Buying logs/standing timber for firewood

B.D.Wolff Enterprises

Hey guys i have some more questions for the pros. This summer i plan to buy some trees from a local farm who had a bad wind storm come through and blow down 100-200 trees. I was wondering how i should go about buying them from him. By the cord? By the load? Or should i offer a flat rate? I was leaning more towards the flat rate. As far as tree quality goes a lot of red oak with some other hardwood mixed in, so not alot of junk. I sell mixed wood for $170 per cord and $200 all oak. I plan to try and sell 60 cord this summer which would be doubling how much i sold last summer. Also how do you guys advertise your wood? I was thinking about getting a hundred or so yard signs made up to try and get my name out. I will be keeping 90% of my customers from last year so i dont think i will have a problem reaching my goal. Let me know what you guys think.

Therrin

I can't advise you on purchasing it... that can be a rat's nest. You might be able to go by weight, and if there's a landfill near by you can use their drive-on scale.

I advertise my firewood by word of mouth and craigslist/pennysaver.

Where I live, if you put out a sign, then you have to have different permits and such to sell stuff off of your property. It's a hassle. No sign, and they leave you alone.

For the most part word of mouth is the winner... Occasional business through online advertising usually filled in the gaps pretty nicely.

B.D.Wolff Enterprises

Thanks
I was thinking about signs in customers yards and in my families yards. I didnt want to put anything near my house (where my wood is). I guess I had better check out the local laws before I go throwing my phone number around the county. I believe a lot of the wood is down in pastures, but it could very well be a rats nest but at the same time going in and cleaning up after loggers can be messy too. Do you know what you would pay per cord for wood you had to go and get? Around here $40-50 per cord delivered in log lengths is standard. But i was hoping for around $15-20.

Therrin

Actually purchasing as leftovers, or purchasing as firewood?

I own a tree service, so all of the wood I get is from trees that I dismantle or work on.
I'm of the opinion that running a firewood selling business is WAY too much work for me to go around harvesting timber from places other than a current jobsite that I'm working on.

I won't be selling any this coming winter, because I've moved and my current location won't support that kind of operation, but last winter I was selling..

Soft woods:
1/2 cord delivered within 8 miles, $80

Mixed hard and soft:
1/2 cord delivered within 8 miles, $120

All hard wood:
1/2 cord delivered within 8 miles, $160

Since my Toyota Tacoma with sidewalls could only hold a half cord, that's the increments I worked in. At my operation site I had a 4'x4'x4' box with a half-open front on it that I'd load wood into to measure out half cords.

Price of wood for sale varies greatly depending on the location, availability, and competition. So whereas my rates were somewhat median to my area, they might seem absurd or cheap in other areas.

Eric Frei

Somewhere I had a doc and data about tossed vs stacked.

Do note for the quick and untidy method that when tossed the volume needs to be approximately 50% more.... ie; 3/4 cord tossed is 1/2 cord stacked.... another example, 1.5 cords tossed is 1 cord stacked.

Source:- http://web.utk.edu/~mtaylo29/pages/T...0firewood.html

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Therrin

I stack it when I measure...because it's usually coming right out of splitting or cutting production.

When I deliver though it's tossed off. If they want it stacked they're gonna pay $$$ nicely for it. It's just too much back breaking otherwise.
I certainly wouldnt stack it at their location for free. That's about a losing proposition there.

B.D.Wolff Enterprises

I have a bucket for my skid steer that has sides welded on it. So if i stack a bucket i get a 1/4 of cord on each bucket. So if i load the bucket 4 times then i get a cord. I make deliveries with my dump trailer. it can haul a cord as is but i think i will be putting sides on it so i can haul 2 cord. When i get home from school in May i will post some pictures of my stuff.

Therrin,
I dont cut down enough trees to supply the amount of firewood i need to sell. So i typically buy logs and have them delivered. But this year i am going to try to buy some standing and downed timber for a lot cheaper.

Therrin

Cool! I hope it works out well for ya!

Let us know how it goes, post pictures if you can get them.

Bruce Hopf

We had our Bush here on the Farm Logged Last Year, in January, of 2008, and I cut up a Fair Bit of Fire Wood to sell, What I did, was make up a few Flyer's, and put a Few of them out. I did get a couple of Fairly Decent orders out of it. 1 was 16 Face (1' x 4' x 8') Cords, 1 was 20 (1' x 4' x 8') Cords. and the other was 12 Face (1' x 4' x 8') Cords. That was all the Wood I had Cut for Last Winter's Burning. Hopefully, I'll have Double of that for this Winter's Burning. The 20 Face Cord, was by Word of Mouth. Bruce.

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2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10
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Gunslinger

How much wood is a typical face cord? Is it 1/3 of a cord or 16" X 4' X 8'?

B.D.Wolff Enterprises

I think that a typical face cord would be 16"*8'*4'. But it should technically be 24''*8'*4'... People get ripped off quite a bit be shorter lengths.

Bruce Hopf

Long time ago, Fire Wood was cut into 12" Lengths for Cook Stoves, Later on we had Air Tight Stoves, and they could take Longer length Blocks of Fire Wood than the Cook Stove.
Back then, the Full Cord, same as today, measures 4' wide x 4' high x 8' long. It took 4 Face Cords, at that time was called a Face Cord, or 1/4 Cord to make up the Full Cord, for the Cook Stoves.
Since the Air Tight Stoves were made, they could easily Handel 16" Length Blocks, what is known as a 1/3 Cord, but in Today's Standards, is a Face Cord, and it takes 3 face Cords, to make up the Full Cord, measuring 4' wide x 4' high x 8' long.
Now there is getting a lot of Out Door Boilers around the Country Side, and they can take longer lengths of Blocks of Fire Wood. In a lot of cases, people cut their lengths 24" in length Blocks, and this would be a 1/2 Cord, and then it would take 2 Cords to make a Full Cord, at 4' wide x 4' high x 8' long.
One Full Cord measures 128 Square Feet to a Cord. With all these Measurements provided, nobody gets ripped off, that is if they can do the Math Properly, no mater what the Lengths the Fire Wood is. Bruce

__________________
McCulloch chain saws
1- Pro Mac 60, 1- Pro Mac 700, 2- Mac 10-10 Automatic's, 2- Mini Mac 30's, 2- Mac 110's,
2- Mini Mac 35's, 1- Mac 140 with Automatic Chain Sharpener,
1- Pro Mac 10-10, 1- Mac Cat, 2- Eager Beaver
2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10
Stihl chain saws
2- 044's, 2- 034's, 2- 024's, 1- 064, 1- 084,
Strunk chain saws
1- Busy Beaver, 1- SpeeDemon Special
Stand Back, I Have A Very Extreme Case of CAD (Chain Saw Addiction Disorder).

Therrin

Cubic feet Bruce, not square feet. We're measuring volume, not area.

Bruce Hopf

Therrin. Thanks. I got confused a bit about my Measurements. Bruce.

__________________
McCulloch chain saws
1- Pro Mac 60, 1- Pro Mac 700, 2- Mac 10-10 Automatic's, 2- Mini Mac 30's, 2- Mac 110's,
2- Mini Mac 35's, 1- Mac 140 with Automatic Chain Sharpener,
1- Pro Mac 10-10, 1- Mac Cat, 2- Eager Beaver
2.0's, 1- Mac 1-10
Stihl chain saws
2- 044's, 2- 034's, 2- 024's, 1- 064, 1- 084,
Strunk chain saws
1- Busy Beaver, 1- SpeeDemon Special
Stand Back, I Have A Very Extreme Case of CAD (Chain Saw Addiction Disorder).

Therrin

Sorry I couldnt resist