Bundled Firewood Business

[CRThomas]

Hi,

I live in Portland, OR.  I'm thinking of starting a small, part-time firewood bundling business so that my sons can earn some spending cash and save some money for college.

I think there's a pretty good market for bundled firewood among all the suburbanites that can't make their own firewood, but still occasionally use firewood in a fireplace, backyard fire pit, or for camping.

I was wondering if anyone has experience in how to develop a market for bundled firewood?

Thanks,
Roy

When it comes to selling bundled firewood area is more important. I keep busy on the north end of town but can't give it away on south end of town.

[CRThomas]

I am answering two questions in this note if your going to be part time Hudson makes a $500.00 wrapper fits on bumper work right out of the bed of your truck. Me and my wife are full time bundles. We make a very comfortable living. Bundled firewood is a year round business. I sell as much firewood in the summer as the winter. I sold bulk firewood stay tired all my equipment tore up now with only bundled firewood and profit not tired no equipment tore up. I pay 45 dollars for a truck load it makes 90 bundles at min. 2.50 a bundle I make 225.00 dollars of a p/u load my prices go from the 2.50 to 10.00 dollars a bundle

[CRThomas]

Hi,

I live in Portland, OR.  I'm thinking of starting a small, part-time firewood bundling business so that my sons can earn some spending cash and save some money for college.

I think there's a pretty good market for bundled firewood among all the suburbanites that can't make their own firewood, but still occasionally use firewood in a fireplace, backyard fire pit, or for camping.

I was wondering if anyone has experience in how to develop a market for bundled firewood?

Thanks,
Roy

hey fellows I need a little help on pricing. There is a fellow who puts loose firewood in a 3 x 3 rack and the gas stations sells it for $27.50 3 x 3 that's not even a half of a rank or Rick and people are emptying his racks every other day. I need info why when they can get a truck load for $45.00 When you get in the bundled firewood business you have to stay with change people see what your doing they cut your price and bad mouth you if you make one mistake with a customer they will go out of there way to bad mouth you

[beenthere]

I suspect they don't want a truck load, but only a trunk load in the car. And likely it is a man doing the shopping/buying and not the lady who will compute the price to the last penny. He wants some wood for a fire and it is available at the gas station where it is handy and 1/4th price of a tank of fuel in his car or truck.
Don't know for sure, but the thought I had when you asked (at least I think you asked...  ;D  ).

Now what was the question about pricing that you need help with?  ;)

[SwampDonkey]

People don't need a bad deal to bad mouth about someone. The neighbor here one time said the maple syrup tasted like wood smoke. Never used wood to boil it down. See what I mean? :D

[CRThomas]

If he took my advice, he went with the Twister firewood bundler that Chuck makes. Well over 40,000 bundles run through our Twister and not a single problem. Like it so much we are looking to buy a second one.

Hudson makes a good bundler I have 2 hand crank one was electric I toke the electric off and put a crank on it after you bundle your wood put it in you shed with a fan it dry good if you are bundling Ash that's all my customers want. Me and my wife done a world of testing now we make a great income off just bundle ash fire.

[CRThomas]

People don't need a bad deal to bad mouth about someone. The neighbor here one time said the maple syrup tasted like wood smoke. Never used wood to boil it down. See what I mean? :D

at the price and the distance were would his profit be. I could deliver that if I got all the mony but half noway I have alway done truck load or bundled  I don't truck load but small loads look but not to whole sale as you say might be be they only  have car I can haul about 20 of those 3 x 3 for 27.50 dollars and delivrer them some thing to think about

[CRThomas]

People don't need a bad deal to bad mouth about someone. The neighbor here one time said the maple syrup tasted like wood smoke. Never used wood to boil it down. See what I mean? :D

The person I was talking about has to travel over a 100 miles to deliver this wood so he has to be making a profit or he would have went broke a long time a go some thing to look in to I ownly have to drive 5 to 10 miles yrs something to look into

