just curious how many cords of firewood people sold and have left to do this season. i did 30 cut/split. about 20 more give or take to go. im in western MA
200 hundred face cords processed and delivered since August 10th with 105 face cords on the books. I'm about tired of firewood for the season :-\
been doing about 20-30 full cords a week for most of the summer, probably a little over 200 cords now, have enough order's to keep me busy for the next two to three weeks but still have calls trickling in, every one is asking for seasoned and my only sales pitch is its air dried from conveyer to delivery. :D
200 face cords or real cords...?? makes a big difference.
He said 200 face cords. Ed
Quote from: M_S_S on September 01, 2014, 10:13:52 PM
He said 200 face cords. Ed
Corley5 did say that.
But the other two posts didn't, nor did the subject title. Without saying, have to assume full cords.
Quotebeen doing about 20-30 full cords a week for most of the summer, probably a little over 200 cords now,
full cords
I'm at around 260 full cords with 15 or so outstanding. And I haven't heard from the "first frost" customers yet - those who don't think about ordering firewood until some cold weather shows up. I'm in southern VT.
I've loaded and delivered two full cords. I know, I know... big deal right? :D
Hey, a man has to start somewhere :)
-lee
Like Lee, I'm in nc, so firewood sales are very last minute. I have people call and say" I've only got a day's worth of wood left". I have sold 5 dump truck loads this summer, which is rare for me and have 16 cords ready.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/33082/IMG_20140829_194836234%7E0.jpg)
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around 150 full cord so far
yikes!! you guys wear me out just reading this :D :D
243 face cord and 80 on the books. I'm sick of it too and I hired someone to help. (Part timer young kid) and I've raised my price twice. It's just to much to do after logging all day for another crew.
I picked up a 30, 5, 16, and another guy added to 10 to his already 10 cord order. There's over 150 on the rolls again. All figures are 16" face cords ;) ;D I really just want to log now ;D
220 face cord since may about 25 left to go :)
Had a call for another 10 face cord this afternoon.
about 800 cords. Another 300 to go
I finally got a call yesterday from a customer wanting to buy two cords next weekend. :)
I haul 5-10 full wheeler loads of tree length fire each week to 2-4 dealers! They are always out! These are 9cd loads!
We are in central lower Michigan and have sold 3000 face cords so far with another 800 face cords ordered. It's a small part of our operation so we're not really setup for the demand that is going on now. In 35 yrs I have never seen this much activity for firewood, every producer has raised their prices and it doesn't seem to matter. Some of the 8 ft firewood producers are booked through April of next year.
Just curious what going on in other places and what prices are. Prices here are $60 for face cords delivered, and $90 to $100 for full cords delivered. These are average prices with local deliveries, after 25 miles there is usually additional delivery fees. This is prices for green wood, seasoned will bring more this winter.
Mike Cook
Around $200 for a cord. Seem like 180-220 is the going rate,that is delivered and a full cord. No face cords around here. Face cords are kinda like grits here,most have never seen either. ;D
It is a great year for wood sales, last year there were 12 firewood adds in the local advertiser paper. Today there is only 1 add, no one has to advertise this year. A hard winter made the difference and that doesn't happen every year.
We're getting to the point that no one wants to answer the phone anymore, we don't know what to tell them for exact time of delivery. When they ask for seasoned wood we tell them that all the wood we have cut right now is sold and that the wood more any new orders is most likely still growing.
Should be an interesting winter.
Mike Cook
We have done 150-175 so far, our big push starts when the state releases money for heating assistance, then we wont stop for about 1 month. Had a new guy trained to just cut wood but he realized it involved actual work, and he couldnt screw off so he bailed. Ive got a healthy pile of seasoned firewood cut from last summer-fall, and another 200 cord from january to now waiting in reserve.
I had a young guy running the firewood machine for a while but had to let him go. He was too slow. He was good at it but his production #s just weren't there. He had one speed, slow and steady and wouldn't/couldn't step it up. He wasn't breaking anything except my wallet ::)
I've got a 120 face cords back on the books again. I was hoping it would slow down but it's still steady.
I see $300 to 350 for dry, full cord. :o
i will total 55 cord after the next 2 weeks of delivering. i get $220-$260 delivered in my 85 gmc 1 ton.
i am not quiter sure what exactly a face cord is. is that just 8 ft long 1 row stacked up so many feet high?
A face cord is 8ft long, 4 ft high, 16 inches wide. About 43 cubic ft, stacked up the face of the pile is 32 square ft, that's where the term face cord comes from.
Mike Cook
Mike
It can be any length wood and be a face cord 4' high by 8' long or have a measured 32 sqft of "face".
