? isit only the foolish that heat with wood?

[Another Bucker]

The way I figure it... worst case it’s a hobby and I break even, while getting outside good exercise doing something I enjoy. Most times my firewood hobby pays me at least 1-2k a year in savings. Can’t find another hobby that does that and I’m way warmer than paying that oil bill.

 

[Multifaceted]

The fellow who lived down the road from my old house was probably crazy. He had a barrel stove in the middle of the house. He’d cut trees small enough to drag and stick the butt end into the stove. If the tree was too long, he’d just leave the front door open until it was short enough to be able to close the door.

Wholly Moses, that's just reckless...

 

[chucker]

Can somebody tag Chucker on this so that he knows his wife hacked his account?
I have close to $100g's of wooding equipment, of course I love saving $500 in propane each heating month.
" I'm all about investing wisely", said no firewooder ever.

?? I've been wondering …. guess I've been foolish way to long and need to pay the gas man again . lol oh ! and the wife has had my account for just short of 40 years...?? no wonder I still burn wood.

 

[esshup]

Probably, but I need at least 1 or 2 saws because of the wooded area on the property, and since the wood is free, why not use it? The fireplace insert wasn't free, but burning wood in the fireplace made the other rooms in the house colder because it sucked a lot of cold air in to heat up and shove up the chimney. The insert uses outside air for combustion. The way the house was insulated when I installed the insert, the ROI was 1 winter. Winter #2 heating with wood paid for the saw and log splitter that I bought. And I have NG and a central forced air furnace.....

 

[CR888]

With all the money we invest in saws, axes, handles, files, chains, grinders, wedges etc & all the time that goes with it, getting to heat the house for free is a well earned bonus.

 

[Husky Man]

With all the money we invest in saws, axes, handles, files, chains, grinders, wedges etc & all the time that goes with it, getting to heat the house for free is a well earned bonus.

Thank Goodness, the “Investment “ here isn’t as Expensive as it is “Down Under” The prices I hear of you guys paying, should be CRIMINAL


Doug

 

[Mad Professor]

I have 30 acres of hardwood lot: ash , maple, oak, hickory. Wood is free and I've plenty for burning just keeping up with blowdowns or standing deadwood. That is on an old farm so I have tractors, trailers, trucks, saws, etc...... to process the wood. Lots is stuff that would have to be cut up/moved anyways.

I split it by hand so I get plenty of exercise putting up enough wood for the winter.

When the power goes out, with a snow/ice storm, I'm warm and toasty, and can cook on the stove top. Cast iron skillets and dutch ovens work great. I also keep a large stainless pot on the stovetop so I always have hot water for dishes or cooking.

I need to get a liner for my other old chimney, then I can hookup an old Glenwood cook stove that was my Grandmothers. It's a hybrid that also has two gas burners I've converted to propane. Those are handy summertime when you don't want to heat the house up.

I'm a happy wood burning fool!

 

[Cowboy254]

s


That's me. I "wood" all year. Winter is for split/pile (just came in from 1.5 hour of manual splitting. I was getting through the 'to be split' piles too fast. 'wooding' is what keeps me able to do physical things at 84. I'd probably be long dead if I hadn't kept cutting, splitting, piling long past needing any wood. Got more in the pasture now than I'll ever burn.

If you start losing motivation, you should sell 9/10ths of it so you might start running short, spend the proceeds on several brand-spanking-new ported chainsaws and get after it like a newly-wed on Valentine's day.

 

[al-k]

I was foolish way before I started to burn wood, I sometimes call myself a dumb a$$ to.

 

[chipper1]

It saves us much more than a couple bucks a month, I figure more than a couple HUNDRED Bucks a Month, on our heating bill.

Granted the ROI, would be several years, and would be much faster if I hadn’t become afflicted with CAD, but the saws and cutting I also consider a Hobby, and the value of the Enjoyment is incalculable

As with my Model Railroading Hobby, I considered my Trains an Investment, just as an investment my Sanity (which is Questionable, dependent on who you ask) rather than a Financial Investment. I view my wood cutting gear in a similar light, but with an ROI, even if not a large one.


