Why I Burn Firewood

[coog]

strictly on topic

Taxes by state Sales Gas/gal. Cig./pack Beer/gal. State burden Rank State/Fed. burden Rank

Alabama


4.0%


$0.20


$0.43


$1.05


8.8%


46


28.0%


49

Alaska


none


$0.08


$2.00


$1.07


6.6%


50


28.1%


48

Arizona


5.6%*


$0.19


$2.00


$0.16


10.3%


31


31.3%


25

Arkansas


6.0%


$0.22


$0.59


$0.21


11.3%


13


30.7%


32

California


7.3%


$0.46


$0.87


$0.20


11.5%


12


34.3%


8

Colorado


2.9%


$0.22


$0.84


$0.08


10.4%


30


31.8%


23

Connecticut


6.0%


$0.44


$2.00


$0.20


12.2%


8


38.3%


1

Delaware


none*


$0.23


$1.15


$0.16


8.8%


47


31.2%


26

Florida


6.0%


$0.33


$0.34


$0.48


10.0%


38


33.6%


12

Georgia


4.0%


$0.26


$0.37


$0.48


10.3%


32


30.9%


28

Hawaii


4%*


$0.33


$1.80


$0.93


12.4%


6


33.0%


16

Idaho


6.0%


$0.25


$0.57


$0.15


10.1%


35


29.6%


42

Illinois


6.3%


$0.40


$0.98


$0.19


10.8%


22


33.2%


14

Indiana


6.0%


$0.32


$1.00


$0.12


10.7%


25


30.8%


30

Iowa


5.0%


$0.22


$1.36


$0.19


11.0%


18


30.6%


33

Kansas


5.3%


$0.25


$0.79


$0.18


11.2%


15


31.0%


27

Kentucky


6%*


$0.19


$0.30


$0.08


10.9%


20


30.4%


34

Louisiana


4.0%


$0.20


$0.36


$0.32


11.0%


17


29.1%


44

Maine


5.0%


$0.29


$2.00


$0.35


14.0%


2


33.9%


10

Maryland


6.0%


$0.24


$2.00


$0.09


10.8%


23


33.1%


15

Massachusetts


5.0%


$0.24


$1.51


$0.11


10.6%


28


34.4%


7

Michigan


6.0%


$0.36


$2.00


$0.20


11.2%


14


31.9%


21

Minnesota


6.5%


$0.22


$1.49


$0.15


11.5%


11


33.9%


11

Mississippi


7.0%


$0.19


$0.18


$0.43


10.5%


29


28.1%


47

Missouri


4.2%


$0.18


$0.17


$0.06


10.1%


34


30.2%


38

Montana


none


$0.28


$1.70


$0.14


9.7%


41


29.8%


39

Nebraska


5.5%


$0.24


$0.64


$0.31


11.9%


9


31.8%


22

Nevada


6.5%


$0.33


$0.80


$0.16


10.1%


36


35.2%


4

New Hampshire


none*


$0.20


$1.08


$0.30


8.0%


49


30.8%


29

New Jersey


7.0%


$0.15


$2.58


$0.12


11.6%


10


35.6%


3

New Mexico


5.0%


$0.18


$0.91


$0.41


9.8%


40


28.8%


45

New York


4.0%


$0.41


$1.50


$0.11


13.8%


3


37.1%


2

N. Carolina


4.3%


$0.30


$0.35


$0.53


11.0%


19


31.3%


24

N. Dakota


5.0%


$0.23


$0.44


$0.16


9.9%


39


30.2%


37

Ohio


5.5%*


$0.28


$1.25


$0.18


12.4%


5


32.4%


18

Oklahoma


4.5%


$0.17


$1.03


$0.40


9.0%


45


27.8%


50

Oregon


none


$0.25


$1.18


$0.08


10.0%


37


30.7%


31

Pennsylvania


6.0%


$0.32


$1.35


$0.08


10.8%


24


31.9%


20

Rhode Island


7.0%


$0.31


$2.46


$0.10


12.7%


4


35.1%


6

S. Carolina


6.0%


$0.17


$0.07


$0.77


10.7%


26


30.3%


35

S. Dakota


4.0%


$0.24


$1.53


$0.27


9.0%


44


29.3%


43

Tennessee


7.0%


$0.21


$0.62


$0.14


8.5%


48


28.8%


46

Texas


6.25%*


$0.20


$1.41


$0.19


9.3%


43


29.8%


41

Utah


4.7%


$0.25


$0.70


$0.41


10.7%


27


30.3%


36

Vermont


6.0%


$0.20


$1.79


$0.27


14.1%


1


35.1%


5

Virginia


5.0%


$0.20


$0.30


$0.26


10.2%


33


32.9%


17

Washington


6.5%*


$0.36


$2.03


$0.26


11.1%


16


34.0%


9

West Virginia


6.0%


$0.32


$0.55


$0.18


10.9%


21


29.8%


40

Wisconsin


5.0%


$0.33


$1.77


$0.06


12.3%


7


33.3%


13

Wyoming


4.0%


$0.14


$0.60


$0.02


9.5%


42


32.1%


19

*State collects a gross-receipts tax that is applied before the retail level.