If as you say, it is 16" wood, then it is a third of a full cord. But if 12" wood, it is 1/4, and if 24" wood, it is 1/2 a cord. ;)
In Michigan, Mike's definition of a face cord is correct. It may not be recognized as a "legal" measure but it's entirely accepted. The State Of Michigan Dept. of Human Services buys wood by just that definition for heating assistance. Most people don't know that a "real" cord is 4'X4'X8' not 4'X8X16".
BeenThere
Your right that a face cord of 16 in. wood is a third of a pulp cord, however if you take an average full cord of pulpwood and cut it up 16 in. and stack it you will only average around 2.5 face cords. In order to get 3 face cords out of a full cord the wood needs to be log size. I've often wondered how you know how much 16 in. wood is in a pulp cord when you sell it. Do you cut up a pulp cord and sell what it yields or do you sell 3 face cords and call that a pulp cord.
Just curious
Mike Cook
I live in Southern Maryland, I've sold 11.5 full cords so far for the earlier birds. I'm estimating another 15 full cords before the season hits. My prices range per full cord from $150 (SoMd area) to $200 depending on distance to other areas. I know it's not much but I operate a single blade hydraulic splitter and it puts food on the table above my full time job. I can't wait to upgrade to a bigger splitter to increase my sells.
Firemedic
Welcome to the forum
We just raised our price from $55 to $60 per face cord delivered within 25 miles.
If you have seasoned wood this winter you could get $70 to $75 per face cord, we are in central lower MI prices are better down state.
Good to hear of your operation, I've always encourage guys with ambition to cut and sell firewood.
With a little effort of cutting in your spare time a person can cut 100-150 face cords a year and sell it as seasoned wood in winter. Makes a nice extra income for a family, plus it's a good workout without health club dues.
Good luck
Mike Cook
I've been at $75 for a few weeks and 80 face cord behind still.
Firewoodjoe
Is your wood seasoned and is that price delivered?
Mike Cook
How many of us guys are still at it?
I'm still at it!
I've done 340 full cords so far this year with about 25 left to do, most of those are waiting on customers to tell me they're ready for their deliveries.
I'm still selling. Thirteen cords to campers and campgrounds this summer, a bunch of self serve rack sales that I wont ad up to see how many cords they come to till the end of the year. The calls from the winter heating wood people are starting. Gunning for 50 cords sold by Jan.
Well, its a steady rain here, that's okay with me we need it, so today I'm delivering two full cords to a good customer that ordered it a few days ago. This is why I love having a firewood business, to wet to log but I still have plenty to do. Getting some machine maintenance done this morning while the rains pretty heavy then delivering after lunch. That makes about 15 cords plus all the rack sales for me. No complaints here.
Well, here we are weeks later and I know I'm still at it although I'm going to run low on dry wood soon. Good sales week last week, for me any ways. I sold four $25 racks, two pickup loads and two cords. So far this week i have sold two pickup loads and have an order for a cord to be delivered Sat.
Building the customer base, that's what its all about. Got an order today that was a referral from another good customer. I text the guy that made a referral and told him thanks and $10 off his next cord. I must be easy to keep happy,,,,,but this is fun. Always has been. 8)
96 full cords delivered so far this year. Most of my regular customers are all set. I think I've got 6-8 more processor cords due, and 20ish more cords of the bigger wood that won't fit the processor. The big stuff is split 20-22in for bigger, ugly (like me) stoves ;D
I'm at about 25-30
Full cords down from previous years but the first frost hit this morning it will pick up fast hardwood prices are are about 70-80 a face cord in northeast Wisconsin
What is the length of the wood in those face cords? just curious..
I got very lucky and bought 4 tri axle loads of cherry poles. They were in the wood yard of a guy that moved away back in May. They have been stacked and sitting in the sun all summer. I started splitting some yesterday and they are pretty dry. Noticed how light the rounds were right off. I'm splitting and stacking as fast as I can. I'm hoping I can sell this stuff by mid Nov. and that's a good thing because I'm already running low on dry wood. I pulled my ads weeks ago and the phone is still ringing from word of mouth customers.
I don't know who I'm kidding cause I cant keep up with the equipment i have but at the same time I hate to spend money right now. But I realize I got to. I'm not usually so reluctant about dept but things are a little worrisome these days.
If you're at capacity and selling all the wood you can produce, that's certainly not a bad thing. I think your wise to be cautious about making an investment because there's an old saying; "growth eats cash". You can always make a move when the numbers are right and a good deal comes along and you feel more comfortable with it. Better than a quick decision just because people are calling. :)
Keep crackin and stackin the best you can. Make serious decisions on equipment and things in the off season where you aren't feeling the pressure.
