Firewood Pet Peeves.You know you want to vent...

[ropensaddle]

This question

"What do you need all that wood for???"

That is a good question as I only burn around six full cords a year!
I probably have fifteen left to split and got a new peave. I went out
after the post bound and determined to get a bunch split and was
going to town splitting when I heard a funny noise in the splitter
then nothing! After giving it my eyeball going over found my problem
is the motor to pump coupler and now I will have to wait a week
for the dern part Oh well I can split some of the green
with the maul and leave the three year seasoned until the splitter
is repaired. These new dern splitters seem cheezy I mean only the
third season probably split thirty cords!

 

[thejdman04]

I think the thing that has pi$$ed me off the most in my brief career is the few customers who seem to look down at me like I'm some sort 2nd class citizen who must be desperate for money if I'm selling firewood. Truth is I walked away from the very type job (white collar) most of them probably have because it made me miserable...like they are. My wife and I do very well financially and the money from wood is just gravy. They main reason I started selling it is that it gives me a legitimate excuse to cut and split more. Fortunately these people are the exception.

I agree. My pet peeve is people who expect you to give split seasoned firewood away, they dont know or appreciate how much time and effort goes into it

 

[Brian VT]

yes, he was rude. If he was a regular client and demanding I would consider firing him. Some times you do need to let some clients go.

One of my neighbor's services, among many, is plowing driveways. Many of them are for vacation homes that he also caretakes for. When it snows his first priority is the elderly and he tries to set his route up with that in mind. Obviously his lowest priority is the vacation homes that are usually vacant.
One busy plowing morning a vacation home owner, who didn't call ahead to say he'd be up here that weekend, was frantically trying to get ahold of my neighbor because his driveway hadn't been plowed and he wanted to go skiing.
My neighbor finally reached this guy's house at 10:00 AM (he'd been plowing since 5:00) and the guy met him and threw a hissy fit. My neighbor explained to him how the real world works and that he hadn't called to say that he'd be in town and that he had many other customers that also needed to have their snow plowed. The customer said that maybe he has too many customers.
My neighbor said "You know, I think you're right. I have ONE too many." Bye.

 

[mimilkman1]

Ha ha, good for your neighbor!

Kyle

 

[cityevader]

Had the same thing happen today with a screaming 4'11" guy in a huge lifted diesel pickup screaming because his diesel was out of warranty and now having problems after 120,000 miles and 6 years.... screaming to be put in front of the several trucks that have been here for three days ahead of his....yet wanting his looked at right away.

The last time he was in he was screaming and yelling because he came in early and the paperwork wasn't finished, so he took off in his truck without paying his bill....took 2 months to get the money from him.....and we still bend over for him?!?!?

Why can't the majority of the population be the type that would subscribe to A.S.?

 

[Brian VT]

Why can't the majority of the population be the type that would subscribe to A.S.?

They're here too. They want the answer that they want to hear NOW.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Please, look down on me...I'm a 3rd gen. plumber!

 

[jjett84724]

The guys who look at you like your crazy for planning a weekend to cut firewood. My wife keeps the thermostat set at 70. My house hasn't seen below 75 for weeks. Even when it's 15 outside.

My boss was telling me his power bill is $450.00 a month, plus an extra $150 a month for gas. Holy crap!!! We don't have gas out here in the sticks. Our power bill runs $150 for a high month. And they wonder why I have spending money.

 

[jburlingham]

While I'm not in the firewood business, my biggest pet peeve about the whole of the firewood process is:

When I've got my mind set on cutting for a few hours on a Saturday morning and my wife decides to remind me on Friday night about some stupid thing she committed us to months ago and never mentioned again. Last week it was family Christmas pictures and lunch at the in-laws.

Another irritant is when that really good looking tree gets felled and its rotten at the stump. Some of the best wood is gone or reduced to the campfire pile.

2 Great points! We are in the same boat

 

[avalancher]

The guys who look at you like your crazy for planning a weekend to cut firewood. My wife keeps the thermostat set at 70. My house hasn't seen below 75 for weeks. Even when it's 15 outside.

My boss was telling me his power bill is $450.00 a month, plus an extra $150 a month for gas. Holy crap!!! We don't have gas out here in the sticks. Our power bill runs $150 for a high month. And they wonder why I have spending money.

Why is it that if the wife sets the temp in the house, its always 75 in the winter, and 65 in the summer?

