scrounging just doesn't seem worth it anymore.......

[ckarotka]

Werm mentioned the "thrill of the chase". I like that!!

I love doing it! I love to look at what I have accomplished. I love walking around in my shorts in Jan. I love the chase.

I also love the challenge of some of the scores, hmmmm how am I going to get that out?? That kinda stuff gets me going, sometimes the harder the better. Especially with limited resources.

It's a great bonding tool for the family as well. I have a 12 y/o daughter, what the heck do we have in common??
Well she likes hunting for it and helping me stack, so I get some quality time with her, and when we're working together she opens up and will talk about stuff she might not have otherwise. Damn BOYS!! I think it's because she feels equal, we are both doing the same hard work.

Like stated though, some day the body will say no more, when that day comes around, I'll tell my son to fill the racks ;-)

 

[SolarAndWood]

It costs me about $200 and a solid week full time every year to produce $2000 of delivered wood.

My God! How much wood does that BKK eat? I thought they were s'posed to be real efficient and all that? Two grand would buy me over a dozen cord around here.

As much as it takes. The ladies like it warm, good sized house, lots of glass, windy ridge, burn from September to May and no furnace. Delivered here is usually $200-$250 but I have never gotten what was advertised so in reality is higher.

 

[smokinj]

It costs me about $200 and a solid week full time every year to produce $2000 of delivered wood.

My God! How much wood does that BKK eat? I thought they were s'posed to be real efficient and all that? Two grand would buy me over a dozen cord around here.

As much as it takes. The ladies like it warm, good sized house, lots of glass, windy ridge, burn from September to May and no furnace. Delivered here is usually $200-$250 but I have never gotten what was advertised so in reality is higher.

lol Me too I hate the the cold if it takes 14 cords so be it!

 

[rustynut]

fm,
Sorry to hear about those herniated disk problems. Last year we had a storm blow thru the yard and drop about 10+ cord
of Ash. Spent all summer on that and finished the splitting this past spring. My back got pretty strong thru all that. Skimmed
thru these posts and noticed that no one mentioned using a back brace. Have had pinched nerves a few times and it aint no fun.
Had a back brace that i use from motorcycle riding and thought that might help. Got to tell you it helped greatly. It probably
doubled my work time while not putting me down the next day. There are probably better ones for the job but this one was available.
You see the folks at H.D. wearing them from time to time. Dont know where you might buy a real one but you'd be pleasantly
surprised how well you feel when you finish after using one.
Thought i'd share that with you more "seasoned" wood burners
Rustynut

 

[fire_man]

Update to It's just not worth it anymore to scrounge: I just couldn't stand the thought of those four huge oaks not ending up in my stove. I called my friend and asked for the tree service (which fortunately did not show yet) to leave the log lengths behind. These are trees the electric company are demanding come down because they are endangering power lines. I'll have to figure out how to hump the big 3 foot diameter oak out of the woods, I can't get the splitter there so I guess I'll be doing some hand splitting. I must be nuts, I swore I would only get grapple loads anymore. But we're talking OAK! I can't always count on getting much oak in the grapple loads. My last grapple load contained stink'in cottonwood! My wife actually egged me on to get these four oak trees! I must be nuts.I just hope my back does not regret this...

 

[fire_man]

@ $650 per log length you could be saving yourself $500+ per year by scrounging. I started with a $50 dollar poulan saw and a S10 size pickup, every year I have saved myself over $1k by gathering/scrounging, with that $ I have obtained a splitter, better/bigger saws, a trailer and winch and no longer toil with lugging all the free wood and my stove has paid for itself!
There is something to be said for the exercise, being outdoors, and the thrill of the chase but more than anything it is just plain practical.

$650 = several cords of log length and you still have to buck/split/stack

$100 = gas,chains,etc for several free cords + anything you want to buy wth the extra $550

Just my .02
Werm

We think alike. Especially the exercise, being outdoors, and the thrill of the chase. That's my language.

 

[SolarAndWood]

That's the spirit! Sounds like a good wife.

 

[fire_man]

She's a keeper - she loads the stove faithfully and helps with the stacking.

 

[rustynut]

almost as exciting as finding money !

 

[btuser]

No, its like printing your own money!

Ok, I work all week to pay my bills and after bills, booze, women and children (married w/ children and I like beer) I get to keep about $200. I have a choice: Either pay someone $200/cord of wood or cut, buck, split and stack a cord of wood myself. In the end I work 8 hours and make as much IN ONE DAY WORKING FOR MYSELF AS I DO ALL WEEK WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TAX FREE!