# Tips on burning unseasoned wood



## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 2, 2018)

Wanted to come up with a info "article" for customers that waited to the last minute for firewood.

Let's say all you have is wood from trees logged this summer and processed a day or two ago.

What are some ways to get it to burn ok?

Before I get an earful, the customers are well aware of what they are buying. We sell seasoned wood as well.
Some end up burning through their already seasoned wood and have to dig into next years, or some didn't want to pay for seasoned wood.


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## CentaurG2 (Nov 2, 2018)

Split it small and bring in pieces and keep them near (think safe here) the stove to help dry them out. Stacking wood where it gets the most sun and wind will also help. If you are stacking under cover (shed/garage) and don’t mind the electricity cost, put a floor fan on the wood to help dry it out.


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## cumminstinkerer (Nov 2, 2018)

I second @CentaurG2 a kerosene/diesel torpedo heater pointed at the stack a safe distance away for a day if in a shed or garage will lower MC by about 20%, I have personally tested that theory.


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## homemade (Nov 2, 2018)

Guy by us that runs a firewood business built a kiln for drying all his wood. Also kills any bugs, allowing him to transport longer distances. It takes heat from his owb.


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## Marshy (Nov 2, 2018)

Best advice you could give them is buy 50:50 wet and seasoned wood and mix it. That's smart business for you and the best of a non-idea situation. As afr as making an article idk, you'll have to do a little more research, it's all subjective.


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## MountainHigh (Nov 2, 2018)

Best advice for anyone running a CAT stove thinking of burning wet wood is - JUST DON'T!

For anyone else, with a normal EPA stove or older fire breather, as mentioned above, split it small, well after startup mix some wet with the dry, and always keep a* VERY close eye on Creosote in the chimney* when burning any wet wood.


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## bowtechmadman (Nov 2, 2018)

Turn the thermostat up for the gas/oil furnace.


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## Firewood Daddy (Nov 2, 2018)

Time to buy some biobricks and wait for next year for using the the wet wood. Wet wood is more
Work to keep going than it’s worth. Plus it won’t produce much heat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Nick Kent (Nov 2, 2018)

Don’t. Plan ahead, and buy your wood for the following year. No such thing as too dry imo


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## cantoo (Nov 2, 2018)

Closed room and a dehumidifier?


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## Mustang71 (Nov 2, 2018)

I cut some green apple wood to smoke a Turkey breast. A bit off topic but I threw it on the smoker for a while to dry it out, maybe 4 hours, and these were small chunks. It worked great that day and burned nice. I threw the rest of the "dried wood" in a bucket and a few weeks later it was moldy. So beware even if it looks dry and burns it could still have a high moisture content.


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## sawjunky23 (Nov 2, 2018)

I think if they Just don’t want to pay for the seasoned wood, they would only do it one year, as stated above, it’s just not worth it any way you slice it. It’s a huge PITA. I’d run off the gas furnace and wait a year or open up their wallet an pay the money.


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## 4seasons (Nov 2, 2018)

My stove is an old non-stop, no cat wood/coal unit so what I am saying only applies to this type of setup.

I have ran out of seasoned wood before in the middle of a hard winter. When I was down to a face cord of seasoned oak, I also had a cord of ash that was cut that fall, several cords of oak, hickory, and a little bit of dead standing elm and pine that was cut in the spring and summer. 
As I was burning the last of the seasoned wood I stacked the 3 months old ash near the stove to help dry it. Every time I loaded the stove I would mix in a stick of ash from the stack with my seasoned wood. As the winter continued I also brought in some dead standing pine and elm to dry next to the stove with the ash. I cleaned the chimney every 2 to 4 weeks as my seasoned wood ran out and I used more indoor dried wood. By the end of the season I was burning only dead standing wood and ash that was dried indoors for 3 days minimum.

Once I got a warm couple of days that I could let the fire go out I pulled the stove pipe out to clean it. It is a 6 inch pipe 24 inches long. It had a solid 1 inch build-up of creosote inside that got thicker as it reached the chimney. I only had a 3 inch clear path in a 6 inch pipe even with burning dead standing and ash mixed in with seasoned wood. 

Now feel free to flame me for the fire hazard I created. But I did survive the winter even though I ran out of seasoned wood in January. But remember that even all the precautions I took, I still created a big fire hazard and only my 30+ years of wood heat experience allowed me to judge just how much I could open the damper without causing a chimney fire. I do not recommend any one try this nor was I comfortable with doing it.


