how do u go about start a fire wood cutting bussiness

[Circle B MN]

If you are starting out with that little equipment try to talk to some of the convience stores that you regularly frequent if its like it is here in NC some of the convience stores sell small bundles of firewood they got to be buying it from somewhere. Also you will need a wood maul and some wedges and a whole lot of determination. Just my 2 cents worth

A for effort, but you will wreck yourself long before your turn a profit selling hand split wood.

 

[banshee67]

there is always so much talk on this forum about how no one wants to work hard anymore, and how this new (my) generation are all lazy and useless...
then everytime a thread like this pops up, where a young guy is interested in working hard and making some honest money, and members try to discourage them out of doing it, i dont understand.. obviously no one is gona get rich selling firewood, i think we all understand that , i just dont like the idea of being discouraging to people who are motivated to work hard, if all the losers on welfare, disability, and 2 years of unemployment had the motivation of some of these people, the country might not be so bad off

fire out some ####in wood, if nothing else it will make you respect money MUCH more, get you in great shape,and will give you a lot of self confidence, and experience dealing with so many strangers, setting up delivery times, making contacts, solving problems as they come up,(mainly with humans, lol)...i dont think there are any negative aspects to the hard work.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Nice post Banshee, repped ya for it.

For the OP, get out there and cut some wood. Figure out what sort of time and effort it takes to make a cord of firewood. Then consider whether there is enough income available in the market to make it worthwhile.

A bigger truck, a splitter, fancy saws, advertising, etc. are all good and many would argue necessary tools for a firewood business, and will make you money in the long run if you keep at it, but being buried in debt in a business you don't know a lot about yet is kinda like playing russian roulette with a single shot pistol.

At least "here" (all areas are different, do some market research), selling green firewood (honestly) will get you a big discount on sale price, but you don't have the expense of sitting on product for a year while it dries.

Check with your state dept of Natural Resources on any restrictions on moving firewood. Back here in the east, with EAB and other diseases, that can be the toughest part of a firewood business to deal with.

Start small, keep your customers happy, and keep growing as funds allow. Remember, Sam Walton of Wal-Mart started with one store.

 

[bsearcey]

actuly looking for a new cheap saw i dont get paid till the first but im looking for the beast deal on chain saws:greenchainsaw:

Try checking with Home Depots in their tool rental department. They rent Makita 6401s and will sell them after a certain period of time/rental. I just picked up one for $141. Saw works great and they are easily converted from a 64cc to 79cc saw with a new P@C.

Also, check on Northern Tools website. I have also bought a reconditioned Poulan 4620 for $119. For an extra $15 bucks I got a 2 year replacement warranty on it. If you can find a HD Makita though I would get it.

Good luck.

 

[firewoodlogger1]

ok

thanks for the tips i have a nother quistion now i live in newberg oregon i wana know if any one in the north west knows how too bid on wood sites if so plz leav me info ty

 

[sunfish]

Here's what I did in the late 70s' as a teenager and after a fling with street racing a 68 mustang.

I sold the stang before they could take my licence. I bought a 1/2 ton Dodge, a Poulan and a small hydro splitter. I had a good part time job and good credit.

I found were I could cut wood. Put an ad in the paper and sold wood for $50 a truck load (1/2 cord), that was damn good money back then! It was in a southern city with fireplaces and very few cut their own.

I sold 50 laods a year for 4 or 5 years, then life got in the way. But I really enjoyed it.

To start a firewood business, all you need to do is start. 'Just do it' 'Get-er-done' 'No fear'

 

[Steve NW WI]

Edit:

thanks for the tips i have a nother quistion now i live in newberg oregon i wana know if any one in the north west knows how too bid on wood sites if so plz leav me info ty

Translated to English: Thanks for the tips. I have another question now. I live in Newberg Oregon. I want to know if anyone in the Northwest knows how to bid on wood sites. If so please leave me info.

Thank you.

Firewoodlogger1, I do have one more suggestion for you. When posting on forums, please try to use complete sentences and spell out the words as best you can. Your posts are hard to read to many of us who didn't grow up with a cell phone in our hands texting.

It's also good practice, and will make your future Craigslist firewood ads more professional looking. I wouldn't buy much of anything from someone with the grammar skills your posts display. Capitalization, punctuation, and spelling go a long way. I'm not the world's best speller, but I use Firefox for a browser, and the built in spell checker will highlight the words I goof up on, and gives me the chance to fix them before the world sees them.

 

[bsearcey]

It's also good practice, and will make your future Craigslist firewood ads more professional looking. I wouldn't buy much of anything from someone with the grammar skills your posts display. Capitalization, punctuation, and spelling go a long way. I'm not the world's best speller, but I use Firefox for a browser, and the built in spell checker will highlight the words I goof up on, and gives me the chance to fix them before the world sees them.

