Campfire wood bundles

[zogger]

MontanaResident, that's the US, us Canadians are much cheaper and want everything for free. We will take the toilet paper from the toilets and burn it if we can. Just ask anyone from Florida what they think the spending habits of Canadian snowbirds are like.

I know they rarely tip servers in restaurants.

 

[cantoo]

Restaurant, what the hell is a restaurant? A story from when I was first dating my Dutch wife. My wife and her Mother went back to Holland to be there for her Grandfathers funeral. When it came time for them to fly back into Toronto (3 hour trip) I was lucky enough to be allowed to go with my Father in law and several of her brothers and sisters to pick them up. During the drive my Father in law said we would be stopping in Orangeville for dinner. We got there and pulled into a mall parking lot, I assumed we were going into a small restaurant that way there. Hmm not quite, he gave my wife's sister some money and we went into the grocery store and bought a loaf of bread and 2 lbs of cold meat. That was our dinner. I should have ran and ran fast, we've been married 31 years now and she's still as cheap as her Dad. And he's not even real Canadian.

 

[CRThomas]

My apx numbers are not that far off based on CRThomas's last post - a full cord for him is grossing $750. But rank is a regional term means anything, then he states 100 bundles from a 1/3 of a cord (42.6 cubic feet) and we will pull out 20% for air space so that leaves about 34 cubic ft. He gets 100 bundles out of that(.34 cf ea.) which is just about what I was posting about with the Madison Craig's list ad difference being the selling price of $2.50 vs$3/ bundle ( that would be the wholesale side as retail is in the $5-8 range/bundle)
Got to use some sort of numbers to get a handle on weather you are making or losing profit wise- the numbers might not be perfect and I certainly am no flippin math genius but I have been in business for more than 40 years and I am still around ( no thanks to gov. entities). I am not in the firewood business but the math principals are the same across the board. I spent many years making service departments a profit center for small companies ( which always seemed to consider service as a necessary evil/ losing proposition) so I do have a bit of know how with numbers and the real world. There is a lot of truth to the old saying work smarter not always harder.
One more little tid bit- most ads I see say hardwood bundles - course technicaly hardwood is anything that is not a conifer such as pine..... think about that a minute and you will see where i am going with that thought. Another very popular service for tree firms is mulch again labled as "hardwood".

I have venders trying to under cut me with $1.85 to $1.45 a bundle. I just keep on doing my thing and it works out. Later

 

[CRThomas]

[QUOTEHudson then have hit, post: 4907994, member: 91538"]Thanks, I was looking for this kind of input. For you to produce 45 bundles, are you wrapping yourself or do you have a helper? I do mark all my wood to 18" in length already, that way I can sell to my other customers the gnarly looking pieces and there cut to the right size. I don't have a problem spending money on a wrapper or paying someone to wrap, but I need to know roughly what can be done before taking the leap. I certainly can't cut, split, wrap, sell, work the full time job and the other 2 part time jobs; I'll have to find some help(kids are only 5 and 7, not quite ready).[/QUOTE]
Go to Hudson they have a small hand crank $500.00 wrapper fits in bumper hitch. I know after 20 years bundled firewood pays year round

 

[CRThomas]

I am a one man company and will stay that way my daughters come and help me once in a while I have every thing set up for a old man buy him self business. on how many i wrap is never the same. just wrapping i cane do 45 to 50 a hour but i class how many bundles i can do a hour from the tree too finished product cause the wood has to be cut down hauled home chunked splitt dryed and bundled so my average is ten bundles a hour if i feel good 10 bundles a hour on whole sale comes to $25.00. if customers come to the shop and buy it its $3.00 a bundle when i deliver its $5.00 and up to $10.00 a bundle depending on how its wrapped if i have to take out there garable or walk there dog or build a fire for them a lot of varables in bundled firewood busness bundled any way. i do sell a little bulk firewood its the knots and wood that wont wrap nice and they were old customers from when i got in to the bulk firewood business never do that agin when bundling firewood you need your bundle nice because they set on a fire place in a $500.000.00 to a $3.000.000.00 home you have to dress clean cut take your shoes off when you enter there home not spit tobacco juice in there drive way aways smile if they want to tell you a storie spend a little time and listen if they offer you a drink turn it down even if your a drunk always thank your customer and remember women buy the wood there husbands if they have one he dont care. i have always got my pickup spotless clean and about 20 bundles in the bed. every once in a while me and my wife drive thru the local camp ground we sell 20 or 30 bundles but dont make it a regular thing. i have all kinds in little tricks that i have learned over the years i didnt like selling bulk firewood but i love the bundled firewood business. my knots and waste wood i sell for bulk i just dump it and go because i was going to pile it up and burn it any way later fellows my finger is tired

 

[dwasifar]

Bundled firewood is convent.

Especially when you have nun handy.

 

[unclemoustache]

Bundled firewood is convent.

Convent??

 

[unclemoustache]

I do bags and bundles (small scale just for now..real small..I am seeing if this could be a viable business or not) My bags cost 35 cent apiece, bought them online off a seed company, small bale of one hundred bags. Surprisingly small cardboard box they shipped in. Mine will hold .75cu/ft if you stuff them well. Sort of a PITA. I use them for chunked up cook wood.

Bags are 30-35 cents each buying them in lots of 500 around me. The campground used to use these bought the stretch wrap was cheaper they said. I just wonder how long it takes to fill one of those or to wrap a bundle with stretch wrap.

Where do you guys get your bags? What size?

.

 

[zogger]

Where do you guys get your bags? What size?

.