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## sawjunky23 (Nov 2, 2018)

4seasons said:


> My stove is an old non-stop, no cat wood/coal unit so what I am saying only applies to this type of setup.
> 
> I have ran out of seasoned wood before in the middle of a hard winter. When I was down to a face cord of seasoned oak, I also had a cord of ash that was cut that fall, several cords of oak, hickory, and a little bit of dead standing elm and pine that was cut in the spring and summer.
> As I was burning the last of the seasoned wood I stacked the 3 months old ash near the stove to help dry it. Every time I loaded the stove I would mix in a stick of ash from the stack with my seasoned wood. As the winter continued I also brought in some dead standing pine and elm to dry next to the stove with the ash. I cleaned the chimney every 2 to 4 weeks as my seasoned wood ran out and I used more indoor dried wood. By the end of the season I was burning only dead standing wood and ash that was dried indoors for 3 days minimum.
> ...


Well said. What little a guy saves on the difference in wood could cost a lot more if it causes a fire.


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## sawjunky23 (Nov 2, 2018)

ChoppyChoppy said:


> Wanted to come up with a info "article" for customers that waited to the last minute for firewood.
> 
> Let's say all you have is wood from trees logged this summer and processed a day or two ago.
> 
> ...


I have never bought a single stick of firewood so please enlighten me as to the cost. What’s a cord of seasoned wood go for and what’s a cord of green go for?


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## Ryan'smilling (Nov 3, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> I have never bought a single stick of firewood so please enlighten me as to the cost. What’s a cord of seasoned wood go for and what’s a cord of green go for?



It varies greatly by region. Around here you'll see hardwood for $70-150+ a face cord, sometimes with delivery on top of that. Cords for $200-350. If you've got seasoned oak to sell you can price it right at the top of that range. Softwood goes for much less.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 4, 2018)

Firewood Daddy said:


> Time to buy some biobricks and wait for next year for using the the wet wood. Wet wood is more
> Work to keep going than it’s worth. Plus it won’t produce much heat.
> Those don't exist here.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MAD MARK (Nov 4, 2018)

Your local BBS Lowes/Home Depot/Tractor Supply or even fireplace store should have something comparable.


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## 066blaster (Nov 4, 2018)

So what you're saying is you want to sell them unseasoned wood... when my seasoned wood is gone i am done selling. unless you're the only firewood provider in the area, tell them to buy some seasoned elsewhere. I just don't see any reason to try to instruct someone how to burn unseasoned wood if they can acquire seasoned wood somewhere else.


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## DSW (Nov 4, 2018)

Completely disagree.

As long as a guy is upfront that it's green I don't see the problem. He even mentioned he personally sells seasoned wood. If someone wants to save a buck or wait til the last minute, as plenty will, that's their problem. He makes a living off of it as well. Will the bank wait a year to collect the mortgage when the wood has dried?

I HATE green wood. These people bring it on themselves with poor planning.


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## 066blaster (Nov 4, 2018)

DSW said:


> Completely disagree.
> 
> As long as a guy is upfront that it's green I don't see the problem. He even mentioned he personally sells seasoned wood. If someone wants to save a buck or wait til the last minute, as plenty will, that's their problem. He makes a living off of it as well. Will the bank wait a year to collect the mortgage when the wood has dried?
> 
> I HATE green wood. These people bring it on themselves with poor planning.


how is it poor planning if the guy still has seasoned wood that he could sell to them. 
I can see offering unseasoned ,but to somehow instruct them how to burn the unseasoned wood. I don't see the point of it.


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## DSW (Nov 4, 2018)

My understanding is the people are choosing not to buy the seasoned wood. Poor planning is the fact you can get it green cheaper in the year(usually) and season it yourself and not worry about the extra money or the extra cresote.

I don't agree with trying to pass off green wood as burnable if you do etc....as that just ain't the case.


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## Mustang71 (Nov 5, 2018)

How much cheaper is green wood? You still have to cut it and split it before you sell it. If you know its green and you can't burn it this year then what's the advantage to buying it. 

If someone wants to buy green wood and knows its green then sell it to them. That's their problem.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 5, 2018)

$100 less a cord. $275 vs $375.

Seasoned wood is a limited supply, I sold out a few months ago.

I've been moving 15-20 cords a week for the last couple months and working on ways to double that.


