docmagnum357
ArboristSite Lurker
Lots of hardwood timber in my area. Lots of sawmills. Most of them grind their " butt cuts", slabs, junk. Almost all have some way to get rid of sawdust. I am kind of interested in the big butt cuts. Lots of firewood in them. It is easier to get rid of them than to grind them. I have been getting all i can haul on my 1 ton for free, loaded with a forwarder. I have a small tractor( Kubota compact, 1200 lbs capacity FEL) and a 6600 magnum, 310, 170 Stihl. I can cut the really big stuff. I am in the process of turning the vertical / horizontal splitter into a dedicated vertical only, set up like a Powersplit. Table at waist height. Foot pedal. I have three hoop houses. 2 14'x 50' and one 16'x50'.
There are also lots of campgrounds in my area. My thoughts are to build up a year's inventory, then try to wholesale to a few campgrounds to start. Make sure I can keep one supplied, not let them run out of bagged, seasoned hardwood. Then, go to two customers, then three. Quit selling when I run out of capacity, whether it be my old, grouchy, backside says " ENOUGH!" , or I can't get wood, or I just don't want to do any more. My wife has several medical conditions that require me to stay close to home. But i can make a few deliveries, and I can saw and split wood.
I have been around long enough to know nothing is free. When I get these "free" logs, some 8 feet, some two feet, they are usually too big to handle by hand, terrible hard to split, dirty, not what 99% of wood burners are looking for. Heck, you can't get any of them on the splitter without a tractor. That's why I turned my splitter up vertical and raised it up to table height. Some of them big 'uns would kill a man if they rolled off on him. But I can get a lot of bark free oak and hickory and some other hardwood without the up front cash of buying hardwood "pulp" logs, or going into the woods and cutting tops.
Does anyone else here run a one man show with bagged or bundle wood? I think I can make a go of it if I stay small and take really good care of a few campgrounds, bait stores . Will I be able to make it work with the higher sale price and lower ( zero) cash outlay if my production is slow? I can probably get a cord a day cut, split and bagged, stacked in the hoop house.
Another question. Can I put the wood in the hoop house in bags, as long as it is on pallets? I think it will season O.K. and if I understand correctly UV light, i.e. sunlight is the hardest thing on bags. Will they be O.K. for a year, seasoning under a hoop house? Just hoping someone here has " been there, done that". looking for pointers. Thanks. Doc
There are also lots of campgrounds in my area. My thoughts are to build up a year's inventory, then try to wholesale to a few campgrounds to start. Make sure I can keep one supplied, not let them run out of bagged, seasoned hardwood. Then, go to two customers, then three. Quit selling when I run out of capacity, whether it be my old, grouchy, backside says " ENOUGH!" , or I can't get wood, or I just don't want to do any more. My wife has several medical conditions that require me to stay close to home. But i can make a few deliveries, and I can saw and split wood.
I have been around long enough to know nothing is free. When I get these "free" logs, some 8 feet, some two feet, they are usually too big to handle by hand, terrible hard to split, dirty, not what 99% of wood burners are looking for. Heck, you can't get any of them on the splitter without a tractor. That's why I turned my splitter up vertical and raised it up to table height. Some of them big 'uns would kill a man if they rolled off on him. But I can get a lot of bark free oak and hickory and some other hardwood without the up front cash of buying hardwood "pulp" logs, or going into the woods and cutting tops.
Does anyone else here run a one man show with bagged or bundle wood? I think I can make a go of it if I stay small and take really good care of a few campgrounds, bait stores . Will I be able to make it work with the higher sale price and lower ( zero) cash outlay if my production is slow? I can probably get a cord a day cut, split and bagged, stacked in the hoop house.
Another question. Can I put the wood in the hoop house in bags, as long as it is on pallets? I think it will season O.K. and if I understand correctly UV light, i.e. sunlight is the hardest thing on bags. Will they be O.K. for a year, seasoning under a hoop house? Just hoping someone here has " been there, done that". looking for pointers. Thanks. Doc