Doug

Same here, I do well between selling saws, splitters, wood, tree work, then there's 100% savings on our heat bill. This will be the 9th season, 1st we used a pellet stove and a small LP heater in the back(left over propane from the previous owner). I didn't burn the first yr because I didn't have a wood burner or dry wood, if I could do it over I would have paid for wood that first yr and saved the propane for heating water, but I'm a fool lol.

 

[SS396driver]

There is the cost of saws and splitter . I count them as the only investment for just wood. I use the kubota ,truck and dump trailer for other things.

So about 5k for wood only . But we have electric heat so your talking 4 to 5 hundred a month for heat. We have been approached by a solor company to lease the upper field for a solar farm. So we would get our electric for just about free even using the heat and central air . Wouldn't see it from the house but were not ready for that. Maybe when I'm to old to do wood. I'm 61 years old .

 

[svk]

For us saw nuts, perhaps a nominal investment amount should be allocated towards saws for firewood, and the rest of the $$ we blow on extra saws, fancy splitters, and whatever else should be considered entertainment or investment depending if you are buying new or looking for bargains in the used market then flipping.

I "need" about 12 cords a year to fuel my boiler, fireplace, and sauna stove. I rarely cut over 20" wood, and most of the wood I cut is from species that can be hand split without too much trouble. Therefore if I needed a new saw I could totally get by with a 450 Husqvarna or 590 Echo. So saw and a couple spare chains is $400 out the door. Then I need a spare saw so lets say I pick up a 4218 or 5020 Poulan. Another $200.

Not counting fixed expenses per cord ($ for pickup gas, saw gas, chains, files) my outlay is $600 first year. In reality if you cut 12 cords of wood a year and take care of your stuff, minimum the saw should last ten years.....so I am at $60 a year for saw depreciation. Not bad considering I saved $300 on my November heating bill alone.

 

[chipper1]

For us saw nuts, perhaps a nominal investment amount should be allocated towards saws for firewood, and the rest of the $$ we blow on extra saws, fancy splitters, and whatever else should be considered entertainment or investment depending if you are buying new or looking for bargains in the used market then flipping.

I "need" about 12 cords a year to fuel my boiler, fireplace, and sauna stove. I rarely cut over 20" wood, and most of the wood I cut is from species that can be hand split without too much trouble. Therefore if I needed a new saw I could totally get by with a 450 Husqvarna or 590 Echo. So saw and a couple spare chains is $400 out the door. Then I need a spare saw so lets say I pick up a 4218 or 5020 Poulan. Another $200.

Not counting fixed expenses per cord ($ for pickup gas, saw gas, chains, files) my outlay is $600 first year. In reality if you cut 12 cords of wood a year and take care of your stuff, minimum the saw should last ten years.....so I am at $60 a year for saw depreciation. Not bad considering I saved $300 on my November heating bill alone.

Do you "do" numbers for a living.

I have a large entertainment budget, but I consider that an investment as well. I'm always looking for a bargain whether in the tp or brand new .
I know someone who cut over 200 cords with his 445, then it needed some work, then it was back to work.

In your climate there is a lot more opportunity to save a few bucks on heating with wood. I figured the first yr paid for the new stove and pipe(tax credit of 30% helped too), second the saw/splitter and my expenses for a few yrs, then I sold the splitter and made some cash and bought a nicer one, it's been a good ride since then .

 

[cantoo]

I have saws that I have never even started. Only saws I have run this year are the 2 new 261's I bought and my used 461 that I bought last year. The other 20 or so are sitting or hanging in the way in the barn. Sooner or later she is going to start selling them and then I can start buying again. I'm slowly getting caught up at my day job and the ash are gonna catch hell soon. Landowner says he doesn't care about the wood in the bush so the big trees are going to start coming down soon. I have my eye on a new Amish built sawmill. I'm gonna tell her I sold the other one for cash to buy drugs.

 

[sundance]

For us saw nuts, perhaps a nominal investment amount should be allocated towards saws for firewood, and the rest of the $$ we blow on extra saws, fancy splitters, and whatever else should be considered entertainment or investment depending if you are buying new or looking for bargains in the used market then flipping.

