Firewood kindling idea

[Zombiechopper]

Hang in there and don't give up on having ideas. The Wright Brothers crashed a lot before they ever flew.

absolutely.

I wouldn't have taken the time to analyze your idea if I didn't have respect that you are showing ambition.

Cost analysis is critical. Start by working the numbers and never lie to yourself to convince yourself it works if it doesn't. You need to accurately and ruthlessly analyze your own operation.

 

[Jim Timber]

If this is waste from other timber operations, you can market it as bedding through CL or a co-op or three, but I personally wouldn't expend fuel and saw wear to produce ribbon exclusively.

Another option is to make your own duraflame logs with chips, ribbon, and wax. You'd have the granola and greenie market idiots who want to save the world as your client base - just need to find the right vendors to distribute them. Camp grounds might go for them as well.

Keep in mind; wholesale is generally half or less of retail. Stores want good action in return for their customer exposure. Unless you have something they can't get enough of (flies off the shelf!), they're going to gouge you. All those displays in the isles at your big grocery stores - they have to pay the store "rent" to have them there.

I don't see a lot of profit here small scale. It'll take big money to get reasonable efficiency, and then you need big sales just to break even.

 

[nmurph]

Matt, you pay the frieght and I will ship a load of fat lighter. A few hours with a hatchet and you will have kindling that starts like it had gasoline in it (and it smells wonderful when split).

 

[Jim Timber]

Fat lighter?

Bacon scented fire logs could go viral.

 

[nmurph]

Imagine something like a very mature Pine-Sol smell.

You can soak it in a bucket of water for a month and it will still start with a match.

It is the knot/heartwood/stump of old pine. It is everywhere in the creeks and is easy to pick-up in most summers. It makes some very beautiful shapes after it has been abraded for years by the sand in the creek.

 

[zogger]

Imagine something like a very mature Pine-Sol smell.

You can soak it in a bucket of water for a month and it will still start with a match.

It is the knot/heartwood/stump of old pine. It is everywhere in the creeks and is easy to pick-up in most summers. It makes some very beautiful shapes after it has been abraded for years by the sand in the creek.

It's good stuff. The pines were logged here 40 years ago and I go pull some out now and then.
I could get a lot if I really wanted to.

 

[T0RN4D0]

Making sawdust on purpose? A cubic meter of it costs about about $12 here. Not the same as noodles, but you are basically intentionally making waste with and trying to sell it. I think the possibility of this working is close to that of selling full Wallmart bags of crumbled news paper. And not actually using old newspaper but making your own paper to crumble and sell.

 

[Matt J Leppek]

Matt, you pay the frieght and I will ship a load of fat lighter. A few hours with a hatchet and you will have kindling that starts like it had gasoline in it (and it smells wonderful when split).

how much would the shipping cost? and how big of a truckload? might be something worth looking into, thanks

 

[nmurph]

It's good stuff. The pines were logged here 40 years ago and I go pull some out now and then.
I could get a lot if I really wanted to.

We still have some that is found as stumps in the ground, but most of the bigger stuff was dug with bulldozers and sent to the mill to be used in the manufacture of dynamite. We know where the few remaining big stumps are on the property and guard them when we burn the woods. The easiest source is the creek bottoms in the summer. Limbs, stumps and knots are easy to pick up. I have quite a collection.

 

[Bluefish]

L L Bean sells fatwood fire starter and it is really expensive. Russ

 

[Mac88]

Thanks Mac, and I seen the mark thing :msp_wink:

Thanks Matt. Sharp eye. My bad. I fixed it.

 

[Zombiechopper]

I know we're kind of off topic, but what makes pine become fat wood? We have pine here but never heard of that. I'm just wondering if it has to be a certain species, certain age, grown in the hot south, aged in a creek, or what? What conditions cause what type of pine to produce it?

I have to take down some beetle kill pines on the golf course in town soon just wondering if I save some heart wood and age it, will I get fat wood?

 

[Matt J Leppek]

Thanks Matt. Sharp eye. My bad. I fixed it.

Haha no big deal, I did go back and look to see if someone named mark replied until I realized you meant me...lol

 

[Mac88]

I know we're kind of off topic, but what makes pine become fat wood? We have pine here but never heard of that. I'm just wondering if it has to be a certain species, certain age, grown in the hot south, aged in a creek, or what? What conditions cause what type of pine to produce it?

I have to take down some beetle kill pines on the golf course in town soon just wondering if I save some heart wood and age it, will I get fat wood?

We used to have a lot of "lightered" pine in Florida. You could literally light it with a match. It was mostly Longleaf
or Southern Yellow Pine. Most of it's been bulldozed for subdivisions and Disney World. Check this "wiki" and go
down to the "Uses" topic. It'll explain the process.

Pinus palustris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Matt J Leppek]

Little update on the whole thing, my grandma liked the idea of making some firestarter with wax. So we took old candles, broke and cut them up. Rigged up a double boiler and melted the wax. Put drier lint in to fuel the fire, and the shreds to act as the wick and get it all started. Then placed in a muffin tin and poured wax on top. Burned for roughly 45mins. Not to bad...

Oh and grandpa helped out to until grandma kicked him out for making a waxy mess

 

[hangfirew8]

I know we're kind of off topic, but what makes pine become fat wood? We have pine here but never heard of that. I'm just wondering if it has to be a certain species, certain age, grown in the hot south, aged in a creek, or what? What conditions cause what type of pine to produce it?

I think it is just pine heartwood selecting for having lots of resin rich in turpentine- burns real, real good.

HF

 

[spike60]

Matt;

That stuff might be a good substitute for newspaper, but not for kindling wood. It's too small to produce the coals that would be needed to get an actual piece of firewood going if your burning oak and such.

 

[morewood]

You are more on track now. My son and I make them for our friends and now he wants to see if he can sell them. He is only six, but a lesson in money will be worth it. Use wood chips, not the noodles, they are easier to handle. Instead of the muffin pan, use small Solo wax/paper med. cups and a piece of candle wick to make it easier to light. You could use the muffin pan I guess, but line them with the cup cake paper liners for easier removal and less mess. My personal choice, make a large batch and pour it in an aluminum pan, approx. 8"x13". Once cool knock it out and cut/break off what you need at a time. You could cut them in small blocks from that one large one. Just some ideas for you. Also buy your wax online, much cheaper even with shipping. Consider using the flake wax, may be slightly more expensive but will save the time of breaking up the large blocks. Remember, you are paying yourself, what is your time worth?

Shea

 

[wampum]

We collect dry pine cones.The wife puts them in an old muffin tray and pours melted wax in each muffin spot were a pine cone is put.We get the wax from old candles that people almost give away at yard sales.

 

[discounthunter]

Yes I agree as many uses as I can find. But also uses that isn't more work then what its worth. The noodling to me is easy and doesn't take long. Biggest question is will people let me sell it and if it will sell

noodleing is easy,but used to cut big rounds down to easy handling size,imho noodling just to get noodles is wasting firewood.look at it from a store owners view,do you want someone bringing in a bag of sawdust to try and sell(NO). will it sell? i dont know,go for it,personally i would give it away FREE to the people who BUY your firewood.you'd be surprised how much better you look .