 

[Coldfront]

I haven't read all 109 posts, but my 2 pet peeves with firewood have got to be a wood chip in the eye, or a sliver when I forget to put my gloves on loading the stove, specially the ones that get under the finger nail. Oh ya one more, when my nice stacked pile of split wood falls over. One last one when I'm splitting wood and run out of beer.

 

[avalancher]

I haven't read all 109 posts, but my 2 pet peeves with firewood have got to be a wood chip in the eye, or a sliver when I forget to put my gloves on loading the stove, specially the ones that get under the finger nail. Oh ya one more, when my nice stacked pile of split wood falls over. One last one when I'm splitting wood and run out of beer.

Maybe the beer has something to do with the woodpile falling over?

 

[maplemeister]

I think my main complaint would be those folks that tell you they will help you with the wood for some wood in return , since they don't have the right equipment or knowledge to do the job themselves, but then always come up with a last minute excuse as to why they can't show up on the day you plan to do the work, even though you give them advance notice. Grrrrrrr. I put a lot of weight on people keeping their word and hold myself to the same standard unless there is a legitimate emergency to deal with.

Maplemeister:

 

[beerman6]

Maybe the beer has something to do with the woodpile falling over?

:greenchainsaw:

 

[mimilkman1]

The guys who look at you like your crazy for planning a weekend to cut firewood. My wife keeps the thermostat set at 70. My house hasn't seen below 75 for weeks. Even when it's 15 outside.

My boss was telling me his power bill is $450.00 a month, plus an extra $150 a month for gas. Holy crap!!! We don't have gas out here in the sticks. Our power bill runs $150 for a high month. And they wonder why I have spending money.

Last month my electric bill was $43.00 and no gas bill!!!!

Kyle

 

[avalancher]

Last month my electric bill was $43.00 and no gas bill!!!!

Kyle

If I could just get my wife to hang laundry on a rack by the stove once in awhile, maybe I could get a $43.00 electric bill! Its all we had when I was a kid for drying laundry in the winter.
the wife?Nope.No way. She will throw one pair of socks in the dryer if they are the ones that she wants to wear.....:censored: :censored: :censored:
Our electric bill is still $150.00 a month.

 

[Kansas]

My newest peeve is scabs stealing your trees that are left down for next time etc. I recently had a big dead barkless 30" by 40' ready to burn elm down and trimmed.

I came back next weekend and that tree was gone all that was left was skid marks in the dirt where they drug it out and lines of sawdust everywhere oh I was PISSED and I didnt miss them by much!

I had a nice easy morning planned finishing that tree and bringing it home but ended up starting all over damn scabs anyway. I hope it had poision ivy all over it.

Kansas

 

[avalancher]

My newest peeve is scabs stealing your trees that are left down for next time etc. I recently had a big dead barkless 30" by 40' ready to burn elm down and trimmed.

I came back next weekend and that tree was gone all that was left was skid marks in the dirt where they drug it out and lines of sawdust everywhere oh I was PISSED and I didnt miss them by much!

I had a nice easy morning planned finishing that tree and bringing it home but ended up starting all over damn scabs anyway. I hope it had poision ivy all over it.

Kansas

Been there and done that! If I am in the area where there are going to be other folks cutting, I have made it a habit of making it as difficult as possible for the next guy to get to my wood.If I have blazed a path to the wood, when I leave I pile all the brush back behind me to cover up my path. I dont limb anything that isnt coming with me, even if I am coming back the same day for another load. It makes a bit more work, but I have found most folks dont want to work to much for their wood,they will just pick a different spot to cut.
I have been amazed at how little it takes to deter someone from some wood. Especially if it is lousy weather out.

 

[sdt7618]

If I could just get my wife to hang laundry on a rack by the stove once in awhile, maybe I could get a $43.00 electric bill! Its all we had when I was a kid for drying laundry in the winter.
the wife?Nope.No way. She will throw one pair of socks in the dryer if they are the ones that she wants to wear.....:censored: :censored: :censored:
Our electric bill is still $150.00 a month.

Wife gets no choice, took the fuse out of the drier plug! Clothes go on the rack that sit at the top of the stair... now she has realised heat rises and our cast iron open balistrade allows the washing to dry over night. Used to put the rack infront of the fire, but hated coming into the living room full of washing!

Our Elec bill halved since we started this!

 

[STLfirewood]

Oh ya one more, when my nice stacked pile of split wood falls over. One last one when I'm splitting wood and run out of beer.

If it falls how nicely stacked was it? Just messing with you I understand what you are saying.



Scott