Wholesale bulk firewood ideas

[Jim B]

This is a difficult one Jon, could you do it as a small splitter operation and build you from there? See how it goes? The firewood bubble has burst down here could happen to you up there.

[Big J]

This is a difficult one Jon, could you do it as a small splitter operation and build you from there? See how it goes? The firewood bubble has burst down here could happen to you up there.

 

I've done that before. I used to do about 150 cube a year with the offcuts from the mill. Couldn't stand the delivery and handling side of things (I don't have the machinery/delivery method to eliminate handling). These days I just sell all my offcuts for biomass.

 

B_S - that is the one.

 

Wood wasp - agree on the hunching over. Something that could be modified. The mobile version of that processor with a diesel engine isn't much more than the static. I also like the fact it weighs 2 tonnes. The high weight inspires confidence in build quality.

[Tom D]

This is a difficult one Jon, could you do it as a small splitter operation and build you from there? See how it goes? The firewood bubble has burst down here could happen to you up there.

 

I think with softwood it has to be all or nothing, no point ring it all up with a chainsaw when it comes in perfect straight processor lengths. The key to making money on soft wood will be to have the fastest most slick operation.

 

I have often thought about how much you could output you'd make with lots of perfect straight timber, a lot I think.

 

if we are processing oversize arb waste then it works out at less than 20 cube per day, if we were doing straight softwood with a log deck I reckon we'd get nearer 80, with less manpower too.

 

We split arb waste into billets with the Posch 30ton splitter and then put these through the processor, its slow but still profitable as our wood is our own waste.

 

Plus softwood is lighter so your 25 ton load will give more cubage, I like your idea but I think you need to think big rather than small.

 

Oh, and you have to sell it too.... Softwood can be a hard sell.

[Big J]

I think with softwood it has to be all or nothing, no point ring it all up with a chainsaw when it comes in perfect straight processor lengths. The key to making money on soft wood will be to have the fastest most slick operation.

 

I have often thought about how much you could output you'd make with lots of perfect straight timber, a lot I think.

 

if we are processing oversize arb waste then it works out at less than 20 cube per day, if we were doing straight softwood with a log deck I reckon we'd get nearer 80, with less manpower too.

 

We split arb waste into billets with the Posch 30ton splitter and then put these through the processor, its slow but still profitable as our wood is our own waste.

 

Plus softwood is lighter so your 25 ton load will give more cubage, I like your idea but I think you need to think big rather than small.

 

Oh, and you have to sell it too.... Softwood can be a hard sell.

 

We're on the same page here Tom. The machine is rated to 8 cube an hour, so realistically a lorry load a day shouldn't be any trouble. £33 a cube is £10 a cubic metre after fuel and labour costs, so £600/day profit. Shifting that volume of softwood (given that you could theoretically produce 300 cube a week) would be the issue.

 

I've always thought that firewood is profitable at the extreme ends of the spectrum. A man with a transit tipper and a splitter will make money because he has no overheads. A business with a fast processor, log deck, good log handling and abundant labour will make money due to high efficiency. Everyone in between will struggle.

[Wood wasp]

We're on the same page here Tom. The machine is rated to 8 cube an hour, so realistically a lorry load a day shouldn't be any trouble. £33 a cube is £10 a cubic metre after fuel and labour costs, so £600/day profit. Shifting that volume of softwood (given that you could theoretically produce 300 cube a week) would be the issue.

 

 

 

I've always thought that firewood is profitable at the extreme ends of the spectrum. A man with a transit tipper and a splitter will make money because he has no overheads. A business with a fast processor, log deck, good log handling and abundant labour will make money due to high efficiency. Everyone in between will struggle.

 

 

Doing softwood from logdeck is fantastic, substantial production increase and absolute joy to work - no more wrestling bent bits through at all angles.

 

One issue with the pickup and axe brigade is they depress the prices as it's a sideline and fair enough they can't service all the market, there's a lot of them though and all they need is a chainsaw (some of them use trailer on car) and they're a firewood merchant. Another issue is the fast processor, log deck, handling etc all add up to substantial investment for what is ultimately a seasonal market.