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## lknchoppers (Nov 5, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> I have never bought a single stick of firewood so please enlighten me as to the cost. What’s a cord of seasoned wood go for and what’s a cord of green go for?



My seasoned firewood and green firewood costs the same, same amount of work for me, they want green, show me the Green !!!...lol


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## Mustang71 (Nov 5, 2018)

That's what in saying it's the same amount of work so if you sell the green for cheaper you aren't making money you are just selling wood.


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## DSW (Nov 5, 2018)

That really depends on your process, your space, and how much wood you sell, etc...

Proper dried wood requires handling.

Green wood, worked up with equipment, wouldn't have to be touched.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 5, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> That's what in saying it's the same amount of work so if you sell the green for cheaper you aren't making money you are just selling wood.



Not sure how it'd be the same amount of work?

Logs, processor, truck

Logs, processor, vented FIBC bags, 6+ months, truck.


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## cantoo (Nov 5, 2018)

Right now we are selling ash that was just cut down a month ago and split that weekend. I split it smaller and it just drops off the conveyor. We hand load it onto the conveyor and it drops into the trailer for delivery. We are selling it for the same price and tell people it was just cut ( it's ash so it's fairly dry anyway) and split. Because they weren't smart enough to buy my seasoned wood early then they will have to do the extra handling themselves and set it by the stove or whatever, their problem not mine. I will keep cutting and splitting and selling until the weather gets nasty and then just the selling stops until next year. Any green I sell now is just "extra or early " money at this point. Last year I had some wood under cover but I never charged extra for all that extra work, this year I said to heck with it and just sell it as is.


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## capetrees (Nov 5, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> That's what in saying it's the same amount of work so if you sell the green for cheaper you aren't making money you are just selling wood.


Sounds like the actual price of a cord of wood is $275 (seasoned or not considering it's the same amount of time to cut and split) and then if it's seasoned and the consumer wants it now, having forgotten to plan ahead, they have to pay $100 more.

Pretty simple.


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## Lowhog (Nov 5, 2018)

Marshy said:


> Best advice you could give them is buy 50:50 wet and seasoned wood and mix it. That's smart business for you and the best of a non-idea situation. As afr as making an article idk, you'll have to do a little more research, it's all subjective.


Yup I mixed it up in the past when I was running low on seasoned wood. 50/50 green and seasoned.


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## Mustang71 (Nov 5, 2018)

ChoppyChoppy said:


> Not sure how it'd be the same amount of work?
> 
> Logs, processor, truck
> 
> Logs, processor, vented FIBC bags, 6+ months, truck.



Well I'm not sure how cutting it now and selling it vs cutting it now and selling it next fall aren't the same amount of work. Any wood bought around here is seasoned by sitting and drying. And if you can get green wood cut and split for a lot less then you are a moron to pay for dried wood buy it a year in advance and save money. I have never heard of anyone selling green fire wood. If there were a market for green unburnable fire wood everyone would sell it and dried wood would be a premium. Cut it sell it and money in the pocket in the same week.


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## sawjunky23 (Nov 5, 2018)

Ryan'smilling said:


> It varies greatly by region. Around here you'll see hardwood for $70-150+ a face cord, sometimes with delivery on top of that. Cords for $200-350. If you've got seasoned oak to sell you can price it right at the top of that range. Softwood goes for much less.


At those prices, if you had to buy your wood, I don't know why you would heat with wood, with the current price, I beleive you could easily heat cheaper with LP, or fuel oil, without a doubt with Natural.


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## Flint Mitch (Nov 5, 2018)

There is a guy around here that will deliver a face cord of very nicely seasoned and split well mixed hardwood for $55. Mostly ash and oak with some hard maple from what I've seen, nice guy too! 

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


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## Ryan'smilling (Nov 5, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> At those prices, if you had to buy your wood, I don't know why you would heat with wood, with the current price, I beleive you could easily heat cheaper with LP, or fuel oil, without a doubt with Natural.



I've sold several face cords for $150 delivered this fall. It surprised me too, to be honest. I posted it on craigslist figuring I'd see what happened and sure enough, people want it. It is premium wood, white oak, split nicely and seasoned 22 months now. That said, I don't think a single one of those buyers is earnestly using it for heat. Fireplaces, inserts, and patio use seem to be the plan, though in my opinion, there's better wood than oak for an open fire.


