The ant and the grasshopper

[Rob G.]

I think that, depending on the circumstance and the relationship with the people needing the favor, all of the posts are valid.
I don't process firewood the way that a business would so it takes a considerable amount of effort for me to source, harvest/pick up, cut, split, stack, and season the six cords that I need; all while I work two jobs, tend to family needs, and single handedly build a 1,000 square foot addition to our small house.
So when a coworker and casual friend asked to buy some firewood from me, I politely said that since I process my firewood manually there is no way that I could compete with a firewood business.
I figured that he would understand that for me it was not a matter of money, but a matter of failing to do something else that is more important to me.
I figured right and he did not mention it again and he had no hurt feelings.
If he was in a bind and asked again I was going to calculate the price that I needed to be compesated for my time, which would most likely be more than buying it from a business.
If the wood came free and easy for me, I would have given him some.
If I bought the wood and had plenty, I would have sold it for no profit.
It looks like at some point many of us have run into people who don't realize how much work it is to avoid buying firewood and assume that it is free.

 

[cmetalbend]

Maybe this would be better. Tell the fella in need you'd trade seasoned for green. If he doesn't want to put some effort in, heck with him. tell him you'll both go cut for you and you'll give him some seasoned. You're out only minimal. measure it out and cut 2/3 to you for 1/3 seasoned to him. Then you can still use the landowner you have with little trouble. And still benifit in the end.

 

[cjcocn]

Maybe this would be better. Tell the fella in need you'd trade seasoned for green. If he doesn't want to put some effort in, heck with him. tell him you'll both go cut for you and you'll give him some seasoned. You're out only minimal. measure it out and cut 2/3 to you for 1/3 seasoned to him. Then you can still use the landowner you have with little trouble. And still benifit in the end.

I thought about doing this with my neighbor. He is a good guy who keeps to himself, but his wife is the one that figures everyone should give them freebies.

He has a truck and a chainsaw, but the truck is down right now (bad motor and trans and, even though he is a mechanic by trade, he is not sure it is worth fixing). I am considering taking him out to where I get my wood and putting him to work hauling firewood for himself. I would use my truck and trailer, but he would have to pay for fuel, oil, etc. I'm still thinking on ways that it could backfire on me, so haven't made up my mind yet.

 

[Vibes]

Tell them you don't sell, give, or lend wood. Get them the numbers of guys in your area who do.

Explain to them the neighbor situation and expect some ribbing at work. And rib right back.

 

[Dr. Hackemoff]

I dont know about all of you, but this seems to be the story of my life. I work hard all summer and through most of the winter, searching out the wood, making friends with landowners and logging crews. Bring them a pizza or two when I show up at a landing point for the loggers that have been working in the cold. Freeze in the winter, burn up in the summer. Wreck my back, ding up my truck, tear up my chain on a rock that I didnt see. One way or another, the woodpile grows due to my labor.
Then comes the fella that didnt. I see him fishing on the river when I pass over the bridge on the way to cut wood. I hear them barbecuing up the hill in the evenings when I am stacking wood. The cold sweeps down finally from the north and suddenly "what, I dont have any firewood, or not near enough!"
Neighbor, can you be kind enough to "lend" me some wood? You have such a big stack! What would a cord or so be to you?
Its an easy decision to me, and often reminds me of the fables that we read as kids. One worker toiled away in the summer while the others played, then they wanted to share the spoils of the harvest when the winter came by.
To me, its the same as those morons that want to call for wood, and want it delivered within an hour or so. Why? Because they are entirely out of wood, and didnt notice until right this minute that the just used the last stick on the pile. They want to be placed at the top of my schedule ahead of customers that called the day before because they are having an emergency.
I like a sign that hangs in a local repair shop. "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine"
For me, I would tell them just turn up the thermostat on their furnace, and if they really want some wood, come cut with me this weekend. I will give them well seasoned firewood in exchange for the wood that they cut this weekend. I have told everyone of my neighbors this when they cast an envious eye on my woodpile, and had only one neighbor take me up on the offer. He turned in one cord of very wet white oak, I gave him in return one cord of 2 year old white oak that had been stacked in my shed. That in my opinion is the only way to help and teach a lesson at the same time.
Sorry that this was so long, but it sure hit a sore spot with me.
My neighbors try and borrow anything they can get their hands on around here, and it sure gets on my nerves. Co workers arent any better.

Ditto ditto ditto

I tell my peers all year to get going on their firewood. They know my kids and I spend Saturdays hauling it piece by piece out of a 90 degree grove full of mosquitoes. And then, bam, in the middle of January, they pop in and ask for some "since I have SO much" (but I'm never more than a few cords extra into the next year). It's like they think someone just showed up with a big free load of seasoned split firewood and stacked it neatly in my shed, but they really know the truth.

