Off season activities - firewood business

[cutman]

Last year, I splurged and bought a really nice wood splitter. I love splitting firewood.

I created a side business to sell seasoned firewood in my neighborhood, so now I can write off my expenses. So far I’ve made $820 and spent about $17000. It’s clearly very profitable.

Anyone else do something like this?

 

[Mennoniteman]

That's some fun toys. And a pretty nice grade oak tree you're cutting up there in the fourth picture. I also make quite a bit of firewood, but my equipment isn't quite that level of cool, and my pile is currently under a layer of snow. You do need to add the value of the therapy that you are getting, mentally and physically, and you'll find your equipment is paid off already!
In 1979, the first year I was out of school, construction was slow over the winter so my dad and I cut firewood to sell off some acreage that we had. Gypsy moths had killed a lot of oak trees, and firewood was still in demand from the fallout over the oil embargo, and we were making close to $200 a day in cash every day all winter. That is around $700 a day in today's prices, not bad money for a man and a boy who were out of work.

 

[George]

That's some operation.

G

 

[catscratch]

What an awesome setup cutman! I see that we view profits the same way!

I let some local kids cut wood this winter so that I wouldn't have to do it. To big for my taste, I don't like fooling with the big stuff anymore. Plus it was oak, and I don't really like to burn oak. They made good money off of it.

Here's my set-up. I added wings to the blade... so I'm now a complete badass!

 

[Elkaddict]

You’ve added to my “moneymaking” list

 

[cutman]

To be fair, we already had the tractors, gators, and trackhoe. The splitter was the only addition. I love it - it saves my back.

I made a mistake cutting that big oak down. I thought it was dead.

 

[yoderjac]

Very nice setup! Following the same logic and taking something you love and making it a business, we did something similar. For hunting ground, we bought a pine farm, We had a forester write a Forest Stewardship Plan for it that includes wildlife management like food plots. Now, everything we put into that farm becomes a deduction. The real nice thing about a pine farm is that you don't have the "hobby" risk from the IRS. With most home businesses, if you don't show a profit in a few years, the IRS deems it a hobby and all those deductions go away. With a pine farm, the time expected from planting to harvest can be 20 years plus. It is pretty obvious to the IRS why you are not making a profit yet if the trees are not mature enough to harvest.

We have had a couple timber thinnings since we bought the farm so we have made a small profit, but if it wasn't for the tax breaks combined with the fact we love to do the wildlife management work, it would be a horrible investment.

 

[MarkDarvin]

That is no doubt a top of the line splitter rig. I very much enjoy making firewood. I've made more than I can use, so I'm selling some of mine, and not for much money, but it gets used at least.

I've spent a ton of time researching chainsaws and splitters. The big deal in splitters is cycle time, and those Easton's are about the fastest hydraulic splitter on the market.

My next putzing project is going to be making charcoal. I've figured out the science, and now I'm gonna scale up just a little. Nothing industrial by any means, but I'll be able to use the resources I've got around, and make some biochar for my gardens and maybe even some grilling charcoal.

 

[cutman]

After years and years of chainsaw use, I finally learned how to sharpen my own chains this weekend. I’m embarrassed by how easy it is and that it took this long.

This is going to be a game changer. Cutting rounds is a lot more fun when the chain is sharp.

 

[catscratch]

After years and years of chainsaw use, I finally learned how to sharpen my own chains this weekend. I’m embarrassed by how easy it is and that it took this long.

This is going to be a game changer. Cutting rounds is a lot more fun when the chain is sharp.

What tool and how?

 

[cutman]

15.354-in Chainsaw Sharpening Kit

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-HUSQVARNA-3-8-IN-File-Kit/5002831575

That’s the model that fits my chains.

 

[Folk Rock Farm]

Last year, I splurged and bought a really nice wood splitter. I love splitting firewood.

I created a side business to sell seasoned firewood in my neighborhood, so now I can write off my expenses. So far I’ve made $820 and spent about $17000. It’s clearly very profitable.

Anyone else do something like this?

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Hell of a splitter! Looks like some fun. Ever think of adding a sawmill? They are fun to use and you can potentially get MUCH more money per board foot of wood than you would out of cord wood.

 

[Folk Rock Farm]

That is no doubt a top of the line splitter rig. I very much enjoy making firewood. I've made more than I can use, so I'm selling some of mine, and not for much money, but it gets used at least.

I've spent a ton of time researching chainsaws and splitters. The big deal in splitters is cycle time, and those Easton's are about the fastest hydraulic splitter on the market.

My next putzing project is going to be making charcoal. I've figured out the science, and now I'm gonna scale up just a little. Nothing industrial by any means, but I'll be able to use the resources I've got around, and make some biochar for my gardens and maybe even some grilling charcoal.

Nice! I've made biochar in the past. It is amazing when done right. Even bones will come out whole and looking completely solid, then just crumble to dust in your hands when you squeeze it.

 

[Folk Rock Farm]

Very nice setup! Following the same logic and taking something you love and making it a business, we did something similar. For hunting ground, we bought a pine farm, We had a forester write a Forest Stewardship Plan for it that includes wildlife management like food plots. Now, everything we put into that farm becomes a deduction. The real nice thing about a pine farm is that you don't have the "hobby" risk from the IRS. With most home businesses, if you don't show a profit in a few years, the IRS deems it a hobby and all those deductions go away. With a pine farm, the time expected from planting to harvest can be 20 years plus. It is pretty obvious to the IRS why you are not making a profit yet if the trees are not mature enough to harvest.

We have had a couple timber thinnings since we bought the farm so we have made a small profit, but if it wasn't for the tax breaks combined with the fact we love to do the wildlife management work, it would be a horrible investment.

Very clever way of using 'land use' to your advantage! It is small things like that that most people don't even think of, myself included.

 

[Folk Rock Farm]

That's some fun toys. And a pretty nice grade oak tree you're cutting up there in the fourth picture. I also make quite a bit of firewood, but my equipment isn't quite that level of cool, and my pile is currently under a layer of snow. You do need to add the value of the therapy that you are getting, mentally and physically, and you'll find your equipment is paid off already!
In 1979, the first year I was out of school, construction was slow over the winter so my dad and I cut firewood to sell off some acreage that we had. Gypsy moths had killed a lot of oak trees, and firewood was still in demand from the fallout over the oil embargo, and we were making close to $200 a day in cash every day all winter. That is around $700 a day in today's prices, not bad money for a man and a boy who were out of work.

Good money, and even better memories!

 

[Mennoniteman]

Last year, I splurged and bought a really nice wood splitter. I love splitting firewood.

I created a side business to sell seasoned firewood in my neighborhood, so now I can write off my expenses. So far I’ve made $820 and spent about $17000. It’s clearly very profitable.

Anyone else do something like this?

View attachment 30906View attachment 30907View attachment 30908View attachment 30909
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My firewood operation looks more like this. This is oak cut to 14" length and split small for an old fashioned kitchen range.