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## Mustang71 (Nov 5, 2018)

It must be a good market too if you can get 375 for a cord of wood. Around here a face cord is 75 so 225 for a cord of dried hard wood. A lot of people deliver for free if you buy 2 face cord.


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## sawjunky23 (Nov 5, 2018)

Ryan'smilling said:


> I've sold several face cords for $150 delivered this fall. It surprised me too, to be honest. I posted it on craigslist figuring I'd see what happened and sure enough, people want it. It is premium wood, white oak, split nicely and seasoned 22 months now. That said, I don't think a single one of those buyers is earnestly using it for heat. Fireplaces, inserts, and patio use seem to be the plan, though in my opinion, there's better wood than oak for an open fire.


I agree, soft maple is a favorite for outdoor pits, nice bright flames and readily available.


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## 066blaster (Nov 5, 2018)

who knows, maybe if you stack a face cord of wood that was cut a few months ago in the same room as your woodstove it would be dry enough to burn good in a couple months. Maybe only a month,, I suppose it would depend on species and if the tree was dead when it was cut. It might stink the house up though.


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## Ryan'smilling (Nov 5, 2018)

066blaster said:


> who knows, maybe if you stack a face cord of wood that was cut a few months ago in the same room as your woodstove it would be dry enough to burn good in a couple months. Maybe only a month,, I suppose it would depend on species and if the tree was dead when it was cut. It might stink the house up though.



I have a friend who does pretty much exactly that. Buys a dozen cords of oak logs every couple years. Cuts and splits several times throughout the winter and builds a pile outside the window closest to the stove. He's got a big rack next to the stove that holds probably a face cord. It's not like he thinks it's the best way to do things, but he does manage to stay warm for the most part. They homestead without a lot of income and he seems to struggle with health issues a lot. That reminds me, I should call up there and go help with wood one of these weeks.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 6, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> Well I'm not sure how cutting it now and selling it vs cutting it now and selling it next fall aren't the same amount of work. Any wood bought around here is seasoned by sitting and drying. And if you can get green wood cut and split for a lot less then you are a moron to pay for dried wood buy it a year in advance and save money. I have never heard of anyone selling green fire wood. If there were a market for green unburnable fire wood everyone would sell it and dried wood would be a premium. Cut it sell it and money in the pocket in the same week.



I just explained it. Extra handling/processes.

No commercial vendor sells seasoned wood here aside from campfire bundles.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 6, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> At those prices, if you had to buy your wood, I don't know why you would heat with wood, with the current price, I beleive you could easily heat cheaper with LP, or fuel oil, without a doubt with Natural.



Wood is much cheaper.

A cord f birch is about 170 gals hho. At 3/gal t hats about $500.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 6, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> It must be a good market too if you can get 375 for a cord of wood. Around here a face cord is 75 so 225 for a cord of dried hard wood. A lot of people deliver for free if you buy 2 face cord.



It's winter 6+ months.


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## lknchoppers (Nov 6, 2018)

ChoppyChoppy said:


> Not sure how it'd be the same amount of work?
> 
> Logs, processor, truck
> 
> Logs, processor, vented FIBC bags, 6+ months, truck.



For me to sell green wood I go over to my piles that have been split for next year and load it, I do not have time to split anything at the moment. I'm a one man operation doing this nights and weekends, with that kind of restriction on my time I load one evening 2 cords then deliver the next evening and then repeat. When the weekend comes, I load up and head out, unload, dump, stack and head back, by 4pm I'm back cracking a beer hopefully or working on something that needs maintenance or is broken. I sell a little less firewood this way but I have no people to pay, to wait on, get hurt, don't show up, etc. I keep it simple. When I retire and can go more fulltime things may change. We have entirely two different operations where yours is much bigger.


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## lknchoppers (Nov 6, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> It must be a good market too if you can get 375 for a cord of wood. Around here a face cord is 75 so 225 for a cord of dried hard wood. A lot of people deliver for free if you buy 2 face cord.



I'm surprised the prices in NY on firewood are so low really. I do know where people depend on firewood for heat the prices are lower, the people that want it for looks and atmosphere the prices are much higher especially in an urban area. All markets are a bit different as you look around the country, if you are in an area where you can get a premium for your firewood the more power to you. I see ads on craigslist here that advertise a full cord of seasoned firewood from $100 to $400, that spread is just crazy, I also see a guy selling a half a face cord stacked for $150. I advertise $300/cord & $175/half cord and it's a challenge keeping up with the demand. 60%-75% are repeat customers every year, it varies a little bit because sometimes people get a cord and it lasts two years or they just go by price and get burned and come back the next year. I just continue to do what I do, business as usual, treat people as good as I can and always try to make things right within reason if a problem occurs.


