Firewood obsessives

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Eric Johnson said:
That's still a good price for having a pro take down a yard tree, Warren. Last one I had done, it was $1,000--and I'm way upstate where everybody is starvin'!
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Agreed, especially for just one tree, AND one that sounds like a difficult drop... I just dropped some three trees for a friend, all fairly small (less than a cord total I'd estimate) and reasonably safe drops from the ground, and according to his mother they were quoted $200 per tree for the job. I had a bunch of trees dropped around our house that were "danger trees" - not that big but hanging over power lines or otherwise not something I could tackle, and I think I ended up paying around $700 for four trees, on a "chop and drop" basis...

Seems to me like $250 is barely more than what most services would ask just to show up in the driveway with a truck, let alone drop a major tree.

Gooserider
 
That sure is a deal. I last year I paid $200 for a guy to drop and chunk a pine tree in my yard. It had a three foot base and was really close to the house but no bucket truck was needed. And this is in WV. He originally want $500.00 to take it out. I live in a snobish neighborhood. I told him he was $%&ing;crazy. I'm not rich like all these other #$%$s around here. I can't afford that. I have to burn it to keep warm. So he said 200 to drop it. And I said deal, if you cut anything bigger than 24" into rounds for me. So he did it.
 
well, the last time I posted I had about 10 full cord drying..I am now up to 50 full cord..yeah, I have been busy..basically I have the next 5 years worth of wood already drying.
 
Adirondackwoodburner said:
well, the last time I posted I had about 10 full cord drying..I am now up to 50 full cord..yeah, I have been busy..basically I have the next 5 years worth of wood already drying.
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50 cords? Move over Eric.... There's a new big boy of wood stocks on the block!!!
 
Yeah, I know. I'm pretty bummed. Forty-four cords is about all my wife is going to let me stack in the back yard. Don't know what I'm going to do with myself after this summer......

Paint the house, I guess.
 
sorry to steal your thunder Eric but I am in the firewood business..haha..50 cord for myself and have sold 75 already. Cant beat the prices that I am getting right now log length so I have been stocking up mucho-time
 
Adirondackwoodburner said:
sorry to steal your thunder Eric but I am in the firewood business..haha..50 cord for myself and have sold 75 already. Cant beat the prices that I am getting right now log length so I have been stocking up mucho-time
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No pictures = No proof

(yes, I am fishing for pics here)
 
Will try to get some soon. dont have any here at work and dont typically take pics of my wood :)
 
elkimmeg said:
Mo you need a person like me to take care of that home Including the Ac system
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Well Elk, you might be the one guy that could handle the ever growing list of home repairs and upgrades here at Mo Heat Manor, but otherwise, I think I would probably need a team of highly trained, highly skilled craftsmen, living on the premises, to start whittling my list down to size.

A team of highly trained and devoted psychologists, living on the premises, might not be a bad idea, either. :gulp:
 
Just out of curiosity, or most likely my own stupidity, :P when you guys are talking about having 40, 50, or 75 CORDS of wood on your property, are you talking actual cords (4'x4'x8') or are you talking about "face cords"? A face cord is about one third less than a full cord. I have been very busy this summer and all I have is 5 full cords stacked. I'm feeling a little inadequate compared to some of you. :red:

George
 
GeeWizMan, if you have 5 full cord stacked then your doing alright..It all depends on how much you burn each year..I had a goal to get 2 years ahead, but I guess I have over done it. THere are several factors here..1. Type of Splitter? I run a processor..Yeah, it cost used $20k. I also personally have split probably 20 cords..The rest of the time I hire highschool guys on their summer vacations to split wood. I pay them well and they work hard..So, its all relative.. And yes, I am talking about full cord, although I do not stack in the typical 4x4x8 but in longer rows for more storage space..

