Bundled Firewood Business

[rcanderson1968]

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

[Buck]

use the search engine and type in bundled firewood. There is a member doing very well in the Indy area.

[Piston]

Some great info on this thread

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=43450.0;all

By the way, how do you hyperlink a thread?  So if I wanted to make it so he could just click on the word "thread" rather than paste the whole link? 

[rcanderson1968]

Thanks for the info guys.  There really is a lot of good information on that thread.  By the way, I took the plunge and ordered a bundling machine today!

[Buck]

What kind did you order?

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

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.

[Buck]

Hope he has better luck with the purchase than me...I called to order and he never returned my call.  Took the wind right out of my sails, I was impressed on my first conversation with him and you also.

[rcanderson1968]

I ordered Twister's high speed quick load set up for 3/4 cubic foot.  It'll be delivered by the end of the week.  Ill try to post some photos after we get a few bundles through it.

[Kansas]

We bought a twister about a month ago. Electric model. We stockpile the pieces off the mill that we can't use, cut them to length, then toss them in a dumpster. We have a bay set up to put it in. Then when guys have time, or want a little overtime, they haul it over in the bucket of the skid steer and run it through. We also are attaching the handles to the bundles. I suppose we got half a dozen good sized pallets of it ready. I hope the wood can dry out in the bundles. This wood is the smaller stuff off the edgings of the mill.

[Buck]

Chuck does have a very well thought out and well built system.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Buck

That really suprises me that Chuck did not return your call.

Have never had a problem getting in touch with him and talk to him at least once a month and usually for 15 to 20 minutes. Wonder if something went wrong on his answering system and he failed to get your message. Would try giving him another call because it is definately not like him to call someone back.

Fred

[rcanderson1968]

Hi Everyone,

Check my photo gallery:

clickhere

I uploaded a picture of the first 20 firewood bundles produced on my Twister Industries bundling machine!

Roy

[SwampDonkey]

Some great info on this thread

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=43450.0;all

By the way, how do you hyperlink a thread?  So if I wanted to make it so he could just click on the word "thread" rather than paste the whole link? 

Code Select Expand

[url=https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=43450.0;all]Click Here[/url]

Click Here

[D4ster]

I thought you folks may find some benifit in reading a article that was contained in the July 2011 Sawmill & Woodlot titled "Why, How and Where is the Money" regading the kilning of firewood.  The author is Niels Jorgensen of Kiln-Direct.  He is not pushing his product line, but offers the "brass tacks" with regard to the profitability of selling bundled firewood that is Heat Treated; hence, not subject to quarantine issues.  I think the whole edition is for sale online for something like $3.00.  My reasoning for placing this info here is that, in terms of what I have seen in the last few years, the regulation will only get worse and the folks who adapt to the changing landscape of moving a commodity like firewood may be well served as time moves forward.

Cheers-
D4Ster

[beenthere]

What is the cost of heat treating a cord of firewood?

[gunman63]

when i was looking at a kiln, i couldnt  get any real direct answers,  depends on  gas or wood heat, outdoor temp, so many varibles they said, as near as i could  find out from my  figureing, its 25-40 bucks a cord. hope  someone  that  does this  would answer.

[allagashwoods]

Beenthere,heat treating firewood is different than drying wood down to 15-20% moisture,the amount of energy to heat treat is far less,almost half.The kiln dried market becoming so popular has opened the doors to quite a few people trying to cash in.I have seen in the last year some really poor quality kiln dried wood out there.Like every thing else that seems to be a money maker,they want the money without the effort.My advice to any one that wants to start selling kiln dried wood is start with a quality product.But be forewarned,it's very costly to do it right.I doubled my estimate of costs in building my kiln. After talking to the experts I said no way it could cost that much,but it did.In my opinion the firewood market is a tough way to make a living,your overhead is to high,everything wears out very quickly and the return on your investment is quite low.Going the kiln dried route changes your profit margins to the point of the business really becoming viable.You start making 800 to 1000 dollars a cord and you will never sell wood any other way.Long winded yes,but if you want to make a six figure income and distance yourself from the pack of everyday firewood guys go this route,you won't be sorry.
                                                               Len

