Firewood: To split, or not to split?

[GManBart]

That is the question <sorry Shakespeare fans>

I don't use any firewood for heat right now (may change eventually), but I have a LOT of trees that need to be cut down, or cleaned up....mostly standing dead Ash, and Maple. In the past I was having friends, neighbors, and coworkers come by with their trucks/trailers and load up all they could take. I finally got tired of doing all the work (felling, limbing, bucking, and stacking) and essentially handing out $100 bills on a regular basis. So, I'm going to start selling the wood rather than give it away. Around here lots of people have roadside setups with face cords ready for loading, and get from $65-75 for them...I have a perfect spot for this ready to go.

I'm just not sure about what to do with the smaller rounds that are bigger than kindling, but not big enough to split....what is the minimum size (diameter) you would expect to see included in stacked wood for sale? Similarly, how big would be okay to leave unsplit?

Everybody loves pictures, so I'll give you one of the start I have on stocking up on wood. I cleared a small area behind our house over several days and wound up with at least double the wood in the picture below. To give you an idea of size, look at the far pile and the log that's on the ground at the far left...it was 30" across at the widest spot (28" bar on my big saw, so I'm confident of the size).

 

[TnAndy]

I don't split stuff below 4" diameter, above that I do. But I also let mine season a year under roof.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

I prefer to have everything split at least once. It seasons much better. I don't usually bother with stuff smaller than 3 or 4", I find it isn't worth the time

 

[vtsnowedin]

That is a really good starting pile. I don't see anything in it that is too small to sell. After all any customer is going to need some small stuff to use as kindling in the mornings. Customers vary, some want nothing but straight grained oak between seven and eight inches in diameter split into quarters and others will want anything called good hardwood split down to five inch by five inch maximum with the whole tree, stump to limb tips you can reach around thumb to index finger as the cut off point.
find out what your customers want and give it to them. Make that SELL it to them at a fair price.

 

[dave1949]

I would try to sell the wood cut to 16" lengths but not split. If you don't own a powered splitter it isn't going to be worth your time to hand split a couple cords of wood now and then; you already have a better paying job.

Selling rounds minimizes your time and effort. People can split the wood by hand, or rent a splitter, and they don't need a chainsaw. You sell it a little cheaper and they put some sweat equity into it.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I would try to sell the wood cut to 16" lengths but not split. If you don't own a powered splitter it isn't going to be worth your time to hand split a couple cords of wood now and then; you already have a better paying job.

Selling rounds minimizes your time and effort. People can split the wood by hand, or rent a splitter, and they don't need a chainsaw. You sell it a little cheaper and they put some sweat equity into it.

If your selling wood as a business proposition then you have to provide what the customer wants. Yes you will have some that will take it in the round for a cheaper price but most people that just buy their wood want it in pieces that will already fit into their stove. You will have some that want 18 inch furnace wood where a six inch log is just halved but two out of three want 16 inch wood where that same eight inch log is quartered.

 

[bcjmmac]

You could also check with some local fire wood sellers - they might be willing to take the felled trees off you hands/they have to get the wood somewhere. I know people who buy standing wood, fell it, & sell it in 8' lengths for processing into firewood.

 

[dave1949]

If your selling wood as a business proposition then you have to provide what the customer wants. Yes you will have some that will take it in the round for a cheaper price but most people that just buy their wood want it in pieces that will already fit into their stove. You will have some that want 18 inch furnace wood where a six inch log is just halved but two out of three want 16 inch wood where that same eight inch log is quartered.

Agreed but I didn't think making a business of it was the goal. No way I would go into the firewood business with a chainsaw and splitting maul.

 

[murphy1244]

If your selling wood as a business proposition then you have to provide what the customer wants. Yes you will have some that will take it in the round for a cheaper price but most people that just buy their wood want it in pieces that will already fit into their stove. You will have some that want 18 inch furnace wood where a six inch log is just halved but two out of three want 16 inch wood where that same eight inch log is quartered.

They are also gonna want it seasoned and I mean longer than a week.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Small solid rounds have a good place in maintaining a fire, so a mix in with split wood would be a value - perhaps unperceived at first. Im in with splitting everything above 6" but leaving a very small % of 6s unsplit. 4s likewise at greater unsplit %. Smaller should go whole. Too many rounds will destabilize a stack.

Providing wood is a lot of work. The ones who make money get it free, because its a burden to the landowners endeavor, and then put work in and sell it. Seldom will you find these people short of free wood so even $5 a truckload with them loading will fall thru in the long run.

You may be able to get something for your unfinished wood from the people stocking up for themselves.
,,,Good luck!
larry

 

[dave1949]

They are also gonna want it seasoned and I mean longer than a week.

And delivered.

Those aren't the people I would aim at in the OP's situation.

 

[PHPaul]

I use wood as supplemental heat, but I don't have any wood lot, so I buy wood in 8 cord tree-length truck loads.

My rule for splitting is that if I can grab the butt of a stick with one hand and pick it up, it doesn't get split. With my hands, that equates to about 6" diameter.

