What does it REALLY cost

[AIM]

Taking away the fact that I enjoy cutting wood as I'm sure many of you do as well. Have you ever sat down and added up every penny it costs to cut wood.

I cut in many different woods in my area so I'll average out the distance at 5 miles each way.

10 miles total plus a little movin around in the woods. I get about 9 miles to the gallon with my truck so lets say 1.5 gallons of gas.

1.5 gallons in truck
1/4 gallon in saw for 1 truck load
$2 per gallon = $3.50
Let's throw in $0.50 for two stroke oil and another $0.50 for bar oil.
cost of the saw per load is a shot in the dark but I'm gonna throw in $2

$6.50 per load and I burn about a load a week (tossed in the truck not stacked)
I'm guessing about 28 weeks of heat for my area = $182

I'll spend this $182 with a smile as I watch the propane guy fill the other guys tank.

 

[Octane]

Id say that I spend easier $200 a year cutting, splitting and hauling firewood.
However, the amount of money that my woodstove saves me in heating costs far outweights what cutting, splitting and hauling wood costs me. Id say that burning wood easily saves me $1,000 a year in heating costs.

 

[AIM]

I'm just glad my time isn't worth anything on the weekends.
I have a friend that does not burn wood and yet lives in a 40 acre woods. We were discussing why he doesn't heat with wood and he explained that his spare time is spent on the internet wheeling and deal car parts makes him on the average $500 a week.
OK ya got me on that one I said.

 

[twincam]

Hummm lets see now. $6000 TW splitter, $3000 conveyor, New Jotul stove $2400, Wow were savin money. No seriously. I have sold some wood to help offset the equiptment cost, and between the house and my barn I would estimate Im saving $500 a month between the two. So I guess doing this for the last 6 years, Im ahead of the game.

 

[John D]

i did the math when i thought about selling firewood,and decided it wasnt profitable enough to undertake. My estimate is that the 8 cord pile i cut,and processed cost me about 150.00 in fuel and misc costs like chain sharpening and 2 stroke/bar oil. I am fortunate with dropping the trees because the tree has to come down anyway,so i get the tree after its dropped.i drop it when working,and usually take the entire tree to the work area with my old 2.5 yd payloader.There they sit until the leaves dry out at the minimum,and then i get to work.I am getting better at making time,and have a pretty good system now,the skid steer splitter saves a ton of time,and your back,it splits,and loads the wood in the trailer all in one shot.

 

[AIM]

Hummm lets see now. $6000 TW splitter, $3000 conveyor, New Jotul stove $2400, Wow were savin money. No seriously. I have sold some wood to help offset the equiptment cost, and between the house and my barn I would estimate Im saving $500 a month between the two. So I guess doing this for the last 6 years, Im ahead of the game.

If I add up everything
$2600 for boiler /installed last fall
2 used saws $300
2 new bars this year $64
2 new chains this year $40
Can't really add the truck in due to the fact that I'd own it anyways
I want to buy a splitter someday which I'm sure I'll buy used and I'd like to buy a new BIG saw someday as well.

Takes about $2000 in propane to heat my house for a winter
My garage/shop has always been heated with wood.

I figure by this january/febuary I'll be on the upper end and savin money.

 

[Locoweed]

This is my eleventh year of heating with wood. The savings have more than paid for the stove, splitter and saws. A lot of exercise and fun times came along at no expense.

 

[Zodiac45]

I only cut /split for myself (6-8) cords per year. Fixed costs are the same for all of us except for the mileage too and from I'd guess. What we don't count is the labor, but the way I figure it is I'd have to pay for a gym membership too get the same workout I'm getting doing wood. I try too think of it as healthy exercise and giving the oil as big a rest as I can.

 

[Booshcat]

If you need to ask.....you can't afford it.
CAD

 

[Ductape]

Some of you guys got off pretty cheap somehow. What started out as a used woodstove, one $200 chainsaw, and a lil Nissan pickup has turned into:

Used F-350
Bri-Mar dump trailer
3 more chainsaws (and safety equipment)
27 ton splitter
Pickup full of timber jacks,peaveys,comealongs,wedges,sledge,etc.
New $2400.00 stove
30hp Kubota tractor

And there is plenty of equipment i still NEED !

 

[JBinKC]

I did the math and figuring in the costs of harvesting it took about 7 1/2 cords of wood burning self harvested wood to break even when I figured it would take about 10 1/2 in my purchase which was based on $1.50/gal propane. I stuck to the bare bones in accessories though as I own an underpowered saw and split by hand.

 

[PA Plumber]

Mostly burn firewood in a new wood stove purchased last heating season.
In addition to the wood, used 41 gallons of fuel oil last year.
Hope to use less this year.

Before wood heat, used to use around 1,000 of fuel oil a heating season.

Way ahead of the numbers this year. Including saw purchases.

As mentioned before, enjoy cutting wood and definitely need the exercise.

Now, on to your question...

Probably costs around $300.00 for me to cut/split/haul a season's worth of firewood (around 6 cord).

 

[Soby1]

Day in the woods no wife PRICELESS!! Saves me about $1200 a year in LP.After a day of cutting add in the Bud Light bill I'm probably in the hole.But can you put a price on fun.

 

[Moss Man]

This is where the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid rule) really kicks in. If you have trees on your own land and don't have to spend thoudsands of dollars on equipment to get it out of the woods......you can save money. Your time is worth something, if it wasn't no one would pay you to work at all. Even if you have to buy wood from a dealer, if you keep things simple it can pay off. I am probably an exceptionally lucky guy, my wife goes right into the woods with me to gather the firewood and we actually have fun doing it.

 

[pdqdl]

There is more than just the expenses. Because I wood heat, I can keep it much warmer than I could afford to do with purchased fuels. If I am burning wood to keep the den at 75-80 degrees (other parts of the house get colder), that is certainly cheaper AND more comfortable than trying to do the same with natural gas.

 

[Lloyd H]

on the cheap

It can be done pretty low dollar if you are handy enough to do a little fixing. Get Homelite super XL $40-50 splitting maul and a beater pick up. A couple wedges and some files and get vacinated for CAD early on. Maybe a yard sale poulan if you are a little patient. etc.

 

[pdqdl]

...vacinated for CAD ?

Whats that? :dunno:

 

[KsWoodsMan]

It depends on how agreeable the tree companies are. One year the entire season ( 4 cords of logs) was taken care of in a day with 3 pizzas and a cold 2 liter for each guy on the crew. That came out to a little more than $9.00 a cord.

If I have to go after it I figure between $30 and $50 a cord for fuel , premix oil and wear.

That doesn't include my time in labor or the storage cost till it is ready to use.

 

[Burvol]

I burn 10 gallons a week in my saw (It usually doesn't stop until it's time for fuel, change chain, or maybe a Rockstar and cig), and probably 50-60 in my truck a week.

 

[DonB]

My direct cost for the 3.125 cords of red oak I just finished processing was under $10.00 for fuel mix and bar oil plus the cost of driving 1200 yards with my truck and trailer. I'm able to charge off all direct and indirect expense against Sch E income.

According to a University of Nebraska document, that amount of red oak is worth 77.8 million btu. According to my electric co-op, their direct cost for purchasing that many btu of natural gas to generate electricity is $932. If I were buying the electricity produced by that gas to heat my home, it would cost quite a bit more.

That amount of wood will provide 100% of our home heat for at least three full winters and will save an estimated $400/year in power cost. I think I come out okay for a few days of good, honest work.