[beenthere]

You start making 800 to 1000 dollars a cord and you will never sell wood any other way

That prolly is true, but getting a profit of $800 - $1000 a cord may be a real problem.
However, if it could happen, might be the way to go ;)

[SwampDonkey]

That may sound attractive, but there is a lot more processing, handling and bundling. You also have to be in the right neighborhood to make it work and have a good camp ground market. In my area it wouldn't work at all, no camp grounds to speak of (only three in the whole county, no fires aloud in a couple) and you don't see anyone buying bundled firewood. At one time the province had a lot of picnic areas and rest areas until they decided it was too costly to maintain with the local trouble makers busting up tables and out houses. That would have created a market, but often times good things end when people don't appreciate it. ;)

[allagashwoods]

Hi, The 800-1000 dollar per cord is gross profit netting out at about 60% depending on your overhead.I live in an area close to NYC and the target buyers  are condo owners.A lot of high end customers that we pay the money in exchange for a good product and more importantly, fantastic service.

[zopi]

If you can sell it, it is still better than delivering and stacking by the cord....

[rcanderson1968]

I briefly looked into kiln drying firewood. 

A big advantage is that a firewood manufacturer can dry 4 to 7 cords in 3 to 5 days depending on species and initial moisture content.  Those figures were provided by the vendor I talked to.  I didn't crunch any numbers, but I'm sure for a larger scale firewood producer that's a whole lot better than waiting months or a whole year for cords and cords of firewood to season.  The other advantage that's already been mentioned is that laws are becoming more restrictive about how far firewood can be shipped if its not heat treated or kiln dried.

The reason I stopped thinking about kiln drying was the vendor gave me a quote of about $40,000 for a system (including all equipment, installation and setup, and freight) so basically a turnkey cost.  I'm just getting started in the firewood business, so I am no where close to being ready to make that kind of investment.  Still, the day might come where a dry kiln is what's needed in order to be more than just a "hobby" firewood business.

[CRThomas]

Hi rcanderson1968,

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,I sell bundled firewood only I do very well but that is all I is bundled firewood
Roy

[CRThomas]

I briefly looked into kiln drying firewood.  

A big advantage is that a firewood manufacturer can dry 4 to 7 cords in 3 to 5 days depending on species and initial moisture content.  Those figures were provided by the vendor I talked to.  I didn't crunch any numbers, but I'm sure for a larger scale firewood producer that's a whole lot better than waiting months or a whole year for cords and cords of firewood to season.  The other advantage that's already been mentioned is that laws are becoming more restrictive about how far firewood can be shipped if its not heat treated or kiln dried.

The reason I stopped thinking about kiln drying was the vendor gave me a quote of about $40,000 for a system (including all equipment, installation and setup, and freight) so basically a turnkey cost.  

I'm just getting started in the firewood business, so I am no where close to being ready to make that kind of
investment.  Still, the day might come where a dry kiln is what's needed in order to be more than just a
"hobby" firewood business.

I got a 20 ft container and built one for under $4000.00 dollars

[Ianab]

There is a local market for that bundled wood sold at the gas station etc.

What the local guys guys do is buy offcuts from one of the big wood processing companies. They run an "Optimiser" which takes low grade, but kiln dried, boards and runs them though a computerised chop saw and throw out all the knotty pieces. Then glues the board back together again to make a much more valuable "clear" paint grade board. So they end up with skip bins full of knotty boards, all neatly cut into 6-12" lengths, all kiln dried, ready to be stuffed into a plastic bag and sold.

It's all pine, but that's the common firewood in these parts anyway, and burns with a nice cheery fire, even if it doesn't last as long as a denser hardwood. That fast cheerful fire is what the bundled firewood buyers are looking for.

Ian