Firewood profits?

[moneyman]

Does anyone sell firewood in the winter? If so, what is the going price for a rick/cord? I have a good place to cut dry wood. What is a good chainsaw for under $200?

[cjm2783]

there's no money in firewood, it's a big waste of time.. or at least down here. too much wood just laying around.

jm

[ba1m2x2]

Here in Maine they are selling a Cord of wood (4X4X8) for about $195 cut and split.
if you can process a cord for under that price then you will make money. Here's some food for thought.....the Price per gallon of heating oil is about 1.85 per gallon. A cord of wood has the heating equivlant of about 200 gallons of oil. You do the math. thats 370 for 200 gallons or you can pay 195 for wood. There is a market....you just need to figure out a way to cut it split it and deliver it for under 195 a cord...and that my friend will be your profit. The wood will sell itself based on the costs of the alternatives. As far as a chainsaw.....spend what ever you got to spend on one. of all the equipment you will buy...it will pay you back more times over than any other and it will pay you faster. They hardly burn any fuel and are real low maintenance. Best of luck with the firewood...the way the price of oil keeps climbing....firewood is getting more and more attractive in price.

[MASTERMOWER]

I used to sell about 60 cords of firewood per winter. I eventually ran out of good wood to cut, and nor do I have the time anymore. Back then I sold a rick for $70 and a cord for $130. That price included delivery and stacking. Generally the price has risen drastically over the past few years due to the cost of heating oil/ natural gas. In my market I couldnt charge as much as a larger market (Kansas City). The key to making money in firewood is becoming efficent at cutting, splitting, and delivering it.

First you have to have a good source of wood. Spending hours scouring the woods for a cord of wood is waste of time. Usually farmers love to have someone clear out the dead wood on their farm. Find a source with good 'dead density' wood. This means you'll mant a place with ample amounts of dead wood within close proximity. You can cut live trees, but you'll have to allow them to 'cure' (dry out). Dead wood usually is dry, but sometimes is will still contain some moisture. Supplying dry wood is important because when green (live) wood created more creosite when burned than cured wood. A chimeny with ample amounts of creosite could start a fire!!!!

Second youll have to find a fast way to split the wood. Some woods split easier than others. Oak is fairly easy whereas hackberry and elm seem nearly impossible. You can split with a log splitter, but splitting by hand is much faster. Beware though, splitting by hand places massive amounts of stress on your arms/ shoulders/ back! I would recommend using hand splitting on smaller logs and utilizing a log splitter on larger/ heavier logs. Oh, I forgot to mention log size. Fireplaces/ wood stoves are much smaller today than they where in the 1800's. I always would cut logs in 15-18" lengths. Some people will still prefer the ol standard of 24" though.

Thrid, delivery. Ive seen some firewood suppliers just pull into driveways and unload the firewood into a large pile. While I don't think this approach is very customer friendly, it does save a lot of time vs. stacking the wood! Stacking a cord alone may take an hour, if not more!

I can cut, split, and deliver a cord of wood in about 5 hours. So for the $130 gross profit, thats $26/ hour. If you live where it always snows, I'd recommend not cutting wood, remove snow instead. But if you have no other source of income in the winter months cutting wood is much better than sitting on your butt wondering how you'll pay the next months bills.

I have a Shindaiwa 488 chainsaw. It costs more than $200, but it will last well beyond the wal-mart specials you'll find for under $200. If you're strapped for cash then I'd recommend search ebay for a used 'respected-brand' chainsaw. (such as Stihl, Echo, Husquvarna, Shindaiwa, etc)

[Scaper-S2k]

You need to find a local supplier for the wood. I'm speaking of someone with a processor. You can't make too much money cutting yourself.

We sell hundreds of cords in just a few months a year.

[Shoal]

I don't know of a Good chain saw for under $200 I say that meaning a professional saw. now sear will sell a chain saw in that price but i won't take the day in and day out cutting a pro saw will. I own a Farm Boss by stilh but it was over $ 300. but it is a very dependable saw. that is one piece of equipment I dont buy used. I also wear cutting chaps. cant be too careful with the chain saws. In the bay area Cal. where I used to live a Cord of wood would go for almost $300. Good luck on the saw.

[Team Gopher]

Great post MASTERMOWER! Very insightful.