Sorry, but that burns (so to speak) me, when these people have the same amount of time and resources that I do, but choose to go to the lake or wherever on their days off. My usual response is to tell them that I'll sell it to them in exchange for enough $$ to buy an equivalent amount of propane (which is running $1.80 or more these days). They immediately look at their shoes and walk away - only to have the gall to try it again later.

I still give a cord or two away every year, to people who don't have the means to gather it or money to buy it. But if you do, get off your arse!

Thanks for listening - I feel better.

 

[avalancher]

Now that I am done ranting in my last post, I will clarify a little better, and I hope to dispel the thought that I am just an unfeeling ole coot.
I have and will give wood to folks that need the help. People that are old and unable, people that get caught in a jamb(had some friends one time that had their furnace go out, parts and repairs were going to take 6 days, had a fireplace but had never built a fire in their life. I ran two pickup loads over late at night, told them to help themselves to my woodpile if that didnt last them)
But the my whole point on this matter is this. I cut wood for myself and my family. My wife and I spend a signicant amount of our freetime scouting and cutting wood, and in all honesty I feel that it is WRONG to ask someone for something that you could have got yourself, but were too busy playing, partying, or just flat out didnt take care of yourself when you could.
That is one thing about firewood. You cant blame it on a fuel gauge that wasnt working, you couldnt find any(at least where I live), or any other reason. The size of your stack is plenty enough warning that you need to get busy.

 

[Vibes]

I have a similar situation. I have some freinds who I used to hunt deer with. I haven't really seen them for several years. There dad, who used to hunt with us also, inherited some property a 1/4 mile from me.

There are 2 big dead standing oaks about 200 ft from the road. I spend 2 hrs making a path that made it so I could get my 2wd pick-up near the trees. I drop the one tree and son #2 shows up and says he'll give me a hand and he'll take some wood. He says he would have cut those trees allready, but he didn't have a big enough saw. Now he didn't bring his not big enough saw and cut what he could. He helped me roll a couple big peices and thats about it. He loads his truck with the prime blocks and takes off, leaving me with the really big stuff and the really small stuff. I couldn't get the other tree because it got to muddy. I ended up with a little more than a cord after son #2 came and took another load.

This is where it gets really good. Son#1 shows up around the holidays and decides to help himself to my woodpile. He tells my wife that he is taking some wood and my wife just lets him because she knows I got wood from his dad and thats about it. I ended up with a little over a half cord. Son #1 ends up with a full load of seasoned split wood that wasn't even the wood that I got from his dad. I'm waiting for the sons to ask me when I'm waiting for them to ask me when I'm going in there to cut up that other tree.

The thing that really smokes me is, son #2 acts like he can't afford a good saw. Meanwhile, his son is on about 3 sports teams and goes to fall baseball tournaments and allstar leagues and all that jazz. From what I'm told, the kids an allright player, but its not like he'll ever go pro, and he's not smart enough for college. This guy buys a new deer rifle everytime the latest and greatest comes out. Same with his pick-ups.

Son #1 is a real POS. Always at the Vets club because its a cheap place to drink. He rarely goes to the regular bars unless he thinks the poker machine is going to hit. He goes to Vegas, even though he lost his house.

I told the dad I was pissed he was in full agreement with me. He told me he wouldn't tell them when I went up for the other tree. I don't know if I'll even go back in because I don't want to deal with those 2 a holes.

What would you do?

Oh yea I forgot the part about sinking a 6'' pipe and putting a chain across the trail that that I made.

 

[SpiralAcacia]

Avalancher

Your deal is more than fair !
You actually give away your "seasoning time", and that's generous, while not loosing anything.

+ you're not making the neighbour feel TOO much in your debt, which can cloud a neighbourly relationship sometimes. They toil for their firewood...

Good drill IMO!!

 

[avalancher]

I have a similar situation. I have some freinds who I used to hunt deer with. I haven't really seen them for several years. There dad, who used to hunt with us also, inherited some property a 1/4 mile from me.

There are 2 big dead standing oaks about 200 ft from the road. I spend 2 hrs making a path that made it so I could get my 2wd pick-up near the trees. I drop the one tree and son #2 shows up and says he'll give me a hand and he'll take some wood. He says he would have cut those trees allready, but he didn't have a big enough saw. Now he didn't bring his not big enough saw and cut what he could. He helped me roll a couple big peices and thats about it. He loads his truck with the prime blocks and takes off, leaving me with the really big stuff and the really small stuff. I couldn't get the other tree because it got to muddy. I ended up with a little more than a cord after son #2 came and took another load.

