Customer Wanted Big Rounds

[sirbuildalot]

Sirbuildalot

Can you give your economic analysis to some of us having over a dozen saws.

Sure, simply indulge me what you paid for the saws total, how many cords you burn a year, and what wood in your area sells for split and delivered and it'll be an easy calculation



Even if I calculated my 4 saws and my commercial splitter I'd still be much, much cheaper than $14,000, and I bought all of it brand new.

 

[Wood Doctor]

What kind of splitter and saw does he have Wood doctor? The reason I ask, is because post #7 doesn't mathematically make sense to me. Lets say his splitter is pretty nice and was $2,000 and he bought a pro grade saw for $700 which would be on the high end for what 95% of homeowners would buy. I think we can all agree on that. So your saying you can supply him enough wood to heat his house for $270/year??? What is he burning a cord a year??? Around here wood is around $225-$250 a cord delivered

For me personally if I figured the $2,500 I spent on my Supersplit, and I picked my Dolmar 7900 as my only saw which I paid $650 for, I total $3,150. At 5-6 full cords a year, in 10 years I'd spend at least $14,000 in wood if I bought it. Certainly couldn't get it for anywhere near $3,150 delivered to me, even in log length.

Of course there are other expenses like chaps, helmets, cant hooks, extra chains, a trailer, etc, etc. Most people who cut their own wood aren't doing it for a huge cost savings, they do it because they enjoy the exercise, the experience and knowing what wood they are getting.

I believe he dropped $1,400 for the splitter and $600 for the chainsaw, so figure $2,000 cash outlay before he starts to run either one. He would likely buy two truckloads a year from me for $260, all ready to burn. So, in ten years he might spend $2,600 for firewood from me, delivered to his door step. Collecting logs himself from 20 to 30 miles away is going to cost him at least $400 and now add in the cost to run and repair the saw and the splitter. Heck, the payback time frame for his equipment might be as high as 15 years.

The chainsaw is the most useful because he can use that for pruning and other cutting requirements, but the log splitter is pretty much a dedicated machine. I suppose he might start a firewood delivery business to bring in revenue, but that still means finding a hardwood tree supply source.

 

[turnkey4099]

The title kills me, Wanted LARGE ROUNDS and the dimensions are for pecker poles.

My thoughts also.

 

[turnkey4099]

Sirbuildalot

Can you give your economic analysis to some of us having over a dozen saws.

My view is that I save money cutting wood to heat my house. I only use one saw at a time so if I have, say, 5 saws, I am saving 5X the money.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Sure, simply indulge me what you paid for the saws total, how many cords you burn a year, and what wood in your area sells for split and delivered and it'll be an easy calculation



Even if I calculated my 4 saws and my commercial splitter I'd still be much, much cheaper than $14,000, and I bought all of it brand new.

Plus cost of the stumpage (or if you own the land, cost of that land), fuel, maintenance, a truck, your time, etc, etc.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I believe he dropped $1,400 for the splitter and $600 for the chainsaw, so figure $2,000 cash outlay before he starts to run either one. He would likely buy two truckloads a year from me for $260, all ready to burn. So, in ten years he might spend $2,600 for firewood from me, delivered to his door step. Collecting logs himself from 20 to 30 miles away is going to cost him at least $400 and now add in the cost to run and repair the saw and the splitter. Heck, the payback time frame for his equipment might be as high as 15 years.

The chainsaw is the most useful because he can use that for pruning and other cutting requirements, but the log splitter is pretty much a dedicated machine. I suppose he might start a firewood delivery business to bring in revenue, but that still means finding a hardwood tree supply source.

Wow that's cheap. 2 truckloads is 4 cords? I'd sell that for $1100 here.

 

[Wood Doctor]

My thoughts also.

So, I should have said, "ordinary rounds", "average rounds", "100-lb rounds", "typical rounds", "common rounds", "Dolly Parton rounds", or something else. What would you suggest? Just curious.

Maybe this is what you were thinking of, something that you guys bring in every day:

Harry, have you and c5rulz both lost your marbles? Was I supposed to deliver these rounds?

 

[sirbuildalot]

Wow that's cheap. 2 truckloads is 4 cords? I'd sell that for $1100 here.

Yeah except I seriously, seriously doubt the loads are 4 cords. More likely than not he's bringing him 1-1.5 cord a year TOTAL, which kind of backs up my point. Who heats there house with that amount of wood? He stated the guy used it in a fireplace which are notorious for gobbling wood inefficiently. It's pretty obvious he uses it for ambience. There is another heat source in the house besides a fireplace that he uses.