This year has been really great for obtaining logs..I have gotten a few good connections with some local loggers and there has been an increase in logging in my local area. I have been getting logs delivered to my landing for about $55/cord..When you get that, you get as much as humanly possible on your landing. So basically I paid $2700 for my 50 full cord.. with the labor of the guys slitting about half of it for me I still came under 3500. I sell most of my green split wood for $180/cord..Pretty good return
 
Adirondack -

That is a pretty good return... $3500 for 50 cord, processed... $70/cord. You sell for $180... that's $110/cord profit. Even when you take out maintenance and operating costs on the processor, you must still make around $100/cord. By that math, though, you have to sell 200 cord to break even (with the cost of the processor). After that the rest is all gravy, but that's a lot of wood!!! How many cord do you sell per year?
 
Let me back up here. I am partners with another guy, he has been doing it for a couple of years and now I am in on it with him. He needed someone to go in on the processor etc so that is when I came in..Anyways, this being my first summer as a partner, We ahve sold and delivered 75 cord so far all green. The big return comes in December/January when people run out and need seasoned/dry wood. Then we sell for $220/cord :)

Our goal is to have the processor paid off by this fall. I do not do the bookwork, but I believe we are 3/4 of the way there..Technicall we are making 0$ right now other than keeing ourselves in our own wood supply..

I am learning that this is a touchy business and it all depends on who you know and the market for logs at the mill. We are in constant contact with about a dozen local loggers. If mill (pulp) prices are down, it is more cost effective for them to sell the wood as firewood and bring it to us..Saves them a long haul to the mill and they dont like long hauls..Gas prices $$..

So anyways, yes, I am obsessed with the wood stuff too, I have taken it alittle far though!
 
Adirondackwoodburner,

Thanks, I feel a little better :smirk:. Depending on the winter, I normally will go through 6 to 7 full cords of wood. We heat with wood 24/7, starting around Thanksgiving and go until the temp is 50° outside, which usually means around the end of March beginning of April. We keep 2 stoves going the entire time. I don't think we are obsessive in any way just very normal ;-)

George
 
thats not bad then George, you must have a pretty well insulated palace..I burn around 6-7 cord minimum with my Avalon Olympic and I would say90% wood burning..But, when I live, I start burning wood End of September and still burning into May.
 
Well, my 40 FULL CORDS should count for more, since I do it all myself with a chain saw, a pickup truck and an 8-pound maul.

I have been burning about 15 cords per season, but expect that to drop to around 10 with the new boiler.
 
Eric takes the cake..anyone who splits 40 cord with a maul and hammer #1. I dont want to ever mess with #2. Cant be married with kids
 
...or perhaps he is married with kids. "Sorry Honey, I can't change the diaper or clean the house, I have to go out and split some more wood. You don't want us to run out in the middle of winter do you?"
 
Hermit?? haha just busting...
 
Well, I'm married (27 years), have a couple of kids, a full-time job and some freelance work. I'm the editor of a logging magazine.

Actually, I cut, haul, split and stack three Ford Ranger loads per week of 24-inch firewood, which amounts to a full cord. It takes about an hour to cut and load the truck after work, and another half hour to split and stack it in my backyard. So, that's 4.5 hours--let's just round it up to 6 hours a week. Do that from the time the snow melts until it flies again, and you start to accumulate some wood.

And I don't watch TV.

So I don't consider it a big deal, time-wise. More like a hobby and a good way to stay in shape. It's also a good way to stay in touch with some of the on-the-ground realities of the logging business.
 
gotchya there..where do you get the logs from?
 
The trade association I work for has a woodlot just south of Old Forge. As part of our ongoing timber stand improvement program, we're doing what's known as a "crop tree thinning" on part of it. Basically, that involves taking out all the weed trees (culls and beech) and leaving anything with potential value as sawtimber in the future. Our money tree around here is yellow birch, but there is some black cherry and hard and soft maple on the lot. Most of what I cut, therefore, is beech.

Here's a pic with one of my victims in the foreground.
 

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ah...so your not shelling out any $$ for the logs?.... I had my house insulated with Northeast Sprayfoam.. Know of them? anyways, the guy was from lake George area and said that wood prices are really high and its tough to get firewood
 
Lake George is on the other side of the Park. They have two pulpmills over there, in Ticonderoga and Glens Falls, so there's more competition for firewood-grade timber. We got nothing over here anymore. Pulpwood sells for about $6 per cord on the stump.

Here's another winter shot from Flatrock Mountain.
 

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