS 46 line trimmer the other day that took six hours to fix. The owner offered to pay me twice what I asked. The dealer had told them to throw it away. That trimmer runs today.

 

[Willard]

I read this whole thread 3x over and lots of good advice.
Presently my tree service is put in hibernation for the 5 month winter. And pretty well have my little shop organized enough to do business.
While back I advertised on our local Facebook Buy and sell announcement group about my new Chainsaw Repair and sharpening business. Brought in quite a bit of customers to sharpen their chains (alot of Stihl 23RS) and sold a bit of new chain to them.
But now with a big dump of first winter's snow the phones have gone dead just like my tree service haha.
I see timing here when a month or 2 ago lots of firewooders in the bush cutting their winters supply, and if their not cutting standing dry their cutting their rotation for next year. I was still very busy cutting my own customers trees.

So I have a pile of older pro saws to go through and put up for sale which will make me a little profit and help stay busy.
Just finished up changing the gear box on my snow blower and gotta clear some more snow.

 

[Willard]

Well I'm getting some good personal use of my little saw shop.
Decided I better service my pressure washer and put it back in winter storage.

 

[Keith Gandy]

Ever notice that whenever you repair a chainsaw or sell a used one, the owner comes back and asks for free repairs after he breaks or screws up something else on the same saw?

Now thats for sure a given!!!

 

[hseII]

I read this whole thread 3x over and lots of good advice.
Presently my tree service is put in hibernation for the 5 month winter. And pretty well have my little shop organized enough to do business.
While back I advertised on our local Facebook Buy and sell announcement group about my new Chainsaw Repair and sharpening business. Brought in quite a bit of customers to sharpen their chains (alot of Stihl 23RS) and sold a bit of new chain to them.
But now with a big dump of first winter's snow the phones have gone dead just like my tree service haha.
I see timing here when a month or 2 ago lots of firewooders in the bush cutting their winters supply, and if their not cutting standing dry their cutting their rotation for next year. I was still very busy cutting my own customers trees.

So I have a pile of older pro saws to go through and put up for sale which will make me a little profit and help stay busy.
Just finished up changing the gear box on my snow blower and gotta clear some more snow.
View attachment 94579

Question,

If you don’t blow snow, what happens?

Is that what Canadians do instead of having a yard?

 

[Willard]

Question,

If you don’t blow snow, what happens?

Is that what Canadians do instead of having a yard?

It only snows here for 4 or 5 months of the year no big deal we're used to it.
But if you don't blow snow then a sled is the only way to get around.
Here's a few pics of a storm we had last March got down to 30 below.
Last pic is a yard where we Canadians prefer to spend our winter holidays in.

 

[Spike60]

Ever notice that whenever you repair a chainsaw or sell a used one, the owner comes back and asks for free repairs after he breaks or screws up something else on the same saw?

That's what's called the "you just worked on it" syndrome. As in, "you just worked on my tractor and the transmission belt broke." "Yeah, but all we did was change the oil and sharpen the blades"

On saws, it's usually someone pouring in MORE gas with water in it. "But I just got fresh gas!" "Did you fill an empty can or was some of the old gas still in there?"

Lotta folks really shouldn't own equipment at all. We call them "snopes" Stands for "should not own power equipment". And yes it rhymes with dope.

 

[Lee H]

Back in the day when I worked for a small engine shop I had a customer drop his mower
off for a blade sharpen and to just get it running. He picked it up and all was good. A few
days later he came back and said the mower didn't run blaming the shop as he just picked
it up. I pulled the rope and zing the motor spun like a top. I checked the oil and it was fresh.
I said you changed the oil didn't ya. He said ya. I said you ran it before you put the new oil
in didn't ya. Silence, I helped him load the mower in his car. It had thrown a rod.

 

[fearofpavement]

Thanks Gary for the lead on Dr Saw!
Now I can get my hundred or so chipper knives resharpened at a decent price.

I was paying over double their rates here up north.

That petrified wood is tough on chippers.

 

[Willard]

That petrified wood is tough on chippers.

Yeah our northern wood is a little tougher
I never throw away my knives even after 3 or 4 sharpenings . It so happened about 6 years ago my local machine shop's old surface grinder bit the dust and it was too expensive to fix, seeing I was only one of a few customers who used it.
So just for a little extra money I have since bought new knives from Bailey's for not much more then what it was costing me to get them sharpened.

I've been keeping an eye out for a good used heavy duty surface grinder since I designed and built my 12 ft x 8ft portable saw shop.
Top pic shows a 15 amp 220 volt outlet just for that purpose.
Bottom pic shows my 100 amp service with lots of room for another portable 8 x12 shop that I plan on building right up against this present one. The second shop will be for part washer cleaning, welding, sandblasting, grinding and powder coating.
If I decide to move in the future which I will to Winnipeg our capital city of 800K...I'll load up both shops (sheds) onto a trailer and off we go.

 

[Willard]

Here's a little more "show & tell of my little shop.
Up there near the attic is a General 5 ft bar with Stihl harvestor chain that I ran on my 090AV about 10 years+ ago. Our local paper mill hired me to cut their 14 ft long cull paper rolls in half so they cut fit them into their repulper.
For 2 months they paid me $100 hour to cut those rolls 12 hrs a day 5 days a week.
Used up 5 gal fuel and 1 gal of bar oil a day. 5 minutes WOT a cut cut through the 54 inch diameter rolls. Best day was 42 rolls.

The 1958 Manitoba license plate was from a rock wagon dump truck that built the Thompson highway in the 1950s-60's.
I was cutting road 30 miles south of town off the highway in 1986 when I found the plate half buried in the shoulder of the highway.
Horse shoe (in the proper upright position) was my Grandpa's . Putting up his old double hammer 12 gauge shot gun when I finish restoring it .

 

[Wood Doctor]

I think I may have a simple solution to fixing another guy's chain saw so that he/she doesn't bug you for more free repairs. After you fix it, always offer to buy it back in cash for the cost of the repair or just a tad more that it cost you to repair it. They can pay out for the parts and your work or accept your cash and thus sell you the saw as an alternative.