Business: Weber’s Tree Cutting
Address: Naperville
Phone: 630-420-7000
Owner: Karl Weber, 76, of Naperville
What does your business do? “I cut down trees. You can say the owner is always on the job,” Weber said.
What’s the background? “I started selling firewood in 1973. And I used to cut trees for free just to get the firewood. … Piper (& Sons) and I are the oldest tree people in Naperville. They’re big. I’m a one-man show.”
Why did you start this business? “I used to work in construction. Mostly commercial concrete work. It got so cold one winter, I went nuts doing nothing. I said, ‘What can I do when it’s cold?’ I could plow snow if it snows. Or I can sell firewood. I used to buy firewood by the semi (trailer) load from Wisconsin, eight-foot logs. Split it by hand. Sell it for $35 a face cord.”
How big is a face cord? “Four feet high by eight feet long.”
Is this a tough business? “It’s a learning curve for anybody. I didn’t go to work for a tree company. I just cut trees. I got me some spikes. I used to cut myself all the time. They knew me at Edward (Hospital) by my first name. ‘What happened? I cut my leg with a chainsaw. Right this way. Come to the front (of the line).’
“Then a buddy of mine showed me a couple of knots and I was home free. Now, I rent lifts. I still do a little climbing. Like if you can’t get to tree in the backyard (with a lift).”
How does your business work? “I’m not an arborist. I’m not claiming to be smart guy. I tell people if you have any questions about a tree, call the (Morton) Arboretum. It’s full of scientists.
“Some people say, ‘I want this tree down, it’s going to die.’ Nobody knows a tree is going to die. It’s not dead until it’s dead.”
Any favorite stories? “I’ve done some big trees. I did a monster maple tree on the north side of Ogden Avenue at Columbia. … Rented a huge boom lift that went 75 feet in the air. I took a photo. You’d swear I was in an airplane.”
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“I used to (rent) boom lifts for $300 a day. Now they’re $750. Lifts are expensive. Same as workman’s comp insurance. … Don’t have anybody helping me. But, if someone offers to help me, they’re insured.”
What’s changed? “I’m getting a little old. I don’t climb up a tree like a monkey like I used to. It may take me a couple of days to cut it down. Clean up. But everybody’s happy with me so far.
“I’d rather take a tree down. If you trim a tree, this happens all the time, they’ll say I want the tree trimmed. OK, what do you want? They’ll say four branches off the bottom. OK, I give them a price. I trim the four. Then they say, ‘What about that branch?’ That happens a lot. I don’t charge more. You’re going to charge another $50 to take a branch off.”
What’s your fee? “It depends on the size of the tree and how you can get to it. There have been a couple where I’ll ask, ‘Do you really want to take this tree down?’”
What are your thoughts on various trees? “My favorite tree is the shagbark hickory. It’s the prettiest tree. I like it the most because its bark is all shaggy. There’s a lot of them in Phillips Park in Aurora. There may be some off 87th Street (in Naperville).
“Locust trees are really heavy and messy. … Lot of people hate them because they have tiny little leaves. … And they’re very heavy.
“My worst tree is probably a Russian olive. The tollway used to plant them because they’re like bushes. It’s a thorny tree. … A black locust has big thorns. They call it the Vietnam tree. … Bradford pear trees grow up, stress out, fall apart.”
What should we know? “The town of Aurora lost a lot of trees to Dutch elm disease in the 1950s. The arboretum developed a new tree called the Morton elm. It’s elm disease resistant. That’s pretty cool. The Morton Arboretum is a fabulous place.”
Do you enjoy your work? “If you don’t like what you’re doing, you better change. … I like the challenge. It’s a feeling of accomplishment you can’t comprehend.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Stay legal. Get insurance. Do your taxes properly. Don’t cheat. Be honest. Treat everybody fairly.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at [email protected].