jimdad07
Addicted to ArboristSite
Rope you and guys like you must have a set to do what you boys do up in those trees, always been impressed by the climbers.
What is a good way to get into selling firewood on a small scale?
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BPS. LLC
ArboristSite Operative
Bro I have no insurance and have to tough it out. I have for the last fifteen years I hope to never go under knife.
27 years plus of this and still doing it back and all
I'm sorry to hear that. My injury happened in 2007. When they (doctors) would look at my MRI, they could never figure out why I didn't have excruciating pain in my back and legs. They said it was a matter of time...well the time came. Legs are good, but I couldn't hardly turn and couldn't bend over at all. Thanks to some meds, I have been mobile today. I had to have a cervical (neck) fusion 2007 and wouldn't do it all over again if I had the choice.
You may hate me for saying this, but I am totally opposed to Obama's health care plan. However, hopefully there's a silver lining in it, that hard working guys like you can get affordable coverage to take care of yourself and your family.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
Hate , hell no I don't think I like it either or anything political. I have pain that's manageable and truthfully we all owe a death sometime I plan to live until I die. I only hope everything holds together five more years or so then the wife should be ok financially somewhat. It ain't about me bro but I have some job prospects though, may be distant year or two that will give us care and if I can still do the side gig. I hope they come to fruit but God has a plan I have just been trying to stay in it!
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Mechanic
ArboristSite Lurker
JimDad, here's how I did exactly that this year. I only got into it because a very bad storm came through our area back in early August, and left me with dozens of very large wild cherry down. If I don't cut them up, they'll dry rot away before I can use them all for heat.
So I went onto my local Craig's List, and placed an add for free. Here's the link to my ad: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/grd/2089742002.html. You can't believe how many people i have calling, and waiting for wood until I can get enough time off work to get more wood cut and split. Buy the way, I do all my splitting by hand using a Monster Maul and Super Splitter Axe, so I'm getting paid to exercise. Where else can you do that!!
So I went onto my local Craig's List, and placed an add for free. Here's the link to my ad: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/grd/2089742002.html. You can't believe how many people i have calling, and waiting for wood until I can get enough time off work to get more wood cut and split. Buy the way, I do all my splitting by hand using a Monster Maul and Super Splitter Axe, so I'm getting paid to exercise. Where else can you do that!!
jimdad07
Addicted to ArboristSite
Good to see that all of that cherry didn't go to waste. My problem is always do I want to mill it or cut into firewood? I got lucky this past week and found a place with high public exposure that wants to sell some of my live edge benches and whatever else I can crank out of my wood shop. I also got lucky with the 500 acre, no lie, swamp we hunt is getting logged off and the property owner told us we can go in and cut all of the tree tops and cull trees out of there that we want for our own use. Talk about a good week.
shelbythedog
ArboristSite Operative
I have experience processing log loads of firewood with my father, the end result each time was enough nearly free wood to last a heating season. Dad never figured the cost of owning a saw, splitter, land to process on, health insurance, or a truck into the mix because all of those things would exist whether any wood was sold.
Here is the breakdown of costs:
Log Load that yields around 53 facecords (1/3 cord): $1600 or $30/facecord
Mixed Hardwood Facecords can be sold around here for $50
It takes 20 facecords/year to heat their 2000 sq. ft. house, that leaves 33 facecords for sale.
33x$50=$1650 enough $ to cover the load.
Subtract $250 for chains, bar oil, mix, gasoline, and a few cases of beer and you're only $-200 on the deal. That means for the effort of processing the whole load the wood that is kept for personal heating has a cost of $10/facecord. Considerably less than buying Natural Gas, Propane, Pellets, or split wood @ $50/facecord from the other guy. To heat that same house with NG costs around $250/month from Nov-March, currently.
Posts like this on other threads have sparked a huge debate about how these figures are unrealistic because I didn't figure in depreciation on the equipment, or get paid a hourly rate for time invested etc., but the goal here isn't to make enough money to quit my day job, just offset the cost of heating a little and stick it to the man a little harder. Trust me, you will never get rich doing this, but it is easy to have nearly free heat selling a little wood on the side.
Here is the breakdown of costs:
Log Load that yields around 53 facecords (1/3 cord): $1600 or $30/facecord
Mixed Hardwood Facecords can be sold around here for $50
It takes 20 facecords/year to heat their 2000 sq. ft. house, that leaves 33 facecords for sale.