Updated March 27, 2008

 

[woodbooga]

The reason we know the the toothbrush was invented in Maine is because anywhere else it would have been called a teethbrush.

LOL. Beat me to it.

I don't live too far from the Me. border but have bounced all around NH. There is definitely a "Maine effect" as it relates to per capita tooth ownership. The closer to the border you get, the fewer teeth.

But in all seriousness, to put this little pizz match to rest, there's a lot of good folk on the other side of the border. Including several who post here.

Just don't get me started on Vermont.

 

[powerstroke73L]

I heat my house with wood for a lot of the same reasons I run my truck on vegetable oil and hunt deer. I like being self sufficient and it's very fulfilling to have a freezer stocked with meat that costs a fraction of what beef does (and it's healthier to boot) and an ample supply of fuel in the form of wood and vegetable oil that's been collected and processed by me. So I guess my top 10 would be:

1. Saves $$$.

2. Keeps me in shape.

3. Gives me an excuse to be outside/in the woods even when I'm not hunting.

4. Gives me an excuse to buy more toys.

5. Like hunting, it pisses off misinformed tree huggers. Real conservationists know that woodlot management and hunting are good for mother nature.

6. Wood burning is carbon neutral.

7. Lounging on the couch on a Saturday with a cold beer in hand watching TV in a 70 degree house in the dead of winter after a long hard day of cutting, splitting, and stacking is very satisfying.

8. The smell of woodsmoke outside.

9. No power? No problem.

10. Like Hank Jr. says "A Country Boy Can Survive."

 

[valekbrothers]

Saves Money????

Whenever anyone talks about burning wood (myself included) the subject of saving money comes up. Yet if we actually figure it out, we are not "SAVING" money, we are just spending it in different areas...
None of my saws were given to me, I don't get the gas I burn in the saws, the truck, the splitter for free... And, The time that I invest in harvesting, splitting, seasoning all the wood to heat my house has to be worth something. Actually if I sat down and figured it all out, it would probably be cheaper for me to heat with LP. But there is no way I am getting rid of my woodstove. In fact I am looking for a bigger stove so I can buy more toys, cut more wood, spend more of my free time at this...........

 

[Nuzzy]

Whenever anyone talks about burning wood (myself included) the subject of saving money comes up. Yet if we actually figure it out, we are not "SAVING" money, we are just spending it in different areas...
None of my saws were given to me, I don't get the gas I burn in the saws, the truck, the splitter for free... And, The time that I invest in harvesting, splitting, seasoning all the wood to heat my house has to be worth something. Actually if I sat down and figured it all out, it would probably be cheaper for me to heat with LP. But there is no way I am getting rid of my woodstove. In fact I am looking for a bigger stove so I can buy more toys, cut more wood, spend more of my free time at this...........

I could buy a new saw every year plus gas/mix/diesel and still come out WAY ahead of buying propane...

Time is a non issue as it's something I do for fun.

oke:

 

[coog]

The quality of wood heat is clearly superior to that of LP, which may be somewhat cheaper at the moment than wood, but we all know how quickly that can change.

I think we all want to know the details on the "couple of good women" !?!?

 

[powerstroke73L]

Whenever anyone talks about burning wood (myself included) the subject of saving money comes up. Yet if we actually figure it out, we are not "SAVING" money, we are just spending it in different areas... None of my saws were given to me, I don't get the gas I burn in the saws, the truck, the splitter for free... And, The time that I invest in harvesting, splitting, seasoning all the wood to heat my house has to be worth something. Actually if I sat down and figured it all out, it would probably be cheaper for me to heat with LP. But there is no way I am getting rid of my woodstove. In fact I am looking for a bigger stove so I can buy more toys, cut more wood, spend more of my free time at this...........

Time can be pretty subjective. I work six days a week and do any cutting/transporting on Saturdays/Sunday afternoons. I find wood between work and home which saves me some time and fuel since I'm going that way anyway. There's no getting around how much time it takes to buck, split, and stack cord after cord of wood though. However, I look at it as "What would I do otherwise?" Aside from watching sports/the History Channel I don't have any other major time commitments. My wife and I are content to spend time around the house, go out to dinner once in a while, etc...I'd rather be out in the cool air cutting and splitting than sitting in front of the tube. Therefore I don't buy into the "but if you paid yourself for the time..." argument. Also, all of my splitting tools (all manner of mauls, wedges, and hammers) cost me less than $50. The saw was $300 and I've bought a couple of chains, nothing crazy. There's no getting around gas of course, but I probably buy less than 10 gallons for saw over the "cutting season."

 

[woodchopper]

#2 : do not quit the day job.

Now to taxes: Total taxation in Maine is second only to N.J., maybe California. Massachusetts is way down there, N.H. is the lowest in the country. We know, we moved to Maine from Massachusetts!