I "need" about 12 cords a year to fuel my boiler, fireplace, and sauna stove. I rarely cut over 20" wood, and most of the wood I cut is from species that can be hand split without too much trouble. Therefore if I needed a new saw I could totally get by with a 450 Husqvarna or 590 Echo. So saw and a couple spare chains is $400 out the door. Then I need a spare saw so lets say I pick up a 4218 or 5020 Poulan. Another $200.

Not counting fixed expenses per cord ($ for pickup gas, saw gas, chains, files) my outlay is $600 first year. In reality if you cut 12 cords of wood a year and take care of your stuff, minimum the saw should last ten years.....so I am at $60 a year for saw depreciation. Not bad considering I saved $300 on my November heating bill alone.

So you put no value on your time? Can't say I do either with wood as I enjoy the work......but, if you don't think about the time value it's hard to really value. The next step in your analogy is "I've got a saw for other reasons, a pickup already and a maul" so my firewood cost is a few gallons of pre-mix.

 

[chucker]

So you put no value on your time? Can't say I do either with wood as I enjoy the work......but, if you don't think about the time value it's hard to really value. The next step in your analogy is "I've got a saw for other reasons, a pickup already and a maul" so my firewood cost is a few gallons of pre-mix.

in one way time is irrelevant, as to working for a wage to fill your monetary needs, as to working for your self and no monetary wage, except self-sufficient gains to maintain life's services.... many things in life don't have monetary gains in life, but we still do them to live! "SHOW ME THE MONEY" ??? LOL

 

[Mustang71]

As much as I hate work I'm miserable when I'm not working. I hate cutting trees down and making firewood but my family thinks I like it lol. If I'm not doing something I'm bored.

 

[tnflatbed]

For the last 15+ years having winter time electric bills in the $70-$80 range as opposed to $250 plus and staying warmer at the same time, out of an initial cost of approximately $1500 for a stove,chimney and chainsaw is hardly foolish.

 

[cantoo]

I like pretty much every aspect of fire wooding. While I'm working wood I'm constantly thinking of ways to make it easier, better, faster or easier on my body parts. As I get older I'm putting a few extra pounds on and my weekend bouts of wooding help keep some of it in check. It's my 5- 6 hours of driving everyday that I hate, it's either drive or stay in motels and I really really hate staying in motels. I leave around 6 am and get home anywhere from 6 to midnight depending on where I'm working that day.
I like to build stuff to make wooding easier too. Then there is the auction game. Christmas is coming and my wife said she might like a new pair of scissors. It's early in this auction I expect to get 10 pairs for the price of one new pair. She can sell a few reasonable to friends and she'll end up with a couple of free ones. Also bidding on some swords and knives, might start a bit of a collection.

 

[muddstopper]

This going to be my first winter in a loooong time with out wood heat. I don't think heat is going to be cheap. In my house with wood stove, my electric bill ran around $100-$125 month. I heated with wood and had a heat exchanger on the stove for hot water. Since moving into the RV in Sept, I sort of at first thought I would come out all right on the propane. 2-30lb tanks lasted a month and cost $25 to refill. Electricity was about $120, mostly for the AC. Second month about the same cost. Then the temps dropped. Going thru 1-30lb gas bottle a week (about $12.50) and it aint even real cold yet. Gas company is supposed to bring me a 100 gal tank to hook to the RV. Getting up at midnite and changing gas bottles has already gotten old. How come you never run out during the daytime. RV has a electric furnace as well as gas. To slow down the gas consumption, we try use electric heat during the day and switch to gas heat before we go to bed. The electric furnace just doesn't put out enough BTU's. We also have an electric fireplace, I think it puts out more heat than the electric furnace, but the heat doesn't get all the way back to the bed room. I haven't gotten my next electric bill yet, but I expect it to be pretty high. Once I get a look at the bill, I will be able to decide which is cheaper, gas or electric. Wonder how hard it would be to take the electric fireplace out and swap in a small wood stove. Wonder how long it would take to burn my rv to the ground. Oh well, I'll get thru this winter some how and hopefully be back to burning wood before snow flys next winter.