+1...I thought the same thing. Even though he may be posting with his phone, it still drives me crazy.

 

[giXXer]

there is always so much talk on this forum about how no one wants to work hard anymore, and how this new (my) generation are all lazy and useless...
then everytime a thread like this pops up, where a young guy is interested in working hard and making some honest money, and members try to discourage them out of doing it, i dont understand.. obviously no one is gona get rich selling firewood, i think we all understand that , i just dont like the idea of being discouraging to people who are motivated to work hard, if all the losers on welfare, disability, and 2 years of unemployment had the motivation of some of these people, the country might not be so bad off

fire out some ####in wood, if nothing else it will make you respect money MUCH more, get you in great shape,and will give you a lot of self confidence, and experience dealing with so many strangers, setting up delivery times, making contacts, solving problems as they come up,(mainly with humans, lol)...i dont think there are any negative aspects to the hard work.

Amen. There is certainly something attractive and fulfilling about the freedom of working for yourself, owning a company with relatively low overhead, and working hard for your money. It's the American dream, or used to be at least. And, an appreciation of having nice equipment comes much quicker when you do without for a while as well. In today's day in age there are very few business ventures that allow just about anyone to get started. Money cannot make a successfull firewood business by itself, but hard work and determination can. By starting small you really don't have a lot, financially, to lose.

With that said, if you want a business instead of some "side cash" it might be years before you ever see a dime for all of your hard work. Investing in equipment, fixed costs (lot rent, etc.) and your variable costs (fuel, chains, etc.) will likely drain any money the business takes in. Consider forming an LLC, legal/accounting fees, liability insurance, advertising, on and on and on. I don't think any A.S. members are trying to crush your dreams, just express the reality of cutting firewood for money. It's a lot of work for very little profit, if any!

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I found were I could cut wood. Put an ad in the paper and sold wood for $50 a truck load (1/2 cord), that was damn good money back then!

It's not now, and that's still what you get around here. Fifty bucks a truck load, and you'll work yourself to death trying to make a living that way.

You can make better money delivering pizza. Seriously.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Edit:


Translated to English: Thanks for the tips. I have another question now. I live in Newberg Oregon. I want to know if anyone in the Northwest knows how to bid on wood sites. If so please leave me info.

Thank you.

Firewoodlogger1, I do have one more suggestion for you. When posting on forums, please try to use complete sentences and spell out the words as best you can. Your posts are hard to read to many of us who didn't grow up with a cell phone in our hands texting.

It's also good practice, and will make your future Craigslist firewood ads more professional looking. I wouldn't buy much of anything from someone with the grammar skills your posts display. Capitalization, punctuation, and spelling go a long way. I'm not the world's best speller, but I use Firefox for a browser, and the built in spell checker will highlight the words I goof up on, and gives me the chance to fix them before the world sees them.

:agree2:

Posting from a phone is no excuse for not spelling correctly.

 

[firewoodlogger1]

i

may have found a site to cut but i still dont know how to bid anyone have any ideas thank you :newbie:

 

[bsearcey]

may have found a site to cut but i still dont know how to bid anyone have any ideas thank you :newbie:

Translation:

I may have found a site to cut, but I still don't know how to bid on it. Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you. :bang:

 

[TXTreeSurgeon]

This is why firewood is a great part-time job:
I can go out at 6am and work until noon. By myself, I can usually get a least 1 cord of wood cut and split in 6 hours. Each cord of wood sells for $180 if it is in 24" lengths. After the wood has been stored on my property and has properly seasoned, I will have to deliver and stack this wood at the customer's home, which can easily be done within an hour. If there is a long drive involved, I will have to charge mileage.

Just consider these numbers:
$180 per cord
-5 in chainsaw/splitter gas
-5 in mix oil and bar oil
-20 truck fuel (usually doesn't take this much)
-20 set aside for recurring equipment expenses (chains, repairs, etc)
$130 profit for 7 total hours of work is over $18/hr pay.

Am I getting rich? No, but I am making decent, honest money and I get to work for myself. I can work whenever I have time away from my full-time job. If I need to take the morning off to bring my kid to the doctor, I always get a "yes" when I ask myself off. I don't rely on firewood money to feed my family (mostly because the payoff is delayed because the wood has to season), but it is a great way to pay off debt and buy things that my family needs.

Sure, there are significant startup costs involved, but the equipment pays for itself if you are willing to work hard and have a decent business plan. I can't keep up with all of the trees that friends/acquaintances want me to cut off their property and the number of firewood orders that start pouring in when the weather gets cold.