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## Sandhill Crane (Nov 6, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> If someone wants to buy green wood and knows its green then sell it to them. That's their problem.



Some people don't know any better. So I try to explain the difference, and possible hazards of burning green wood. When they say that's okay, I'll take a cord of green (because I'm sold out of seasoned). My reply is that I don't sell green wood. I'm the seller, it's my choice.

Tips on burning green wood. Guess I don't have any, because the person that burns it may be putting others in danger as well as him/her self, and others may not realize how that choice effects them. 

Call me a pessimist, but say your kid is babysitting for some clown burning green wood and there is a chimney fire that gets out of control. Now it effects you directly...

What's the quote? Your lack of planning is not my emergency. Doesn't sound right, but close.


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## lknchoppers (Nov 6, 2018)

ChoppyChoppy, you may want to reconsider actually putting pen to paper with tips on burning green firewood. Seems like a liability with an accident waiting to happen that may tie responsibility to you.


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## Jakers (Nov 6, 2018)

Sandhill Crane said:


> Some people don't know any better. So I try to explain the difference, and possible hazards of burning green wood. When they say that's okay, I'll take a cord of green (because I'm sold out of seasoned). My reply is that I don't sell green wood. I'm the seller, it's my choice.
> 
> Tips on burning green wood. Guess I don't have any, because the person that burns it may be putting others in danger as well as him/her self, and others may not realize how that choice effects them.
> 
> ...


"A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine"

at least that's how I grew up hearing it


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## Mustang71 (Nov 6, 2018)

lknchoppers said:


> I'm surprised the prices in NY on firewood are so low really. I do know where people depend on firewood for heat the prices are lower, the people that want it for looks and atmosphere the prices are much higher especially in an urban area. All markets are a bit different as you look around the country, if you are in an area where you can get a premium for your firewood the more power to you. I see ads on craigslist here that advertise a full cord of seasoned firewood from $100 to $400, that spread is just crazy, I also see a guy selling a half a face cord stacked for $150. I advertise $300/cord & $175/half cord and it's a challenge keeping up with the demand. 60%-75% are repeat customers every year, it varies a little bit because sometimes people get a cord and it lasts two years or they just go by price and get burned and come back the next year. I just continue to do what I do, business as usual, treat people as good as I can and always try to make things right within reason if a problem occurs.



That's y I'm having a hard time believing that it's worth it to sell green wood for a discount. If you can make money at 75 a face cord for seasoned then idk how you would make money selling it for 55 a face cord green. These fire wood places around here cut it stack it and let it sit there no extra cost in the drying process. I dont sell wood but I do cut it for my own use and at 75 dollars a face cord there's probably not a ton of money to be made. And a lot of people want pretty wood so half the stuff I cut and burn would be garbage.


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## Ryan'smilling (Nov 6, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> That's y I'm having a hard time believing that it's worth it to sell green wood for a discount. If you can make money at 75 a face cord for seasoned then idk how you would make money selling it for 55 a face cord green. These fire wood places around here cut it stack it and let it sit there no extra cost in the drying process. I dont sell wood but I do cut it for my own use and at 75 dollars a face cord there's probably not a ton of money to be made. And a lot of people want pretty wood so half the stuff I cut and burn would be garbage.




Green wood could go from the splitter onto a conveyor, into a dump truck. Subtracting the stacking and waiting from the process might work for some guys.


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## JeffHK454 (Nov 6, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> At those prices, if you had to buy your wood, I don't know why you would heat with wood, with the current price, I beleive you could easily heat cheaper with LP, or fuel oil, without a doubt with Natural.


My exact thoughts...I don’t get why anybody would pay $350+ a cord and still have to hassle with wood , on a bad month my Ng furnace would cost me half that! 

In my book the only way burning is feasible is if the wood is free and my “costs” are time, gas and the depreciation on the machinery I’m using to process the wood.


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## sawjunky23 (Nov 6, 2018)

JeffHK454 said:


> My exact thoughts...I don’t get why anybody would pay $350+ a cord and still have to hassle with wood , on a bad month my Ng furnace would cost me half that!
> 
> In my book the only way burning is feasible is if the wood is free and my “costs” are time, gas and the depreciation on the machinery I’m using to process the wood.