I'm taking a day off from logging today to get some wood split and stacked. Its hard to understand selling firewood but I got no calls at all for about ten days. Then all of a sudden I sold 4 cords in 5 days. Feast or famine I guess. I'll take it as it comes and as for now I better get busy. Love staying home for an easy day cracken and stacking.
I just bought the firewood biz about three weeks ago, and most of the customers were already stocked up, but I've still sold 8 cords from the new business, three from my own land, have orders for three more, plus trading a couple for some mechanical work on my Honda. Have about 24 cords worth of logs I'm working on right now, and another truck load coming soon. Plugging along.
Cord 122 rolled out of the yard Monday. I have a few more on order, but most of my list is DONE
How do you manage the operation so your list even approaches "done"? Especially this early in the season. The firewood guys who come in my store for supplies complain that their lists just keep getting longer. lol
I do know one person who does a fixed amount of wood every year, and when he's done, he's done. And he likes his "done" to happen by Thanksgiving before real winter weather sets in. Doesn't want to be running wood in the snow and single digit temps all winter long.
spike60, I have a core customer base that I've been slowly training/herding ;D towards getting next years wood either a year early OR just early in the year for a while now. Every year I loose 1 or 2 and gain 2 or 3.
I could add more customers, the extra $ would be nice, but I'd loose more me time and add more stress. I don't have a bunch of me time anyway, and I've got more than enough stress, so when we get around 125ish cords, the regulars are taken care of, and I need to add multiple layers on a Sunday am, then the end is near!
I plow snow and sand roads for the town I live in, so we take most of winter off, but try and start as early in spring as we can.
I do stress about getting orders done too. I worry about getting logs some years, or if the processor breaks. I figure that where I'm at, if something goes wrong I can still find away to take care of my people, and in the end that's pretty important to me.
Yeah, I get it. My friend Jimmy's operation is set up much the same way. Like you, most of his customers are regulars. And they appreciate having their wood early, and that it will be dry come winter.
And since he limits himself to "X" amount of wood he avoids the other end of the wood business that seems to drive a lot of my customers nuts. The "one cord at a time-I'm almost out-how soon can you be here" dance so many guys do all winter long. I'm really surprised that more people don't run their operations like you and Jimmy do.
Thanks Spike60!
We had my sons annual Bday bonfire party last night (he is turning 12) so I was pretty whooped this am. Got 1 cord done before the rain came, I'm not interested in catching a cold this early in the year, so time for some indoor chores...and a nap
That's plenty enough to get done post-party. :)
Regarding the other discussion, a lot of firewood guys around me bring the anxiety on themselves. In many cases they are doing a lot of other things during the year. Excavating, landscaping and such. So, Fall comes and now they are ready to do firewood. The commitments they've made, and the ever closing window to keep them make a smooth operation impossible.
Yeah that kinda describes me Spike60. I have a bad habit of taking on more than I can handle in the time given. I'm working hard to learn to just tell people "nope, cant do it, or cant do it that quick."
Seems every forester is in a hurry to get every cut done. I've started reminding them that I signed a one year contract and I'll complete the cut with in that time and I don't want to be rushed. Land owners sign a year long contract and then want the job done in a month.
As for the firewood deliveries I dont stress to much over that. First come first served and I always manage to get the wood there pretty quick. The folks who wait till they are down to the last stick before they call are a pain in the rear but their failing to plan doesn't get a whole lot of sympathy from me.
Quote from: Spike60 on November 12, 2022, 07:29:19 AM
How do you manage the operation so your list even approaches "done"? Especially this early in the season. The firewood guys who come in my store for supplies complain that their lists just keep getting longer. lol
I do know one person who does a fixed amount of wood every year, and when he's done, he's done. And he likes his "done" to happen by Thanksgiving before real winter weather sets in. Doesn't want to be running wood in the snow and single digit temps all winter long.
We are similar. We buy x trucks of logs in the fall, cut and split over the winter, then start making calls to last year's customers in May. We deliver over the summer, and when the pile of splits is gone we order more logs. Some customers don't want their wood in May so we will put them on a call back list for June, July or August if they want. If we callback and they still don't schedule a delivery, we move on. I also put an ad up for new customers in May, and it stays up till the last wood is sold.
We don't maintain any wood "on hold" for anyone. You want wood, you agree to a delivery time within two weeks. Otherwise, you take your chances.
