# Bundled Firewood



## Maplekid (Sep 30, 2009)

Does anyone sell bundled wood. I want to start and start small. A few hundred bundles a year max. How do you hold it together? I was thinking 1/2" poly strapping. I can get all the tools and material for 1000 bundles for under $150.


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## willis09r (Sep 30, 2009)

I know a guy who sold bundled wood and he stuck his firewood business 
card right in the center of it. Thinking if they ever were bright enough 
to just buy more at once they would call him.

I thought that was an excellent idea!


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## Curlycherry1 (Oct 1, 2009)

As part of a business school project I studied the bundle business a little bit and I did some interviewing of 3 suppliers. Their #1 complaint was that someone was always willing to undercut them. It is a commodity business with razor thin margins.

I would say it is better to stick with regular firewood business. As for the cards get business cards that are stickers and tell people to stick it to the wall of their garage where about 1/3 to 1/2 the height of the pile of wood is. That way when they see the card place a new order before their old stuff runs out.


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## Iron Mike (Oct 1, 2009)

I started a bundle business years ago as a side to my sawmill to get rid of slabwood and edgings. The sawmill is gonebut my boys still sell bundles to a couple of places, a campground and a gas station. They sell 1500 to 1700 every year. In the beggining I made a cradle to hold the wood and used the 4 inch wide stretch wrap on a stick from Menards and a baling twine handle. Then I bought a bundle wrapper from Mountain Valley mfg ( which I think is out of business.) That is a lot faster and makes a nice bundle, but is in no way needed for the volume they do now. They tried bags for a while last year, but at 40 cents each it was not cost effective to me, and the sales at the mini mart seemed to suffer because the city folks did not plainly see what was in the bag. It is the only way to sell crap wood like basswood, box elder, cootonwood and popple here, and for 450 a cord it is way better than bulk sales for a couple of young kids to make nice money.


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## skidsteer.ca (Oct 1, 2009)

Most I see here are wrapped in stretch wrap with a flyer from the producer clearly visable through the wrap. They make a machine to hold the wood , then it spins the wrap around it to secure the bundle.
Ken


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## Maplekid (Oct 1, 2009)

Iron Mike said:


> I started a bundle business years ago as a side to my sawmill to get rid of slabwood and edgings. The sawmill is gonebut my boys still sell bundles to a couple of places, a campground and a gas station. They sell 1500 to 1700 every year. In the beggining I made a cradle to hold the wood and used the 4 inch wide stretch wrap on a stick from Menards and a baling twine handle. Then I bought a bundle wrapper from Mountain Valley mfg ( which I think is out of business.) That is a lot faster and makes a nice bundle, but is in no way needed for the volume they do now. They tried bags for a while last year, but at 40 cents each it was not cost effective to me, and the sales at the mini mart seemed to suffer because the city folks did not plainly see what was in the bag. It is the only way to sell crap wood like basswood, box elder, cootonwood and popple here, and for 450 a cord it is way better than bulk sales for a couple of young kids to make nice money.



I would probably be doing it with my brother and the rerurn is higher than just cordwood that is why I want to do it. Would 1/2" poly strapping work?


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## MNGuns (Oct 1, 2009)

O looked into the bundle business, then looked away. Instead I chose to compete against it. I sell a half face cord of small split oak like what you would bundle for $60 delivered local. My target customer is the home owner that doesn't want to get reamed buying wood by the bundle, but does not need a full cord hogging up the garage. Business has been brisk. Comes out to $360 a cord. There are a lot of firewood vendors selling "quarter" split wood for $200 a cord delivered here, but that is far more than the average patio burner needs. Find your niche.


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## Maplekid (Oct 12, 2009)

I sell face cords and 1/2 face cords but there are a few places close to me that don't sell bundles yet and I want to tap into that market. I am thinking about building a hand crank bundle wrapper. I showed my dad pix of the ones johns welding sells and he said he could make one with mostly scrap steel we already have. If someone has a home made one or one from johns welding can they please post dome good pictures of it. Thanks


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## tomtrees58 (Oct 12, 2009)

just remember the new law no moving more then 50 miles from where it cut big fines long horn tom treesopcorn:


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 12, 2009)

> just remember the new law no moving more then 50 miles from where it cut big fines



Not for Massachusetts yet.

The only restriction I know of in New England is you can't take wood out of the Asian Longhorn Beetle containment zone around Worcester, MA. without the USDA blessing. 

They were shipping the chips from trees taken down to a wood burning plant about 15 miles away, until the neighbors their complained about the possibility of an ALB infestation...so now they ship them to Maine to burn 

All that said, I suspect we're only a few years away from restrictions like New York state. There's an increasing drum beat about not bringing your own firewood camping, etc.


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## tomtrees58 (Oct 12, 2009)

Dalmatian90 said:


> Not for Massachusetts yet.
> 
> The only restriction I know of in New England is you can't take wood out of the Asian Longhorn Beetle containment zone around Worcester, MA. without the USDA blessing.
> 
> ...



i would check they come to are yard to look at the wood all the time tom trees


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## Maplekid (Oct 13, 2009)

I've heard of the beetle but not the law. My wood all comes from my town and the towns next to me. 50 miles is a long way for fire wood to travel. If anyone has a wood bundler can they please post pix of it espeially if it is home made or from johns welding. Thanks maplekid


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## proto (Oct 19, 2009)

that how i have found an easy and cheap way to make some bundle of slab wood. 
just take few empty 5 gallons of plastic, cut it at 9-10 inch deep, put some nails to fix it on the rack. I use some 2 inch roll of hand wrapper. first, wrap a side and after flip all the bundles to the other side. 
It goes fast and let my money in my pocket.
I have try some box which flip to put the wood in bags, too slow, and you have to pay (and stock) some empty bags. And for the wrapping machine, electric or gas, 2000$.....................
I am, like most of the users of the forum, week-end firewood producer, go simple.


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## Steve NW WI (Oct 19, 2009)

proto said:


> that how i have found an easy and cheap way to make some bundle of slab wood.
> just take few empty 5 gallons of plastic, cut it at 9-10 inch deep, put some nails to fix it on the rack. I use some 2 inch roll of hand wrapper. first, wrap a side and after flip all the bundles to the other side.
> It goes fast and let my money in my pocket.
> I have try some box which flip to put the wood in bags, too slow, and you have to pay (and stock) some empty bags. And for the wrapping machine, electric or gas, 2000$.....................
> I am, like most of the users of the forum, week-end firewood producer, go simple.



Very nice setup there proto!


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## woodbooga (Oct 20, 2009)

Dalmatian90 said:


> The only restriction I know of in New England is you can't take wood out of the Asian Longhorn Beetle containment zone around Worcester, MA. without the USDA blessing.



No wood can come up from Mass. NH was going gangbusters over Memorial Day weekend trying to get the word out to tourists and second home owners. Birch is our state tree and foiliage season without the maples wouldn't be the same in our lakes and mountains.

I don't bundle, but sell by the wheelbarrow load plus kindle and some old newspaper to folks with camps up the road from me. They actually prefer white pine over hardwood since it catches quicker.

Asian longhorn=bad for trees, good for business.


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