 

Also farmers get diversification grants to purchase the above so you have them to compete with too.

[Tom D]

We're on the same page here Tom. The machine is rated to 8 cube an hour, so realistically a lorry load a day shouldn't be any trouble. £33 a cube is £10 a cubic metre after fuel and labour costs, so £600/day profit. Shifting that volume of softwood (given that you could theoretically produce 300 cube a week) would be the issue.

 

I've always thought that firewood is profitable at the extreme ends of the spectrum. A man with a transit tipper and a splitter will make money because he has no overheads. A business with a fast processor, log deck, good log handling and abundant labour will make money due to high efficiency. Everyone in between will struggle.

 

Agree with this, like I say, for us it only pays because the raw material is essentially free, If we get a load of decent wood off a job we sell it wholesale, so all we have back at the yard is the odds and ends. we still have about 250ton of odds and ends though!

[mendiplogs]

I think with softwood it has to be all or nothing, no point ring it all up with a chainsaw when it comes in perfect straight processor lengths. The key to making money on soft wood will be to have the fastest most slick operation.

 

I have often thought about how much you could output you'd make with lots of perfect straight timber, a lot I think.

 

if we are processing oversize arb waste then it works out at less than 20 cube per day, if we were doing straight softwood with a log deck I reckon we'd get nearer 80, with less manpower too.

 

We split arb waste into billets with the Posch 30ton splitter and then put these through the processor, its slow but still profitable as our wood is our own waste.

 

Plus softwood is lighter so your 25 ton load will give more cubage, I like your idea but I think you need to think big rather than small.

 

Oh, and you have to sell it too.... Softwood can be a hard sell.

 

Hi mate re ARB timber you put this through your posch into billets then on again to the pro BUT IF IT full of knots then that may not work as well then it back ring up yes thanks Jon

[Jim B]

 

One issue with the pickup and axe brigade is they depress the prices as it's a sideline and fair enough they can't service all the market, there's a lot of them though and all they need is a chainsaw (some of them use trailer on car) and they're a firewood merchant. Another issue is the fast processor, log deck, handling etc all add up to substantial investment for what is ultimately a seasonal market.

 

Also farmers get diversification grants to purchase the above so you have them to compete with too.

 

I've been mulling this over all day whilst processing. Wood wasp you have beaten me to it. I think as I said this morning the bubble has burst here, what with two mild winters, low oil price merchants have yards full of wood bought at 68 in the yard and now at 50 with no where for it to go. Oil is expected now to drop further. I would be very careful investing mega bucks into it at present and the elephant in the room is Chalara which I feel will apply more pressure to an overheated market. 10 years time this will have sorted itself out but somehow someone has managed to crate a boom and bust cycle in the very basic firewood market.

[Tom D]

I've been mulling this over all day whilst processing. Wood wasp you have beaten me to it. I think as I said this morning the bubble has burst here, what with two mild winters, low oil price merchants have yards full of wood bought at 68 in the yard and now at 50 with no where for it to go. Oil is expected now to drop further. I would be very careful investing mega bucks into it at present and the elephant in the room is Chalara which I feel will apply more pressure to an overheated market. 10 years time this will have sorted itself out but somehow someone has managed to crate a boom and bust cycle in the very basic firewood market.

 

Some wise words there, I seriously considered the firewood game a couple of years ago and came to similar conclusion. Round here you can't get much more than £60 a cube maybe a little in Edinburgh but not much. but in other parts of the country £120 a cube seems possible! I suspect if you were selling softwood in a £120 area it could be quite attractive, but round here when you can get really good hardwood for £60 why would you want soft for just a few quid less?

[Logsnstuff]

delivered 3 cube bags into Edinburgh today £120 a bag, would like to see the £60 a bag guys try for £120 you can afford to lose 50% of your customers remember.