While split wood DOES season faster, the rule of thumb I've always heard is that you lose about 50% of the available BTU when you split a round.

 

[vtsnowedin]

While split wood DOES season faster, the rule of thumb I've always heard is that you lose about 50% of the available BTU when you split a round.

:confused2: You can burn it faster because it has more surface area but why would the two halves not contain as many BTUs as the whole round?

 

[PHPaul]

:confused2: You can burn it faster because it has more surface area but why would the two halves not contain as many BTUs as the whole round?

I expect that refers to reduced burn time, not BTU content, now that you mention it. That's what I get for repeating an old wive's tale I guess.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I expect that refers to reduced burn time, not BTU content, now that you mention it. That's what I get for repeating an old wive's tale I guess.

Not a problem. I remember my mother sending me back out to the woodshed to split each piece one more time so she could get a hot enough oven to bake a pie. I didn't mind doing it as I planned on eating the loins share of said pie.:licking:

 

[nybirdman]

I would be selling it for sure;why do all the work for nothing.A cord is going for $75-80 around here.I would not split it at all.A lot of home owners around here have outside boilers and don't want it split.

 

[GManBart]

Thanks guys....all very good points. I'm certainly not trying to make a career out of it, but there really is a lot of wood on our property that is either going to be wasted, given away, or turned into a modest amount of cash. I've doubled the size of the piles in the picture (and added a third pile), and that's just a fraction of what I have easily available to me right now, so I'm confident I'll run out of time before I run out of wood. All of what I'm cutting now is from a couple of areas I want cleared, so I'm going to be doing the bulk of the work either way....only makes sense to make a few bucks out of it.

I've considered selling just rounds, but most folks around here seem to want it split (and seasoned, of course). I was planning to buy a splitter, and figure the first year will probably just cover that expense if I get something nice (deciding between a SuperSplit and DR Rapidfire). I'm looking at 5yd dump trucks for a couple of other projects I have, so I could consider delivering in the local area, but most folks seem to just set up face cord racks on the side of the road, and put a cash box nearby.

I'm thinking that it may be smart to keep some of the bigger stuff unsplit in case somebody wants it for an outdoor furnace...and that means less effort when I'm splitting since I'll be handling stuff that's more manageable.

I guess that puts me in the range of 3-6" (ballpark) left unsplit, anything smaller in a kindling pile people can have for free, leaving the largest sections to deal with later, or sell to folks who want big/heavy pieces for outdoor furnaces, and splitting the rest.

 

[TnAndy]

Agreed but I didn't think making a business of it was the goal. No way I would go into the firewood business with a chainsaw and splitting maul.

I hear ya. Today, I'd buy or build a firewood processor in a heartbeat.

But back when I was much younger, I put myself thru college with the GI bill and selling firewood just that way. It was the 'energy crisis' of the 70's and you could really sell firewood at the time. I bought an old rust bucket '59 Chevy pickup, installed a new short block engine, built a wood flat bed on the back that could hold good 1/2 cord, and peddled one load every afternoon after classes, 2 loads on Saturdays, door-to-door for $25/load.

Started with an old Homelite XL-12 inherited from family, soon bought my first Sthil....041 Farm Boss...and paid for the saw in 2 weeks ! I cleaned up laps from timber sales on the National Forest and had an unlimited supply. Did it for 2 years nearly every day the weather would co-operate.

Wife had a job as a pharmacy clerk, and we actually lived pretty good ! Didn't have to borrow a dime for school, boy, THOSE were the days !

 

[TnAndy]

While split wood DOES season faster, the rule of thumb I've always heard is that you lose about 50% of the available BTU when you split a round.

All wood has about the same BTU content per pound.

Seasoned wood delivers more BTU in the form of heat, rather than in the form of steam up the chimney.

Large rounds take a LONG time to season.....probably years.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I hear ya. Today, I'd buy or build a firewood processor in a heartbeat.

But back when I was much younger, I put myself thru college with the GI bill and selling firewood just that way. It was the 'energy crisis' of the 70's and you could really sell firewood at the time. I bought an old rust bucket '59 Chevy pickup, installed a new short block engine, built a wood flat bed on the back that could hold good 1/2 cord, and peddled one load every afternoon after classes, 2 loads on Saturdays, door-to-door for $25/load.

Started with an old Homelite XL-12 inherited from family, soon bought my first Sthil....041 Farm Boss...and paid for the saw in 2 weeks ! I cleaned up laps from timber sales on the National Forest and had an unlimited supply. Did it for 2 years nearly every day the weather would co-operate.

Wife had a job as a pharmacy clerk, and we actually lived pretty good ! Didn't have to borrow a dime for school, boy, THOSE were the days !

You dredged up some old memories there. Homelite XL-12 ? My father had one. Selling wood during the energy crisis of '74 did that with that saw. getting out of college without a dimes debt? did that.
I wasn't a vet so didn't have that,but about half my college class was. And I didn't get up to a pickup just then as I didn't have the money or enough customers to pay for one. Looked at a new Ford 4WD F 150 for $4500 and just couldn't be sure I could make the payments.
Oh to be young, single and debt free again.