Cost of Cutting Firewood

[lumberinspector]

For those of you who happened to see the thread I started in the Chainsaw Forum in regards to Chainsaw Depreciation, the following link will take you to the formula that got me thinking.

http://www.forestry.iastate.edu/publications/pubs-pdf/F-335.pdf

Have any of you guys who sell firewood ever done something like this to see what the cost/profit is?

 

[IndyIan]

I'm interested in how many cords a pro saw is good for. Assuming 16" pieces.

I've started ripping big ugly rounds with my 372 so I can split them with my maul. It does make the saw work but usually the cuts aren't for more than 30seconds. I'd assume this saw is good for 100's of cords so a bit of harder use shouldn't be a big deal.

What do you guys get out of a saw?

Ian

 

[STLfirewood]

I had an 029 Stihl that cut over 750 ranks of firewood. this was a $300 saw new. It needed some small repairs so I decided to get rid of it. Sold it on e-bay for almost $100.

Scott

 

[Patrick62]

That is great!

Thanks for posting, I will have to do some serious thinking...

I thought that a pro saw could go several thousand cords, but that will depend on how carefully it is run.

My theory is that there is $$$ in firewood, until something breaks. :bang: You go and blow the engine in the truck and there went your profit. Gone.

-Hill

 

[drmiller100]

if you have have the ambition to cut and sell firewood, then your time is worth more then most schmucks.

i can sell a cord for 200 bucks. it takes an hour to deliver it. it takes an hour to split and buck a cord with a processor.
i'm paying 50 a cord for raw logs.

at that rate, i can advertise and sell wood and be kind of happy.

 

[logbutcher]

Schmucks and Be Happy

if you have have the ambition to cut and sell firewood, then your time is worth more then most schmucks.

i can sell a cord for 200 bucks. it takes an hour to deliver it. it takes an hour to split and buck a cord with a processor.
i'm paying 50 a cord for raw logs.

at that rate, i can advertise and sell wood and be kind of happy.

Now wait one minute: there are schmucksin Idaho ??:jawdrop: Whaaaaat ?
Let's do the math here: cord sells for $200. Bought for $50. Net profit now $150. This is tough, though from Downeast Maine. One hour to deliver ( did we forget the actual cost of delivery: running the truck--fuel, maintenance, insurance )per mile ??
Your time ? So let's add on close to $50 for an average delivery.
We are in businessaren't we ?
Net profit now $100.
Now, add the costS for processing: saws, maintenance, fuel, oil, insurance costs for the site. Oh yeah, your time. Can we add another $50 to the cost list ? Now down to $50/cord net profit. ( Yes, you CPA types, this is not quite right....BUT I'm making a point .)
So here you are sweating your A__ off ( schmuck time) for barely $50. profit a cord ??? Tell me it ain't so ?

 

[Ductape]

Logbutcher, i scratch my head also. I worked for a farmer here locally for six months last year. One of his sources of income was firewood. Not having a processor, we had to buck with a cordwood saw (tractor mounted) and split with his splitters. Either load by hand, or with the tractor. I figured he had to be losing at least fifty dollars a cord @ around two hundred a cord. Of course, the firewood was a byproduct of the trees he logged to sell to mills, so it has to go somewhere.... but it didn't seem to make much sense to me to keep doing something just because it has been done that way for a hundred years, just to keep doing it. I don't see a dime in firewood at current prices, but thats just me.

 

[pyromaniac guy]

i just do it because i like to. we have a lot of land here that needs cleaned up from some jack@ss who select cut it 2 years ago and left a mess. if i can cut and deliver a few loads of wood a weekend (i don't split or stack, unless it is for me, and i only deliver if it is less than 10 miles away), then i feel that i made out good.

i know saws cost money, but all hobbies do. this way i get at least some of my money back, and my wife lets me purchase 1 additional saw a year...

 

[IndyIan]

I had an 029 Stihl that cut over 750 ranks of firewood. this was a $300 saw new. It needed some small repairs so I decided to get rid of it. Sold it on e-bay for almost $100.

So you got about 250 cords out of a 029, I guess my 372 should last for 80 years then (I do about 3 cords a year for our own use)

I can see making money with firewood if you have most of the equipment already for other uses. ie, a farmer, or you have a big truck to pull your boat and good saws just to have them. Or if you go big, with good processor, loader, big truck for multicord deliveries, and lots of volume!

 

[sredlin]

I sell about 5 cords a year because I cut too much for myself and can't turn down some easy to get wood--I also enjoy it --except in the heat of summer--so if I make an extra gr a year it just goes toward equipment

 

[MrGriz]

Now wait one minute: there are schmucksin Idaho ??:jawdrop: Whaaaaat ?
Let's do the math here: cord sells for $200. Bought for $50. Net profit now $150. This is tough, though from Downeast Maine. One hour to deliver ( did we forget the actual cost of delivery: running the truck--fuel, maintenance, insurance )per mile ??
Your time ? So let's add on close to $50 for an average delivery.
We are in businessaren't we ?
Net profit now $100.
Now, add the costS for processing: saws, maintenance, fuel, oil, insurance costs for the site. Oh yeah, your time. Can we add another $50 to the cost list ? Now down to $50/cord net profit. ( Yes, you CPA types, this is not quite right....BUT I'm making a point .)
So here you are sweating your A__ off ( schmuck time) for barely $50. profit a cord ??? Tell me it ain't so ?