33x$50=$1650 enough $ to cover the load.
Subtract $250 for chains, bar oil, mix, gasoline, and a few cases of beer and you're only $-200 on the deal. That means for the effort of processing the whole load the wood that is kept for personal heating has a cost of $10/facecord. Considerably less than buying Natural Gas, Propane, Pellets, or split wood @ $50/facecord from the other guy. To heat that same house with NG costs around $250/month from Nov-March, currently.
Posts like this on other threads have sparked a huge debate about how these figures are unrealistic because I didn't figure in depreciation on the equipment, or get paid a hourly rate for time invested etc., but the goal here isn't to make enough money to quit my day job, just offset the cost of heating a little and stick it to the man a little harder. Trust me, you will never get rich doing this, but it is easy to have nearly free heat selling a little wood on the side.
sawinredneck
Addicted to ArboristSite
I think that's too much for the wood myself.
Last year was too wet to cut anything anywhere! We ended up getting a semi load of Oak. Everybody around here wants Oak, I don't know why, and it's hard to find it to cut around Wichita.
Full load cut and split, delivered and they helped unload, $1700, we sold it all for a total of $2940, $1,240 profit. But had to move it where it needed to be and stack it.
Now $1000 for mixed wood, uncut and unsplit, I don't think so! You don't get rich off of firewood, some years you do good to break even. This year I'm down in the back as well, I'm going to lose my butt. I didn't get enough cut in time, I can't seem to work much right now, and I'm not sure the weather is going to turn enough to have mattered anyway.
You can make some money at it, but it's work and you have to get the wood right.
Last year was too wet to cut anything anywhere! We ended up getting a semi load of Oak. Everybody around here wants Oak, I don't know why, and it's hard to find it to cut around Wichita.
Full load cut and split, delivered and they helped unload, $1700, we sold it all for a total of $2940, $1,240 profit. But had to move it where it needed to be and stack it.
Now $1000 for mixed wood, uncut and unsplit, I don't think so! You don't get rich off of firewood, some years you do good to break even. This year I'm down in the back as well, I'm going to lose my butt. I didn't get enough cut in time, I can't seem to work much right now, and I'm not sure the weather is going to turn enough to have mattered anyway.
You can make some money at it, but it's work and you have to get the wood right.
branchbuzzer
Undiagnosed
I guess I'm having a bit of trouble understanding why you're going to so much trouble to end up being in the red at the end. I understand about getting the almost free heat and all the other stuff, but couldn't you end up with about the same net cost by just processing your own 20 faces?
For example, there are lots of ways to obtain free or nearly so wood like govt. forest firewood permits, CL ads, friends with land, etc. Then you would be putting way less wear and tear on your saws/trucks/splitter and still have your wood, plus not having the hassle of making sales and all the aggravation that goes along with it for the same net cost. With the gazillion or so dead ash trees in MI, it shouldn't be extremely hard to find free wood. Eventually, the extra load on your equipment is going to cause something to have to be replaced ( a saw engine, a splitter hose, whatever ) and cost you extra money to continue.
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LOL, I like the selling aluminum cans and fire wood comparison. Thats what it amounts to for me too. I sell wood to friends & neighbors. $100 for a cord, or row, as I call em.
The way I have it stacked.I don't advertise or anything, just kinda started by word of mouth. I keep the wood under covered shed. They pick up also, I don't deliver. I can usually keep ahead enough for myself, usually 4-5 cord for the winter, and sell 7-9 cord.
The price for wood in this area is not good from a sellers point. About $150 is tops around here, delivered. I have sold 5 so far this winter, but then the cold weather is just starting. I suppose it helps pay for some of the expense of cutting & splitting, but its NOT a money making operation to be sure.
We have 26ac. of wood lot here, so I don't buy wood either. That helps. I sell mainly Oak & Ash, some Maple & Hickory at times too. With the EAB showing up here in the last year or so, a great deal of it is Ash. My sister lives up in CT. She says fire wood is Very Expensive up there. Most around $300. I guess it boils down to location, location, location.
Here is a pic of where I keep most of my split wood. Makes for pretty easy access to load out too.
Gregg,
Mechanic
ArboristSite Lurker
With all the gas wells going in here in southwestern PA, there's wood lying everywhere. Most of it is wild cherry, which while it isn't oak, it seasons quickly, and burns well, with a fairly high BTU output. I hope everyone in areas like this will take advantage of this supply of free wood.