The bottom line is that if the OP plans out his business well, he can create a good secondary source of income.

 

[banshee67]

You can make better money delivering pizza. Seriously.

i dont know anywhere i can deliver pizza and make over $20 an hour..just sayin
if you can sell a cord of seasoned wood for $200-220 , and cant cut split and deliver it in less than 10 hours total time, you may as well give up on life! lol - in reality, it might take 4-5 hours tops to cut and split a cord of wood.
even unseasoned wood goes for $150 a cord around here, 4-5 hours work + delivery, i doubt you can make that mcuh delivering pizza unless you are straight outa victories secret and get some nice tips, plus who the hell wants to deliver pizza all night even if you could make $20+ an hour doing it?

 

[sunfish]

It's not now, and that's still what you get around here. Fifty bucks a truck load, and you'll work yourself to death trying to make a living that way.

You can make better money delivering pizza. Seriously.

When I moved to Missouri in 1990, I was surprised a half cord was selling for less than I was gettin 10-12 years earlier. It's running $100-$125 a cord here now. Just depends on were you live. I make my money another way now and cut wood for my own use.

 

[StihlyinEly]

fwoodlogger u hav got10 great advice so far keep it coming guys don't discourage him

Hah!

Seriously, good advice given on how to go about starting out. Best of luck to you, firewoodlogger.

 

[chucker]

This is why firewood is a great part-time job:
I can go out at 6am and work until noon. By myself, I can usually get a least 1 cord of wood cut and split in 6 hours. Each cord of wood sells for $180 if it is in 24" lengths. After the wood has been stored on my property and has properly seasoned, I will have to deliver and stack this wood at the customer's home, which can easily be done within an hour. If there is a long drive involved, I will have to charge mileage.

Just consider these numbers:
$180 per cord
-5 in chainsaw/splitter gas
-5 in mix oil and bar oil
-20 truck fuel (usually doesn't take this much)
-20 set aside for recurring equipment expenses (chains, repairs, etc)
$130 profit for 7 total hours of work is over $18/hr pay.

Am I getting rich? No, but I am making decent, honest money and I get to work for myself. I can work whenever I have time away from my full-time job. If I need to take the morning off to bring my kid to the doctor, I always get a "yes" when I ask myself off. I don't rely on firewood money to feed my family (mostly because the payoff is delayed because the wood has to season), but it is a great way to pay off debt and buy things that my family needs.

Sure, there are significant startup costs involved, but the equipment pays for itself if you are willing to work hard and have a decent business plan. I can't keep up with all of the trees that friends/acquaintances want me to cut off their property and the number of firewood orders that start pouring in when the weather gets cold.

The bottom line is that if the OP plans out his business well, he can create a good secondary source of income.

tex, you hit the ball right out of the stadium!! every word you said would fit my hobby/bussiness to a tee... thanks for sharing the same thoughts as myself!! i rep you for these words of wisdom!!!!!

 

[discounthunter]

great advise on here. try it as a hobby on the weekends. when we cleared our lot i had extra wood, i kept some,gave away a lot and sold some. did this for about 3 years till most of the trees i wanted gone were, well, gone. now i cut enough for me and relatives/friends, if i get an extra cord or two ill sell it,( green goes for about 55-65 down here) seasoned aint much better. its fun to get out and do some hard work but not some thing id do for a living .

btw i started with a wild thing , 6lb mall and a full sized dodge. still have them too.

 

[Doingitwell]

Edit:


Translated to English: Thanks for the tips. I have another question now. I live in Newberg Oregon. I want to know if anyone in the Northwest knows how to bid on wood sites. If so please leave me info.

Thank you.

Firewoodlogger1, I do have one more suggestion for you. When posting on forums, please try to use complete sentences and spell out the words as best you can. Your posts are hard to read to many of us who didn't grow up with a cell phone in our hands texting.

It's also good practice, and will make your future Craigslist firewood ads more professional looking. I wouldn't buy much of anything from someone with the grammar skills your posts display. Capitalization, punctuation, and spelling go a long way. I'm not the world's best speller, but I use Firefox for a browser, and the built in spell checker will highlight the words I goof up on, and gives me the chance to fix them before the world sees them.

Amen Steve to your post. I'm not knocking the OP, but in my opinion, if your service and/or product is/are anything like the "EFFORT" you put into your posts, you won't get many repeat customers. Again I mean no disrespect, but do yourself a favor and put some professionalism into your posts, that possibly could be the launch pad for your business. Work hard, believe in a word and a handshake, over deliver and under promise.....you will succeed.