Firewood, how much $$ compared to last year?

[Wood Doctor]

And pay them to sweat ?

Uhmm , I'll pass. I can get more done in the same amount of time and feel better afterwards. If I still feel like going for a brisk stroll at the end of the day, I should have gotten more done.

Whoops! I guess I ran that past you a little fast. When I said, "...talk to Charlie...", that meant Charles Schwab, which in turn implies me looking for another stock broker. The TV commercials for Schwab have been using that expression for some time now to attract investors away from their current high-pressure sales, high-commission stock broker.

Paying a gym to allow me to exercise on their equipment makes little sense as long as I have firewood to cut and bring in every year. :agree2: I can apply the money saved by not going to a gym to my equipment and fuel. I sometimes think commercial gyms are only a step above social gathering places. And, as for walking on a treadmill? Well, my dog can't wait to go for long walks...

 

[toddstreeservic]

$125 face cord
$300 full cord
delivered within 20 mile radius +$3 per mile past that

And I am out of seasoned wood!

:monkey:

 

[Widmere]

Dear Doctor - I really cannot see how you get a reduced amount of heat out of smaller pieces of wood. On the question of stacking - we don't. Looks nice but a bit of waste of time.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Dear Doctor - I really cannot see how you get a reduced amount of heat out of smaller pieces of wood. On the question of stacking - we don't. Looks nice but a bit of waste of time.

If the logs are shorter than the wood stove can handle, you have more empty space in the stove that (1) produces no heat whatsoever and (2) reduces the length of burn. You can make up for this sometimes by arranging the logs in the stove end on end, but that's usually rare.

Rule of thumb is to cut the logs no more that 1" to 2" shorter than the maximum stove capacity for ease of loading. I shoot for this objective but must admit that it's not easy to accomplish because the wood source I use always seems to have longer pre-cut logs that are cut somewhat to an oddball length. Thus when I cut them in half or thirds, I wind up with logs for the stove that are either too long or too short--Murphy's Law.

 

[woodbooga]

Rule of thumb is to cut the logs no more that 1" to 2" shorter than the maximum stove capacity for ease of loading. I shoot for this objective but must admit that it's not easy to accomplish because the wood source I use always seems to have longer pre-cut logs that are cut somewhat to an oddball length. Thus when I cut them in half or thirds, I wind up with logs for the stove that are either too long or too short--Murphy's Law.

Happens to me quite a bit. The stuff that's too long gets put to one side until I have a sizeable pile. Then I just zing the pieces through the chop saw. Keep the little dinky pieces to fit in around shorter pieces I have or for when we're baking something in the oven and need high heat.

Back on subject, I've noticed a decrease in the number of commercial trucks with split wood for delivery here in NH. Not sure if it's a temporary lull in demand that will spike come Sept/Oct. or if sellers are just plain sold out of supply.

 

[strongback]

What little "extra" wood that I have won't be seasoned enough to sell until late September. I'm okay with that since I believe it will be worth more then than it is now.

Have any of the wood sellers present (or that you know of) been setting aside any of their current stock on the speculation that it will be more profitable to sell it when it's cooler, the competitors stocks have been depleted and as a result the demand "should" be greater?

I know most folks need the money whenever they can get it but if I had 20-30 cord stacked/piled for sale I think I'd be inclined to hold onto at least a portion of it "just in case".

 

[woodbooga]

What little "extra" wood that I have won't be seasoned enough to sell until late September. I'm okay with that since I believe it will be worth more then than it is now.

Have any of the wood sellers present (or that you know of) been setting aside any of their current stock on the speculation that it will be more profitable to sell it when it's cooler, the competitors stocks have been depleted and as a result the demand "should" be greater?

I know most folks need the money whenever they can get it but if I had 20-30 cord stacked/piled for sale I think I'd be inclined to hold onto at least a portion of it "just in case".

Funny, this is the same strategy that the guys who hang out in the Politics forum gripe about all the time when oil's the subject.

The ripple effect of a bad economy and high costs - gotta do what you gotta do. Given the rising costs of everything, I'd hope the folks who put in the hard work of processing and selling cordwood can benefit enough to take the sting off.

 

[nickblaze466]

at $130 a cord I'll take 50 cord and pay cash

thats pretty much the reaction i get around here. i've had to turn quite a few people away. this is my first full year in business - one year this month actually.

i'm thinking next year i won't discount as heavily in the summer and spend more time stockpiling for the fall and winter. oh well, lesson learned.

 

[avalancher]

thats pretty much the reaction i get around here. i've had to turn quite a few people away. this is my first full year in business - one year this month actually.

i'm thinking next year i won't discount as heavily in the summer and spend more time stockpiling for the fall and winter. oh well, lesson learned.

That is a lesson that I have had to learn this year, dont discount during the summer to get the cash when you can save it and sell it at a much bette price this winter. I sold quite a bit this summer until I realized that I was not going to have enough for the winter at the rate that I was going, and quite sellling back in the first part of July. I was selling for the same price that I was for last winter, figuring the discount was in my cost to get it in. I have been working as fast as I can right now trying to get my supply back up to where I need it for this winter. Thankfully I didnt go into my own wood that I need for the house and shop, it would have sucked to have to turn up the thermostat.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Funny, this is the same strategy that the guys who hang out in the Politics forum gripe about all the time when oil's the subject.

The ripple effect of a bad economy and high costs - gotta do what you gotta do. Given the rising costs of everything, I'd hope the folks who put in the hard work of processing and selling cordwood can benefit enough to take the sting off.

I can appreciate what you are saying.

Oil though is sold at a steady rate throughout the year with little flucuation in supply or demand. Home heating oil, to my knowledge, is basically undyed diesel. If anything the cost for diesel should drop in the winter since there are fewer vehicles on the road during adverse weather, That is,. with the exception of Christmas and New Years.

Firewood and Christmas trees are more of a seasonal product that has to be processed then stored. This storage ties up floor/ground space somewhere. Getting more for it in the Winter is simply covering the costs of storage.

It would be different if there was more of a summer market for the product. Like say firewood windchimes. Well maybe windchimes wouldnt be a good seller. The only time you would hear them was right before the house came down.

Selling the wood later in the year only covers the cost of additional storage.

 

[Moss Man]

Was averaging $175. last year green cut split and delivered, this summer it is $250. We promised a bunch for $185. a cord this year and then the logs went up $35. a cord, next year we will price as the logs come in!