Not many people in my area use fuel oil for heat. Most are LP and Nat gas . Current LP I believe is around 1.60 a gal. Most people can get by on 1000 gal a year for LP. I figure the average on here is 7 to 10 cords of wood a winter. figure 7 cords at 350.00 a cord is $2450. That’s a lot of jack to babysit a wood stove. I have never heated solely with wood it’s always been supplementary heat because I enjoy cutting and working wood and the ambiance.


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## JeffHK454 (Nov 6, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> Not many people in my area use fuel oil for heat. Most are LP and Nat gas . Current LP I believe is around 1.60 a gal. Most people can get by on 1000 gal a year for LP. I figure the average on here is 7 to 10 cords of wood a winter. figure 7 cords at 350.00 a cord is $2450. That’s a lot of jack to babysit a wood stove. I have never heated solely with wood it’s always been supplementary heat because I enjoy cutting and working wood and the ambiance.


 Me and you are on the same page... wouldn’t take long at all spending $2,500 a year for wood before I could justify adding a gas/oil furnace.


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## Cowboy254 (Nov 6, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> Well I'm not sure how cutting it now and selling it vs cutting it now and selling it next fall aren't the same amount of work.



Actually, if you are selling by a set volume there is a difference. Cut a cord of green wood and let it season and you end up with 0.85 cord, give or take. I stack green wood in my shed to 2.3m and when I go to burn it, it is down to 2m high. From a purely financial perspective, if you can get the same price for green wood as seasoned that is a bonus, but it is important to note that they are not the same in terms of the amount of work.


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## Marshy (Nov 6, 2018)

Wood is selling for $55-65 a face around my area so $165-195 a cord. They all claim its seasoned but that could mean anything. Likely what it means is the tree was cut last winter or this past spring and was left in log form right up until about a month or so ago. If your lucky it was split and piled through the summer. You get closer to the cities the price per face goes up to $75-85. Cheapest tri-axle load of log length hard wood is going to cost you about $90/cord. Maybe you can do better if you are taking multiple loads from the guy but if yours a home owner getting a load, anything less mostly going to be red maple and some ash mix.


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## Mustang71 (Nov 6, 2018)

But seasoned means it will burn green wood wont burn. Idc if you let it sit or take some process to dry it it all burns. Your part of NY is cheaper than where I live and idk how you could sell green wood cheaper than 55 a face cord.


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## DSW (Nov 7, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> Not many people in my area use fuel oil for heat. Most are LP and Nat gas . Current LP I believe is around 1.60 a gal. Most people can get by on 1000 gal a year for LP. I figure the average on here is 7 to 10 cords of wood a winter. figure 7 cords at 350.00 a cord is $2450. That’s a lot of jack to babysit a wood stove. I have never heated solely with wood it’s always been supplementary heat because I enjoy cutting and working wood and the ambiance.



Just to bring this back to reality, I burn 4-5 cords a year. This ain't Florida, that's five months of burning. I live in a hardwood state but I don't burn solely oak and maple, there's plenty of poplar, sassafras, and soft maple mixed in my stacks. I don't have the biggest house but it's a relatively inefficient ranch. I know there's plenty of others on here that are around the 5 cord mark. $350 is most definitely on the high side, most states you could find wood for $240 a cord, there's always more expensive and there's always less but $240 in most of the world could get you an honest cord. $240 x 5 = $1200. I absolutely agree it's more work, but many find it more enjoyable as well. So that's a personal decision.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 7, 2018)

JeffHK454 said:


> My exact thoughts...I don’t get why anybody would pay $350+ a cord and still have to hassle with wood , on a bad month my Ng furnace would cost me half that!
> 
> In my book the only way burning is feasible is if the wood is free and my “costs” are time, gas and the depreciation on the machinery I’m using to process the wood.



Lots of places don't have gas. It's either wood or diesel. Wood is by far cheaper. Diesel would have to be under about 1.60/gal to be cheaper. Right now it's around double that.

And there's plenty of folks that just want wood heat either way.

I heat my place for about $700 if I paid for the wood. The first couple years I used gas, cost me 3x that.
It was such a drop that the gas company came out and replaced the meter after the 1st winter burning wood, they thought the meter quit working.