Because of storms in August, I haven't even had to venture off my 16 acres to get three full cords, and I probably have another 5 full cords yet to cut. But its not nearly as easy as having a truck drop a load of logs at you feet.
I'm lucky our property in fairly flat, but working through blow-downs is time consuming, so I don't get nearly the yield many of you do.
And finally, I wish we could all stop referring to any volume of wood as a "face cord". Some of you have no idea the confusion that causes. I'll bet many of you didn't know that in Canada, its illegal to sell wood by anything other than a cord or a fraction thereof (1/2 cord, 1/4 cord, etc.)
Because of storms in August, I haven't even had to venture off my 16 acres to get three full cords, and I probably have another 5 full cords yet to cut. But its not nearly as easy as having a truck drop a load of logs at you feet.
I'm lucky our property in fairly flat, but working through blow-downs is time consuming, so I don't get nearly the yield many of you do.
And finally, I wish we could all stop referring to any volume of wood as a "face cord". Some of you have no idea the confusion that causes. I'll bet many of you didn't know that in Canada, its illegal to sell wood by anything other than a cord or a fraction thereof (1/2 cord, 1/4 cord, etc.)
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branchbuzzer
Undiagnosed
Think that's bad? The standard measurement in these parts is "a load". If you want more wood you get a "dump truck load".
doobie57z
ArboristSite Operative
A face cord is a common measurement here. Question #2 is " how long do you cut it?", or "what length? ". Seein' as most of our locals has gradiated grade school, they can cypher a 16" face cord is 1/3 of a full cord, 24" wood makes a half cord. After a lifetime of experience, I CAN DO THE MATH IN MY HEAD!!! Sorry if that's a stumper for some of you fella's...
Mechanic
ArboristSite Lurker
It's not a stumper for me, or for most of us that understand and cut wood. But I just had a young couple pick up a true "full cord", and after seeing how much it really was, they were ready to go after the guy that supplied them their last "cord". Seems he and I don't measure 4ft. x 4ft. x 8ft. the same way. Oh well, his loss. They told me they will only ever buy wood from me, as long as I can supply it.
If I want to sell by the cord, face cord, or pickup truck load it's nobody's business but me and the customer. As long as the customer knows what they are getting, are happy with it, and I'm happy with it doesn't matter to me what Big Brother thinks of the deal.
When my cell mate asks what I'm in for I can say "I sold firewood by the truck load"
When my cell mate asks what I'm in for I can say "I sold firewood by the truck load"
boutselis
Addicted to ArboristSite
Normally here in florida fire wood isn't really thought of that much. A fire on a cold night is very nice
But lately its a bit of a different story. Here in central florida most people have heat pumps. I won't get into how they work. They are very efficient for taking the chill out of the air but I don't think they were designed to work in cold weather for extented periods of time. In fact when it gets close to freezing some of them don't seem to work at all. The small electric back up has to kick in.
So those of us with fire places (which were nothing but a novelty before) are glad we have them. If I stoke it good and hot I can get most of the house close to 70 deg and 75 near the fire place when its 45 out side
$125 for a pick up truck load or some have $125 for a half cord but you don't really get a half cord.
So I take my wood from government property. I cut previously burnt oak from a large number of fires we had a few years back. Messy , sooty black bark from small dead live oaks. When I think of all the good fire wood that I brought to the land fill because I just didn't care about it.
Check out this ad for fire wood. Everyone is getting into the act now.
http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/grd/2112417278.html
None of this will help the OP with his original question. Just thought I'd type a little.
But lately its a bit of a different story. Here in central florida most people have heat pumps. I won't get into how they work. They are very efficient for taking the chill out of the air but I don't think they were designed to work in cold weather for extented periods of time. In fact when it gets close to freezing some of them don't seem to work at all. The small electric back up has to kick in.
So those of us with fire places (which were nothing but a novelty before) are glad we have them. If I stoke it good and hot I can get most of the house close to 70 deg and 75 near the fire place when its 45 out side
$125 for a pick up truck load or some have $125 for a half cord but you don't really get a half cord.
So I take my wood from government property. I cut previously burnt oak from a large number of fires we had a few years back. Messy , sooty black bark from small dead live oaks. When I think of all the good fire wood that I brought to the land fill because I just didn't care about it.
Check out this ad for fire wood. Everyone is getting into the act now.
http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/grd/2112417278.html
None of this will help the OP with his original question. Just thought I'd type a little.
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