[Corley5]

  I've got a Twister and two bundle wood accounts.  The only reason I have those two is they each buy 20 face cord of firewood a year besides the bundles.  One is the local gas station/party store and the other is a rental cabin place on the West Branch of the Sturgeon.  They sell the bundles for use in the riverfront cabin fireplaces and heat their own house with the wood.  The store owner has a Central Boiler.  He likes his wood unsplit and green as possible  8) 8)    I've turned down other possible accounts.  Too much extra time and labor in bundling, delivering, and stacking the bundles.  The stretch wrap costs too.  I can make just as much profit with bulk wood processed directly into the trailer or truck and dumped at the clients site.  That's my experience  ;D

[beenthere]

CRT
Did you move to Southern IL recently? Any trouble moving ash firewood around to sell?

[CRThomas]

The county's I live in are Ash free is of now I sell in Mo. And all of Mo. Is not able to move Ash out of the state. My county I can move Ash any place in the United State till the worm gets here. I live in the middle of a big forestry they got it blocked so for. Reason I sell Ash bundle a bundle of Ash then bundle a bundle of Oak then weigh them. The thank of your self being 70 years old. You deliver it to the customer it's in there garage there fireplace is on the second floor. That's the reason I put three bundles at each fireplace.

[CRThomas]

I have lived in southern Illinois all my life. The government don't count southern il as part of the state they would like to give us away but nobody wants us. Most people burn wood in there stoves this part of the state they burn batterys take there spitter and cut tires in to 4 pieces and burn them.

[CRThomas]

John Mc,

The costs I estimated were all per kiln charge.  They included $50 for labor, $63 for fuel, $45 for power, and $82 for depreciation.  They add up to $240 in total cost per charge.  I then divided $240 by the 6 cords per charge to arrive at an estimated kiln drying cost for firewood of $40 per cord.

I tried to explain how I developed all the estimates, but maybe too much explanation made it more confusing!

I figured that out. The part I was commenting on was up in the middle of your post, you referred to some of these charges as being per cord, not per kiln charge (for example: "$75/cord of wood for fueling the heating system" and "I included a depreciation cost of $85/cord"). If those really were "per cord" charges, the cost of kiln drying would be higher than the selling price of a cord of seasoned hardwood around here.

I did not mean to sound critical. I think it's great that you went to the effort of figuring out these numbers and posting them. I understood what you meant after I did some figuring. Having these numbers is a great conversation starter for anyone thinking of getting in to kiln drying firewood.

Like you, I have no experience operating a kiln. However, I've often wondered if kiln-drying firewood would be "worth it" in my area.
___________________________

One assumption I would really like to hear feedback on from anyone with experience kiln-drying firewood:

You mentioned 120 hours to dry a charge of firewood. Does it really take 5 days for firewood, or can you speed things along since you are not concerned about warpage, checking, and all those other things you have to worry about when drying lumber? I don't know if it's possible, but if you could cut that time significantly that might change the equation a bit... both in cost per cord, and in overall through-put of a kiln.

John Mc

I am going to give you my figures on the way I dry my ASH. I sold my container and put NG furnace in my shop it will hold a cord of ready to wrap firewood to dry I cut my ASH befor the leave show up or after they fall off. With a little heat and a fan ASH fresh cut is only about 38 to 42 percent. I can pull it on down over night to 15 percent then I wrap it and put in storage to be delivered when needed. gas and light bill runs about $60.00 a month. Now my garage is heated and my hold house Gen set run on the NG not propane. That is a little over a 100 cord a year. My drying area in my shop is 10 ft by 20 ft. Remember I only do ASH bundle fire wood is for looks. After New Years all bulk fir wood sellers only have green wood to sell so they buy my bundles to get the stuff burning that some body told them was dry Bundling and sell firewood the way is a learning process. You sell a rank for $45.00 I sell the same amount for about $250.00. You sell almost the same amount year round Good Luck it won't let you down if work and learn.