Those are great points Logbutcher.

The way I see it, if you have access to free wood as a byproduct of some other activity (logging your land, cutting trees for $, taking down free and easy trees, etc...), you may be able to make some money. If you have to buy your wood in log form and process it, unless you're doing a huge volume of cords per year, all you're doing is saving the cost of the health club membership.

Let's say you do have a few acres logged and the tops are left behind for you to process into firewood and sell. Now, cause you're a country boy you already own the equipment (splitter, saws, truck, etc..) so you don't have to lay out any cash. When you figure your cost of time, fuel, depreciation on your equipment and anything else I forgot, you probably barely break even. However, I think you're still ahead. You did take the tops of those trees and turn them from extremely slow rotting compost and/or fuel for the next lightning strike into cash.

Plus, in the process you gave someone access to firewood to enjoy in a campfire or better yet heat their home. They save some money versus gas, oil or electric and consume less fossil fuel. So, it's win - win.

I just don't see ever making a ton of money at it. That's just my .02 on a rainy afternoon.

 

[redprospector]

I thinn property for a living, and I don't get paid for a job untill the logs and firewood are gone. In my price for thinning I figure in a charge for removing wood (enough to cover transportation cost & loading). I sell my wood in 16' lengths so I can get it out faster and get paid. Unfortunatly most of the trees I cut are pine, so I only get $45.00 a cord delivered.
The way I've got it figured, the less you handle the wood the less money you loose on firewood. I know there are guy's who make money at it, but I ain't figured it out at the price of fuel.

Andy

 

[treeman82]

Here's how I see it in order to "make money"

1) Get paid to take the wood away on a tree job, and then turn it into firewood... however if you are getting paid to get rid of the wood, why not just take the good stuff to a mill and take the bad stuff to people who are willing to take it?

2) Do a tree job, split the wood at the site of the tree job and deliver it directly to the customer. No hauling it from site A to site B, processing it, and then hauling it to site C.

 

[IndyIan]

drmiller100's example doesn't seem so silly to me. He basically said it takes him 2 hours to turn $50 into $200.

That's $75/hr which isn't too bad for maybe $80-100k in equipment?

 

[pyromaniac guy]

Let's say you do have a few acres logged and the tops are left behind for you to process into firewood and sell. Now, cause you're a country boy you already own the equipment (splitter, saws, truck, etc..) so you don't have to lay out any cash. When you figure your cost of time, fuel, depreciation on your equipment and anything else I forgot, you probably barely break even. However, I think you're still ahead. You did take the tops of those trees and turn them from extremely slow rotting compost and/or fuel for the next lightning strike into cash.

sums up my situation perfectly

 

[musch]

This thread is like trying to calculate how much money per pound Venison costs me.

Don't want to do that math!!!

 

[SmokinDodge]

This thread is like trying to calculate how much money per pound Venison costs me.

Don't want to do that math!!!

Ya but it's free isn't it?





6 days freezing on a $200 stand with a $400 rifle with a tag that cost..............

 

[STLfirewood]

This thread is like trying to calculate how much money per pound Venison costs me.

Don't want to do that math!!!

And you know what they say deer is only as good as th pork you put with itopcorn:

I think it all depends on how you do it. I don't make a killing off of it. I would rather remove and trim trees there is a lot more money in that. But when I am slow I cut wood and sell it. I have a 1-ton truck and a dump trailer. I can go and cut those full in a day and bring it home. take a few hours the next day and split it. There is usually 8 ranks in the truck and trailer. When I go to deliver wood I carry 8 ranks at a time. I sell the wood for $90 a rank. So for that 8 ranks I get $720 I have a day in cutting a day in delivering and some splitting time. If you take away $50 for fuel that leaves me with $670 for roughly 2 1/2 days work. I don;t know how you would factor my truck. It gets the bare min in maintenance. Saws last a long time. If you use your saws for tree trimming they are really a non factor in cost. What Does an expensive saw cost $700-$1000. That saw will make you many thousands of dollars before it needs anything. The way I look at i I couldn't't make $250 a day working part time anywhere else. You set you own hours work as much as you want it's the perfect part time job. Now if i could only deliver 1-2 ranks I would loose money. Then you see people that handle the wood way o much. They stack it in the truck when they cut it. They stack it after they split it. They stack it back in the truck to deliver it. Then they stack it at the persons house. That is stacking the wood 4 times to sell it that is a lot of wasted time.

Scott

 

[lumberinspector]

I would have to agree with what logbutcher has said.

IMO, I think if drmiller100 would plug in the numbers in the formula, he will find profit isn't as big.

In the formula, they are basing it off of "free" logs. I can get firewood logs @ 170/mbf or .17/ft.

I can see a guy being able to make a few bucks if your splitting with an axe/maul,cutting with chainsaw and hauling it but with all the over head in the processor etc. as logbutcher stated, it obviously isn't going to be so great.

drmiller100...have you broke it all down and really looked at everything in fine print so to speak?

 

[ropensaddle]

This thread is like trying to calculate how much money per pound Venison costs me.

Don't want to do that math!!!

Thats easy 5000.00 per pound as every purchase in some way has to do with
deer huntin.