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## NSMaple1 (Nov 7, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> That's y I'm having a hard time believing that it's worth it to sell green wood for a discount. If you can make money at 75 a face cord for seasoned then idk how you would make money selling it for 55 a face cord green. These fire wood places around here cut it stack it and let it sit there no extra cost in the drying process. I dont sell wood but I do cut it for my own use and at 75 dollars a face cord there's probably not a ton of money to be made. And a lot of people want pretty wood so half the stuff I cut and burn would be garbage.



You don't (or shouldn't) sell green wood for a discount. You should sell seasoned wood for a premium.

There is a fair amount of work & cost savings for somebody doing this full time, in loading their truck up with a conveyor right off the splitter. I would call that unseasoned. Then going to seasoned means an extra handling step - the wood has to sit & dry after its split. Then you have to get it off the ground & into the truck.


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## md1486 (Nov 7, 2018)

Just curious, you guys dont seem to use electricity for heating ? Costs are too high ? Here in Canada (quebec) this is mostly what people use. Around 0,08$ per kWh. I burn about 5-6 face cords a year, but I get my wood mostly for free. Here a face cord is around 100-110$, and I'm pretty sure electricity is cheaper if you have to pay for your wood.


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## Marshy (Nov 7, 2018)

Price per kw is cheap, it's all the handling fees that makes it unreasonable for heating.


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## Mustang71 (Nov 7, 2018)

Ok guy just found this one on cl posted today. Is it worth it I say no.

https://buffalo.craigslist.org/grd/d/firewood-barter-logs-business/6743493546.html
Need someone to cut and split wood ... you provide chainsaw and splitter and I can pay you in wood or $ ... figure $10 for each face cord you produce ... business opportunities for the right guy!


Anyone want to spend money to help this guy make money?

Hmm I make 20$ an hour and 50$+ an hour helping with side jobs so no for me.


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## Cody (Nov 7, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> Ok guy just found this one on cl posted today. Is it worth it I say no.
> 
> https://buffalo.craigslist.org/grd/d/firewood-barter-logs-business/6743493546.html
> Need someone to cut and split wood ... you provide chainsaw and splitter and I can pay you in wood or $ ... figure $10 for each face cord you produce ... business opportunities for the right guy!
> ...



**** no! Make that one a four and I'll think about it...unless he has a crap ton of elm or oak, then he's got my interest.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 8, 2018)

md1486 said:


> Just curious, you guys dont seem to use electricity for heating ? Costs are too high ? Here in Canada (quebec) this is mostly what people use. Around 0,08$ per kWh. I burn about 5-6 face cords a year, but I get my wood mostly for free. Here a face cord is around 100-110$, and I'm pretty sure electricity is cheaper if you have to pay for your wood.



About $0.20kw/hr here.


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## Firewood Daddy (Nov 8, 2018)

This has been the best thread in a long time. lol!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## panolo (Nov 8, 2018)

sawjunky23 said:


> Not many people in my area use fuel oil for heat. Most are LP and Nat gas . Current LP I believe is around 1.60 a gal. Most people can get by on 1000 gal a year for LP. I figure the average on here is 7 to 10 cords of wood a winter. figure 7 cords at 350.00 a cord is $2450. That’s a lot of jack to babysit a wood stove. I have never heated solely with wood it’s always been supplementary heat because I enjoy cutting and working wood and the ambiance.



I have the fuel oil and lp options. Initial investment will take about another 1-2 years to pay off by heating with wood. My house is 4 degrees warmer than it used to be kept. Granted I don't pay for wood much. I did when I first started because I made the decision late and didn't have any dry stuff. Worked a deal and bought some mixed hardwoods for 70 a cord I pickup and 10 cords of logs that had been sitting for 8 years at 80 a cord. Honestly if I found someone selling some nice split oak for $100-110 a cord I'd buy 20 cord right now. Probably even ash or birch for that. Tough to find but my buddy got 8 cord of split oak for $100 a cord in August. 

I wouldn't quit cutting. I'd still stockpile, But value is value,


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## Mustang71 (Nov 8, 2018)

To me that's the only way that makes sence to buy wood. Get it cheap and stock pile it. Get a good deal on a load or 2 of logs and cut it and split it. Yea its work but wood burning is work and it's a lot cheaper than 10 cord of split wood delivered. A lot of people like to pay a lot more for the wood because they are lazy or dont want to deal with doing work. That's where you lose all the value of wood heat.