Harris seeds. IIRC, I used the 16x25, but would go larger doing it again, just to make it easier to stuff them. Really depends on what size bundles you want to make. Larger bundles get heavy, might turn off some like old lady shoppers.

 

[unclemoustache]

Thanks! Just ordered some. Going to try the bundle sales as well. Got a good friend who owns a gas station.

 

[CRThomas]

Hey super man you will find if you have Ash it drys quick its light easy I'm sure you remember Jan and Feb I was the only person with dry wood by having dry wood for people to start wet wood my business has jumped to all most more than I can handle.

 

[CRThomas]

You will find this saying in the bundles firewood business (hey man I can get a truck load for $60.00 dollars my answer is you need a phone number or two. another trick When your wife wants to shop at Walmart you don't want to shop get you a sign put on the sign Walmart firewood $4.99 a bundle My firewood $3.00 bundle in a couple hours you can sell 20 to 30 bundles. When your wife get ready to quit shopping cover your firewood up if you have any left your customer only buy a couple so they pay cash Your wife wants to know what you been doing just waiting you honey you do not say any thing about money in your pocket

 

[CRThomas]

Are you selling mostly to c-stores or to private residences?

C-stores are $2.50 a bundle but I deliver a 100 bundles at a time. I make good profit off C-Stores But the big money is in residence your price go's up from $5.00 to $10.00 abundle mini of ten just depends on the way there wrapped They want certain colored paper want pictures want you to take out there trash or walk there dog. What ever your customer wants extra the price goes up to make good money with bundled firewood it is a year round job some old lady want to set in front of her fire place and drink her morgan david and dream about the days she was 20 years old and a stone cold fox she will pay what ever it take to full fill her dream.

 

[CRThomas]

Good points. Lets just not get carried away with figures. I'm looking for someones knowledge that has actually wrapped before because they should know how much it costs them too wrap. I know how much a good commercial machine costs and approx. how many bundles you can wrap per roll of film. I don't know how many bundles you can do per hour, how many hours you can sustain the rate of production.

People keep talking about this cost to much if your going into the firewood business you can not go in free. I am a full time bundle firewood seller some where between $250.000.00 to $300.000.00 in equipment and buildings. My gross income is from $250.00 a day and up. If you want to put money in the bank and live comfortable on your firewood business for get about using a tub or use tire. Here are some ways to get started don't go under $2.50 a bundle whole sale. You need a 35000 people base to sell to. You have to sell in the money end of town. My best money is made off home sales I make money whole sale but the best is retail. I can buy a truck load of split wood for $50.00 and make a good profit whole sale. In the summer time the beer drinkers need a case of beer I can get a load of Ash for the price of a case of beer $32.00 I only Sell Ash the king of firewood. My firewood business paid for all of our eqipment its not junk. Some body will come in there and tell you different. Ever thing we have is payed for my wife just bought her self a new mustang paid cash the company just bought a 450 power stroke ford paid cash for it. We own our home. So don't tell me there is no money in firewood. There is a business up north that is a million dollar company they sell wood all over the USA. I have seen on here there is no money in fiewood My wife does the books and I do the wood . this is my store and I will stick to it. Later

 

[unclemoustache]

Couple more questions:

- what size sticks do the customers prefer? Larger or smaller? How big generally?
- how do you deal with sales tax? (esp you, CRThomas). Do you fly under the radar, or do you calculate it all out, or what?

 

[Dogsout]

You have to love it when guys like CRThomas give a reply to a question you have asked. I don't sell bundled firewood but you can tell by his replies that this is a guy that has walked the walk. Clear and well thought out response along with some learned tricks of the trade to help make your life easier. It is guys like this that make this board what it is, thanks CRT and all of the people on this board that share their knowledge to the masses.

 

[Guswhit]

Couple more questions:

- what size sticks do the customers prefer? Larger or smaller? How big generally?
- how do you deal with sales tax? (esp you, CRThomas). Do you fly under the radar, or do you calculate it all out, or what?

I keep forms and sell to stores-campgrounds directly, so they give me there number because they are reselling it(collecting the tax) on there end, therefore they pay it. Joe or Steve come over and by some bundles, well, sorry uncle Sam, your SOL.

 

[CRThomas]

My bundles are 8 sticks same size as my wrist 4 to 5 inchthru and 16 inch long I am not cheating my customers thats what they want and only Ash and dry.

 

[CRThomas]

Here's my building just got to store Ash wood bundled wood

 

[U2bwolfb4]

hi guys, been reading some of the chat, I used to do firewood bundles 8 years ago. now that I'am layed off, it's time again. like CRT said there is money in it. but u have to put in the time. I have 11 accounts right now. I started out with a poly strap, system. worked good nice tite bundles, added a twine handle. I sell these bundles, direct to my clients. I get 2.85 a peice. I sell about 5000 a year right now. my cost is low, for my strapping cost's it's about 11 cents per bundle, figure in handles, not even close. I buy a roll from the local rancher, after hay season, maybe 5.00. I get around 3500 out of a roll. my wood, costs after the cutting, hauling, I have 18.00 a cord in it. but, I live in the middle of a nat'l forest. I have a new deal now, I started cutting, pallet cants. on a bandsaw mill, now I'am also mixing my waste wood into them. now after everything figured in. I'am saving some more, time an money. all in all I avg. about 16 to 20 bundles a hr. my jig holds 4 at a time. my costs per bundle wood an all. 39 cents. my wage about 38.00 a hr. yea, the co. I worked for. 14.65 a hr. layed off not so bad now. u2bwolb4