When we get down to just a bit more wood than we have scheduled to deliver, the ad comes down and we say sorry to anyone else who calls. We have an arrangement with one customer who always takes our last 3-5 cords, however much there is. She buys 3 years ahead, so the exact amount doesn't matter. Makes it a lot easier to manage selling it all without selling more than there actually is.
Last year we were sold out at the end of September,this year it was early November, but this year we took a few weeks off in August / September for family time.
Most of our customers are trained, but there are always a few that call after we are done. We just say sorry, and offer to call them in May for the next winter's supply. Most learn. :)
That's a real good way to have it set up Eddy. If you let customers set the parameters it's just chaos. I suppose that much of this can be excused in the case of new customers that don't really know the drill. But it's amazing how many people don't learn and will do the same last minute scramble every year. In this day and age where people hit a button on their phone and expect the Prime truck to show up in a few hours it's hard for them to grasp the fact that things like firewood are best planned/purchased ahead of time.
So there is three firewood guys in my sales area with larger operations than mine. I watch their prices close and keep mine about the same. Two of them recently increased to $100 a face cord or $300 a cord picked up at the wood yard and a fee for delivery if you want it. Ive no idea what the delivery fee is.
I'm waiting till after the first of the year to raise my price per cord also. I'm currently still where they were at $250 a cord delivered.
$300 a cord seems steep to me, for this area, but if they can get it maybe I can as well. There is plenty of customers and good demand for wood so why try to undercut anybody? Seems smarter to just raise with them. But I'm not charging a delivery fee unless I have to go over $25 miles.
Hope this isn't to much of an increase to quick. We'll see.
In the mean time I'm still selling and it looks like I did meet my sales goal for the year. Next year I still want to do more. Its raining cats and dogs here so I'm going to go check out a timber piece I'm told is mostly low grade and firewood poles. I'm already thinking about camp fire wood. May will be here soon.
I'd go up in a heartbeat.
Well, I'm not happy about this and I'm a little disappointed in myself but I have come to realize a full time or even mostly full time firewood business is not for me. And I'm glad I never bought that commercial splitter. I'm not enjoying it like I thought I would. I like cutting firewood, like to split and stack, just love the work of making firewood. One of my favorite things to do.
But since I made a big increase in how much I'm trying to sell I found out that dealing with a half dozen regular customers is one thing. Dealing with lots of them is another thing altogether. The people drive me nuts. I won't get into all the reasons. All you guys delivering wood already know.
So, I'm keeping a few of my old customers I've had for years, and certainly keeping my self serve racks, frankly they are the easiest to manage and make the most money per cord sold any way, but I'm not going to keep the delivery end going. Ill still have to cut about 6 cord a year for myself, 5 for my daughter and about 10 or 12 for the racks and and maybe 8 more for old customers. So around 30 cord a year but that's it. To all you guys running a delivery based firewood business I don't know how you do it and may you have the blessing's of patience and tolerance cause good grief you'll need it.
So far this year, I sold about a dozen cords between Jan 1 and the end of the heating season. Ran out before people stopped asking.
Then I had a big mess sorting out the log supply and trucking for a few months but in June finally got logs flowing again, and have sold about 45 cords or so since then, plus a few hundred bundles to my local campground and the local store. Sitting on about 20 cords worth of logs that I'm picking through now to get next year's inventory stacked up. And have paid up at the pole yard for another 30 cords worth of logs.
I'm hoping to hit around 100 cords or so next year, I think I can handle that along with my other jobs. That will make the payment on the machines and put a little extra in my checking account.
I guess I've been lucky with the customers, so far no one has been too annoying and when you show up with a dump truck full of firewood, people are happy to see you... lol
One older lady hired me to stack hers, and another older couple gave me a $50 tip on a five cord order.
Then again, all my customers are rural people, not city or suburbs. Maybe that helps...
I have no more seasoned wood to sell and I just took my third call of the day from people wanting a cord. Hate running out of wood. Bad for business. I can't keep letting this happen. Gotta make more wood and gotta do it faster. ffcheesy
BCC, how'd you make out scaling the operation back to the level where it was comfortable for you like you posted back in Nov.? I enjoy doing wood like you do, although never did it in a commercial sense. Have helped some older folks for nothing. One was a close older buddy who passed last Fall. We had some great times. Last couple years I did all his wood as he was slowing down. He ran the lever on the splitter and stacked, but I did everything else. Never wanted to deal with firewood customers. Had enough of the public with the store. And as I posted earlier, my customers that sold wood told me all I needed to know about that. ffcheesy
Either way, the work itself is both fun and healthy. Just don't want it to get to the point where folks take the fun out of it. So I'm wondering how you made out with that.