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## NSMaple1 (Nov 8, 2018)

md1486 said:


> Just curious, you guys dont seem to use electricity for heating ? Costs are too high ? Here in Canada (quebec) this is mostly what people use. Around 0,08$ per kWh. I burn about 5-6 face cords a year, but I get my wood mostly for free. Here a face cord is around 100-110$, and I'm pretty sure electricity is cheaper if you have to pay for your wood.



No way, here. 0.18/kWh. We have an electric boiler for backup. I figure it would cost about $30/day to heat full time with it. Still way ahead even if buying wood.


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## Mustang71 (Nov 8, 2018)

Today's day and age go heat pump if you are going electric. Refrigeration is a cool thing and heat pumps work in much lower temps then they used to.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 8, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> To me that's the only way that makes sence to buy wood. Get it cheap and stock pile it. Get a good deal on a load or 2 of logs and cut it and split it. Yea its work but wood burning is work and it's a lot cheaper than 10 cord of split wood delivered. A lot of people like to pay a lot more for the wood because they are lazy or dont want to deal with doing work. That's where you lose all the value of wood heat.



I suppose the "value" isn't the same to everyone.

It doesn't have to do with being lazy or not wanting to work. There's tons of reasons. If you hire a mechanic to work on your car, a contractor to remodel a kitchen in your house, a plumber to fix a frozen pipe, etc does that make you lazy?
Going from a standing tree to wood ready for the stove is quite a bit of work and takes equipment and skill that not all people are interested in buying or learning about.

Some people I bring wood to just like to have a wood fire, regardless if it's cheap or not. I've brought $1000+ of wood out to people that just burned in an outdoor firepit.

Others depends on it for heat, and even with buying processed and delivered wood, it's still a fair bit cheaper than fuel oil, propane or electricity.


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## Ryan'smilling (Nov 8, 2018)

ChoppyChoppy said:


> I suppose the "value" isn't the same to everyone.
> 
> It doesn't have to do with being lazy or not wanting to work. There's tons of reasons. If you hire a mechanic to work on your car, a contractor to remodel a kitchen in your house, a plumber to fix a frozen pipe, etc does that make you lazy?
> Going from a standing tree to wood ready for the stove is quite a bit of work and takes equipment and skill that not all people are interested in buying or learning about.
> ...



VF, that is honestly the best post of yours that I've ever read. Well said.


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## Mustang71 (Nov 9, 2018)

I get it if you want to buy some wood for recreational use. I couldn't afford to buy 3 cords of wood at 375 a cord. For that price I could buy 2 more tanks of propane and not do any work. I chose to do the work it takes to supplement my heat with wood to not spend that money. At the end of the day the value is the same for me and the fire wood salesman, money in the pocket.


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## NSMaple1 (Nov 9, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> Today's day and age go heat pump if you are going electric. Refrigeration is a cool thing and heat pumps work in much lower temps then they used to.



I am getting a pair of Daikins installed at this very moment. Should be up & running before the day is over - hopefully. I like doing wood but time is getting harder & harder to find every year. So this should take the shoulder season wood out of the equation. And give cheaper backup heat in winter. And keep us cool in the summer.


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## JeffHK454 (Nov 9, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> I get it if you want to buy some wood for recreational use. I couldn't afford to buy 3 cords of wood at 375 a cord. For that price I could buy 2 more tanks of propane and not do any work. I chose to do the work it takes to supplement my heat with wood to not spend that money. At the end of the day the value is the same for me and the fire wood salesman, money in the pocket.


Bingo...


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## Mustang71 (Nov 9, 2018)

ChoppyChoppy said:


> I suppose the "value" isn't the same to everyone.
> 
> It doesn't have to do with being lazy or not wanting to work. There's tons of reasons. If you hire a mechanic to work on your car, a contractor to remodel a kitchen in your house, a plumber to fix a frozen pipe, etc does that make you lazy?
> Going from a standing tree to wood ready for the stove is quite a bit of work and takes equipment and skill that not all people are interested in buying or learning about.
> ...



Well I guess I owe u an apology I did not realize you changed your user name or I would have had a bit more respect...lol


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## Ryan'smilling (Nov 9, 2018)

Mustang71 said:


> Well I guess I owe u an apology I did not realize you changed your user name or I would have had a bit more respect...



Just about sprayed my beer all over my phone!


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