 

[c5rulz]

Sure, simply indulge me what you paid for the saws total, how many cords you burn a year, and what wood in your area sells for split and delivered and it'll be an easy calculation



Even if I calculated my 4 saws and my commercial splitter I'd still be much, much cheaper than $14,000, and I bought all of it brand new.

Well with the # of Husky XPs and other assorted saws I have it is probably quite a few $'s. Since I burn NO WOOd it makes sense I would need a lot of saws. Undelivered wood here I can get $240 for.

Cutting wood is my hobby and it's good exercise. I'd go nuts in this God forsaken climate in the Winter if I didn't have something to do. Heck this year there wasn't even enough snow to run the snowmobile in this part of the State.

Firewood did buy this trinket for me though:

 

[jasper89]

Well with the # of Husky XPs and other assorted saws I have it is probably quite a few $'s. Since I burn NO WOOd it makes sense I would need a lot of saws. Undelivered wood here I can get $240 for.

Cutting wood is my hobby and it's good exercise. I'd go nuts in this God forsaken climate in the Winter if I didn't have something to do. Heck this year there wasn't even enough snow to run the snowmobile in this part of the State.

Firewood did buy this trinket for me though:

Now that’s a trinket!

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Yeah except I seriously, seriously doubt the loads are 4 cords. More likely than not he's bringing him 1-1.5 cord a year TOTAL, which kind of backs up my point. Who heats there house with that amount of wood? He stated the guy used it in a fireplace which are notorious for gobbling wood inefficiently. It's pretty obvious he uses it for ambience. There is another heat source in the house besides a fireplace that he uses.

I was figuring 2 cords per load. It's what will fit in on a std 8x12ft flatbed 1 -1.5 ton truck without be too seriously overloaded.

If you ask me, it's senseless to get setup with equipment but buy processed wood.

I had a lady a year or two ago buy logs because she claimed that my prices were crazy for something "anyone can do". Couple weeks later she called wanting to know if I'd be interested in coming over to process the logs she bought, it was WAY harder than she figured. Nope.

 

[turnkey4099]

So, I should have said, "ordinary rounds", "average rounds", "100-lb rounds", "typical rounds", "common rounds", "Dolly Parton rounds", or something else. What would you suggest? Just curious.

Maybe this is what you were thinking of, something that you guys bring in every day:
View attachment 635237
Harry, have you and c5rulz both lost your marbles? Was I supposed to deliver these rounds?

Now that is what I call a round! 18" rounds here go on the truck without splitting and is a 'small diameter' log.

 

[sirbuildalot]

I was figuring 2 cords per load. It's what will fit in on a std 8x12ft flatbed 1 -1.5 ton truck without be too seriously overloaded.

If you ask me, it's senseless to get setup with equipment but buy processed wood.

I had a lady a year or two ago buy logs because she claimed that my prices were crazy for something "anyone can do". Couple weeks later she called wanting to know if I'd be interested in coming over to process the logs she bought, it was WAY harder than she figured. Nope.

Yup, the average person is clueless. It doesn't end with just firewood. Snow plowing, mowing, leaf removal, etc. I used to have white collar people tell me carpentry was just nailing two boards together.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Weather has been so rotten damp here that those rounds I delivered are still in the customer's driveway, blocking the entrance to his garage. He only uses the firewood for ambience or for what I call the bear skin rug market. The house is heated primarily with natural gas. Thus I doubt his annual demand would have exceeded 300 cu ft of splits. He does gave a cabin elsewhere that might require some firewood.

Anyway, that delivery saved me about three hours and time is money. As a few have said here, they think that's money in the bank and wish that more deliveries were unsplit rounds. It's amazing the difference in the scale of opeations form one firewood supplier to the next. For me, it's still a very good avocation. Thank you all for your feedback.

 

[chipper1]

All that reading, and I get the the second to last sentence and I got to learn something "avocation", I'm still alive .
How did I even get here anyway lol.

 

[Wood Doctor]

All that reading, and I get the the second to last sentence and I got to learn something "avocation". I'm still alive.
How did I even get here anyway lol.

Glad to see you found out what avocation means. I've been pursuing that for at least 10 years. I think the term is a giant step above hobby. I still get pressure from people who need equipment fixed and enjoy a warm home. I doubt they would contact a hobbyist for that. They want a commitment. I offer that, but they have to cover my cost. Is that too much to ask?