I actually moved from Maine to Massachusetts. Never would of done it before I met my wife. She's a keeper so I did it.
Not sure if coog's post includes property taxes but I would wonder how accurate that scale would be because property taxes fluctuate so much from town to town. Averages don't cut it. My Maine house is as the crows flys only 1/2 mile from the NH border. If my same house was in the neighboring NH town I'd be paying over three times what I pay now in taxes. Also when I bought my house I paid 1/4 of what I would've had my house been right over the border in NH.
Even if total taxation IS more in Maine taxation is only a part of the equation in overall cost.
Like I said before I was born in Maine but raised across the river in NH. I'd much rather be in either one of those states than the :censored: I'm in now. Much safer and cleaner up North.

 

[coog]

That chart didn't cut and paste very well.Here is the source.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/Advice/TheBestAndWorstStatesForTaxes.aspx?page=2

A good woman is worth taking a beating for;she'd be just as good, however, in another state.Good luck

 

[bowtechmadman]

Powerstroke you better watch it or you'll have more than one saw if you spend too much time here.

 

[maplemeister]

Wooddoctor: This is turning into a most entertaining thread. Thanks for bringing it up. Rep coming your way amigo.

Maplemeister:

 

[stihl sawing]

All this talk about no or missing teeth, Thought you was talking about arkansas. It gets mighty cold here without no shoes.

 

[coog]

Yeah, but look what a buck gets you when you wave it in a trailer park.

 

[logbutcher]

Much safer and cleaner up North.

Oh yes, it is cleaner "up north" you know. Why, we even do the Saturday Night bath after using the tooth-brush on The Tooth.

And "safer". Yesseree. Yesseree. Maine has the highest per capita Concealed Carry Permits in the lower U.S. Not many Boston Fingers thrown hereabouts. Not much R² (Road Rage)......yet )

And please, don't come. The weather is damn chilly, the natives unfriendly, the short so-called summer is plagued by Black Flies that tear the blood off a moose, and the roads wind and wander to nowhere. You may never find your way back south to the Urban/Suburban Jungle you inhabit. Short visas will be permitted.

 

[aokpops]

don.t know any better

 

[Rickochet]

I love to burn wood for all of the above reasons and more! I never hear my beautiful bride of 30 years say...... "It's cold in here"!!!!!

Now that is worth a fortune!!!!!! When the bride's happy---- everybody's happy!!!!!!!!!

 

[blakey]

Time can be pretty subjective. I work six days a week and do any cutting/transporting on Saturdays/Sunday afternoons. I find wood between work and home which saves me some time and fuel since I'm going that way anyway. There's no getting around how much time it takes to buck, split, and stack cord after cord of wood though. However, I look at it as "What would I do otherwise?" Aside from watching sports/the History Channel I don't have any other major time commitments. My wife and I are content to spend time around the house, go out to dinner once in a while, etc...I'd rather be out in the cool air cutting and splitting than sitting in front of the tube. Therefore I don't buy into the "but if you paid yourself for the time..." argument. Also, all of my splitting tools (all manner of mauls, wedges, and hammers) cost me less than $50. The saw was $300 and I've bought a couple of chains, nothing crazy. There's no getting around gas of course, but I probably buy less than 10 gallons for saw over the "cutting season."

I agree, I figure I am getting paid very well for cutting wood. I have streamlined my process, I cut locally, usually on my land, bring it home and toss it in the shed near the owb, done. No stacking, no moving piles, very little splitting. I already have a tractor with front end load and a flat rack wagon and I don't really have CAD.

 

[Joshlaugh]

I don't have much to add to what folks have already posted. I am proud of my abilities to keep my family warm and cozy in the winter using my two hands and a saw. I try to be as self realiant as I can be. We have a freezer full of deer and birds and try to live simply. As Woodbooga said I believe I am a tree-hugger too. I like recreating in the woods whether than be hiking, or cutting down trees. We need woods for so many reasons yet there are radicals on both sides that don't understand that either wanting to clear cut an area for a new wal-mart or ban people from entering the woods to "protect it"

 

[maplemeister]

I agree, I figure I am getting paid very well for cutting wood. I have streamlined my process, I cut locally, usually on my land, bring it home and toss it in the shed near the owb, done. No stacking, no moving piles, very little splitting. I already have a tractor with front end load and a flat rack wagon and I don't really have CAD.

Mr Blakey: How can you be absolutely sure that you don't have CAD. You may not have purchased a saw in a while but if you are finding comfort in that fact, you are heading into the "FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY ZONE". I have it on good authority that this insidious disease can lie dormant for months at a time before rearing it's ugly head without any warning whatsoever. It can strike with such swiftness that your charge card balance will be devasted before you have time to comprehend your actions. You could find yourself driving home with that new saw and trying to figure out what to tell the lady of the house upon arrival. you probably won't even realize what you have done until you get to the front yard. Although it may be hard to accept, you need to understand that we all have the CAD gene in our system and no one is totally immune. Please be careful, it can happen to you.

Maplemeister: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[blakey]

I have so far resisted spending money on saws I don't need. Contrary to what many people think a 290 will quickly cut enough wood to feed an owb no problem. The key is a sharp chain, which I have become very picky about. My strategy is to not run anything bigger than what I have, then I don't know what I am missing.