This is where it gets really good. Son#1 shows up around the holidays and decides to help himself to my woodpile. He tells my wife that he is taking some wood and my wife just lets him because she knows I got wood from his dad and thats about it. I ended up with a little over a half cord. Son #1 ends up with a full load of seasoned split wood that wasn't even the wood that I got from his dad. I'm waiting for the sons to ask me when I'm waiting for them to ask me when I'm going in there to cut up that other tree.

The thing that really smokes me is, son #2 acts like he can't afford a good saw. Meanwhile, his son is on about 3 sports teams and goes to fall baseball tournaments and allstar leagues and all that jazz. From what I'm told, the kids an allright player, but its not like he'll ever go pro, and he's not smart enough for college. This guy buys a new deer rifle everytime the latest and greatest comes out. Same with his pick-ups.

Son #1 is a real POS. Always at the Vets club because its a cheap place to drink. He rarely goes to the regular bars unless he thinks the poker machine is going to hit. He goes to Vegas, even though he lost his house.

I told the dad I was pissed he was in full agreement with me. He told me he wouldn't tell them when I went up for the other tree. I don't know if I'll even go back in because I don't want to deal with those 2 a holes.

What would you do?

Oh yea I forgot the part about sinking a 6'' pipe and putting a chain across the trail that that I made.

I think what I would do is this. Since you already got a chain across the path, back into your wood, drag the chain back across the path, and start cutting. Once you are dropped and loaded, ease back out to the road, reattach your chain and hustle on home. A few trips like that ought to secure your wood, and maybe you can come up with some way of securing up your woodpile. At the very least make sure your wife doesnt give anymore way.
Im lucky, my wife helps me cut wood, and is far more likely to shoot somebody taking wood than I am.
okay, okay, maybe neither of us would shoot anyone taking wood, but I would hate to be the one caught by my wife taking wood. She aint real big, but she can swing a 2x4 like you aint never seen.......

 

[cjk]

Update

The wood wasnt mentioned today. If it comes up again coworked #2 can buy it with 50% going to the landowner. I already gave coworker #1 a cord of oak that was a little soft for free, tree was a blowdown and laying for a while.

The landowner.

He was our neighbor who now lives with his daughter in another state. He is getting a little too old to be alone, wife passed a year ago. They rely on us to keep an eye on the place. No problem. When he was here our deal was I would cut all the wood he needed to heat his house for hunting rights to the property. We were both happy. He would call, and I would go up and put a load in the basement for him and visit for awhile. He has taught me a lot as only old farmers can. Like driving a tractor, planting potatoes with an old iron wheel deathtrap planter, "Dont ever put your foot there!!", digging them with an old iron wheel digger, how to make maple syrup, how to butcher pigs and a whole bunch of stuff i cant think of now. Wish I could have met him 20 years ago. So now I still cut up all the blow downs and dead stuff but only have to heat one small house. This is how I ended up with so much wood this year.

I appreciate all the advice. I can be generous if I think its deserved. We are having a REAL winter here for a change and some of the neighbors were not prepared for all the snow. So I just go and blow out there driveways with the tractor while Im out doing ours. One keeps offering me money but I dont want it. I figure what goes around, comes around and I feel good about doing it for them.

I never thought having too much wood could be a problem.

 

[spike60]

One other point that I would add is that these guys need to heat their garages, not their homes. Certainly not as much a priority is it? Plus, it's bad enough to have one guy needing some wood, but two of them?

Only the original poster knows the personalities involved, of both the guys needing wood, and the neighbor whose land it came from. So you need to weigh how pissed they will be if you say no, and how the landowner will feel about it. And I would say that the landowner's feelings should certainly take priority over the other guys, cause he's your wood source.

I like the suggestion that was made that you explain to your friends that you have an understanding with the landowner that he allows you to cut for personal use, not as a money making deal. They should understand that. And if they are going to have to pay for the wood, they might as well buy it from someone who is actually in the business and have it delivered.

 

[hydro2]

Sorry about their luck. They need to go buy a torpedo and some kero. I think you would be very foolish to give them any wood. They should be ashamed for asking. Tell them you feel the old man would disapprove. I own 337 acres and I would be very upset if somebody who I let cut wood on my land turned around and sold it. The wood they cut is for their use and their use only. I would not even approve of them giving it away. They are my friends, I gave them the wood, not to their co-workers. My two cents as a landowner.