Firewood: Over-run with orders

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I guess I should have started to cut firewood a long time ago. I figured I would cut the trees around the edges of my fields to keep the trees and limbs from hitting the tractors as they harvest the crop ground. At the same time I could take this wood and cut it up into firewood and sell it. Kind of two birds with one stone...

This past weekend I cut 10 cord of firewood tree length. I figured I could spend some days this spring cutting it up and splitting it, and then sell it next fall. Nope, I've already sold 20 cord of wood at tree length. I'm in hopes to flatten 10 more cords this weekend to make up for the shortfall. I don't know how well that will work though, we got 10 more inches of snow from the "rain" they predicted. With the snow we already got, it might prove to be tough on my little tractor, but we'll see. As small as it is, the thing always impresses me so it might handle this well enough.
 
Congrats on the new fortune,20 X ? is good money. Should speed up the garage project, maybe add an extra bay.:thumb::thumb:

I'm not as rich as you think. In my haste I did mention that I sold this wood Tree Length, but Tree Length firewood is worth only 90 bucks a cord since its not dry, cut into 16 inch lengths or split.

Still its a great deal because I don't have much time invested in it. It took me about 10 hours to fell, limb and haul out that 10 cords, so that's about 90 bucks an hour...before expenses.

I can make 300 a cord next fall if its cut, split, stacked, dry and delivered, but that all takes time and money. At least 40 hours of labor to work up 10 cord of wood. So if you do the math on that, it actually ends up being less moneyper cord for tree length wood, but more money per hour for my work.

Tree Length= 20 hours to produce 20 cord at 90 per cord= $90 per hour

Fitted Firewood= 100 hours to produce 20 cord at 300 per cord= $60 per cord

I would like to split the difference and sell a few tree length cords,and then work up a few cords of firewood just so that I have some thing to do this Spring. Still it seems kind of foolish to work hard and get less money per hour in the end.

Maybe I should just say to heck with logging and all this crazy math and just go snowmobiling instead! :)
 
Travis, I think Robert has a point. I forgot about your penchant for smacking into rocks. Maybe you'd just better stick with earning money and hope that you survive the chainsawing experience with all limbs intact. Let's see, the minimum wage in Maine is $7, so it seems that no matter which one you do you're way ahead of poverty.
 
Yeah I admit I play pretty hard. I also pack quite a bit into my life so I'm always doing something, even if its work to most people. One of the reasons I like my chiropractor/ massage therapist so much is that they keep me going.:thumb:
 
You guys sound like my Chiropractor. She was shocked that I was still working at work. When I told her I have been snowmobiling and cutting wood on the weekends, she could not believe it.

I'm not a big fan of rest. I figure I will get plenty of that when I'm dead.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Travis, I tore up my shoulder several years ago. And, much like you, did the macho thing and basically ignored it. Finally, after three years of pain, I saw a doctor. He said it was fully healed but healed wrong and was now beyond surgical repair. So, now, I have lost part of the use of my right arm. At certain positions, I cannot hold up a 2 pound weight and must compensate and/or use me left arm. GET IT FIXED!
 
You guys sound like my Chiropractor. She was shocked that I was still working at work. When I told her I have been snowmobiling and cutting wood on the weekends, she could not believe it.

I'm not a big fan of rest. I figure I will get plenty of that when I'm dead.:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Travis it sounds like you have a pretty good chiropractor with a good head on her shoulders. There doesn't seem to much sence wasting time telling you what you should or shouldn't do. I do enough of that with my kids. :bang: It is your life and you will do with as you want. Your a big boy now and don't need anyone telling you what to do. At least you are doing something about it now and that is what is important. :clap::clap::clap:
 
Drew I understand what you are saying, I really do.

I have battled being a workaholic all my life and have a divorce to prove it. I am better then I used to be, but sitting around watching television is not for me. It's really not a macho/cowboy/ John Wayne thing like you may think. I just am not hardwired to relax.

You may laugh but when I was a kid my parents tied me to a chair to get me to eat supper. Even now I eat fast, get up and get going...pain or not. I know I am not the only one who lives a busy life...we all do...but if you look at my addition, you can see that sitting around is not something I do much of. Perhaps its a stealth gloat, but I built the thing from concrete pad to finished in 7 months by myself. Few people could do that and even less lazy people.

I said in the beginning of this reply that I battle with being a workaholic. It's true. In some ways its just like being an alcoholic or junkie. You push everyone else aside to get what you want. In my case its destructive because I spend time working instead of with Alyson or the Wife. I am not trying to make anyone feel sad for me, I just wanted you to know that its not bravado, being macho or being cool. I grew upon a dairy farm man, the work is always there, so are aches and pains, so I was raised where you better get used to it, and get back to work.

On the farm we had this haymound, that had only one way in,and one way out. If you did something stupid and my Grandfather found out about it, man were you in for it. He would wait until you went into the haymound then follow you in. There was an old axe handle by the door...no head to it, just the handle. but when he connected with you, you got good grades, didn't try cigarettes more then once and learned to walk a fine line. You also learned to do your chores despite broken ribs and plenty of bruises. Fortunately back then I was younger and heeled faster.

This shoulder thing is worrying me. It hurts a lot and I'm telling you, I grew up with lots of pain. Don't worry though, I have no intention of bringing this kind of discipline to my daughter. I deserved 90% of what I got, but I think I turned out like I did despite of what I got, not because of it.
 
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