Tons of R/W oak, E. Red Cedar, & cherry wood, but don't know best way to cut or sell it. (Stacy: fit in, for sale)

[CJO2010]

Hi, just joined this forum to find the best way to sell a bunch of wood on my property where some trees are cut down, the rest are still standing. Great trees too. Any help is appreciated. Can cut and split to any size or entire tree. Also a bunch of maple.

[Norsky1]

craigslist?

[demtion35]

Several ways to get the wood sold, depending on how much there is of it and how much work you are willing to go to, to get rid of it.

First if there is a resonable amount of wood and not too much labor involved, you could sell it as cord wood

For 100" a trucker probablly wont come and get it off the property unless there is a huge amount of it.

If the standing or downed wood is in good condition you could saw it up in 100" and skid it up to a landing area, and advertise or seek out a Wood-Mizer band saw and have it sawed up into lumber.

The oak, cedar and cherry is valuable, especially to the right wood-worker comes along he may help saw it up, I think a good idea is to sell the bulk in cord wood, but depending on how much there is of course.

A cord generally is 4x4x8' and may be between $100.00-150.00 per cord, but Id sell it for around $80.00 per cord.

Some fire wood is sold by the heaping truck load, there are many ways to sell the wood. Depending on the distance involved you could deliver yourself or have the customer haul it for himself away.

Dont know where you live or if its rural or not, but a band saw is good option, they are portable and can come to the job for a fee, but if there are any wood workers in the area or clubs talk to them and they may have several good ideas, like I said if the wood is decent there could be alot of valuable lumber it there, especially the oak and maple, and cherry is a expensive wood in board form, as is maple, then oak price wise.

But if the trees are not straight or good enough quality to make it feesible for lumber, (not enough diameter, too crooked, punky, dry rot) then sell the stuff for cord wood in 16" 18" 24" whatever the customer wants.

Good luck, keep chain sharp and saw oiled lol

[CJO2010]

Thanks for the help! I live near Stacy, MN which is rural, but drive to Mpls a few times a week. I have a 1 ton cargo van with ball hitch, could rent a big trailer, or buy one for hauling. Might make sense to do the latter and cut it up as fire wood. Some of these r oaks are over 100 yrs old and huge. Craigslist is a good idea too. May post to look for customers, and see what they want. Cut to order? I'm interested in the labor involved, and have plenty of time to work at it. A cheap poulan 16" saw may need to be upgraded. I like the 4'x4'x8' cord idea. Thanks again for your replies.

[demtion35]

Labor involved, if you had a four wheeler you could use this attachment to skid the logs out of the woods
Log Harvesting & Log Skidding





To handle the trees or logs yourself, some of the tools that may be needed to controll the fall of the tree is a comalong, in this case its a four ton, and several lengths of chain, however much you need for the job.

Also a good chainsaw with all tools needed to keep it running order. Some tools shown bar tip greaser, bastard file, tooth round file to sharpen the chain by hand, file gage to maintain correct angle, bar oil gasoline mixed, loggers pick, toolbox, gloves, and countless other odds and ends.

These are just some of the tools I use. Photo taken inside of my workshop.
Thanks

[CJO2010]

Great set-up! I have the various tools, but a come along would be helpfull. I have a large cherry leaning on another tree now since I didn't plan it's fall well. I got a reply back from craigslist regarding his wanting to purchase some wood. Here's a copy of my post, and his response. Not sure what to charge if I cut it in 19" sec. for him, and deliver. Lake elmo isn't far from me. I posted that it's all still standing, and would obviously be green, or not dry at least. Haven't replied to him yet.

Craigslist
"I have tons of maple, white and red oak, cherry, birch, and eastern red cedar for sale. Trees still standing, and I'm willing to cut to requested sizes, but limited to a maul and chain saw, or could obtain other equipment within reason. Could possibly deliver. Not sure what species of other trees are here, but mostly maple, e. red cedar, and cherry wood available. The images show various trees, e. red cedar, a huge cherry, and oaks amongst dozens of others. The pile is 1 yr. almost dried red and white oak cut to various sizes. Can take more images."

"Hello,

I saw your add and I'm looking for this winter and for next as well. I have a small splitter so I could take come sections or, better yet 19 inch long logs.
I really want birch, but also some oak.

Do you have any dead, dry standing birch?

Do you have oak that's ready to burn now?

How much are you charging for logs that are not split but dry and seasoned and ready to go (if you have them)

Thanks BIG TIME"

[demtion35]

Call a local logger/ or someone out of the paper and ask them what they charge for a ten cord delivery of cut split delivered firewood. You better be sitting down.

Firewood sold in 100" say 10-12 cord delivery is sold at a stranger price than a 4x4x8' cord, so if you sell the wood you have cut split and stack it up in even demensions that you know for example that this stack has 4 cords in it. (example)

Sell it for less than what others are charging. Example is I want to buy 8 cords of firewood 18" long and have it cut split delivered. I look in the paper and most guys want about $150.00- or more per cord.

But then I see your firewood for sale at $100.00 per cord and you have maybe 10 or so cords you want to sell. The wood is not going to be ready for this winter, but next winter it will be dry enough.

So, Id buy your wood at 100 rather than someone else at way more, this way you will for sure get rid of it.

The less moving of the wood the better for you work wise that is. Try to winch or get the tree to fall on or close to another fallen tree so its not so far to carry the peices, to put them together. That is where the winch can be really helpfull.

But if not let this story be of assistance. Two loggers were in the northwoods, neither with much experience, when they cut a tree down, lopped it up into chunks, and started to drag it away, when one of them says to the other if you drag it in the direction of the branches it will go alot easier, by george you are right it does drag alot easier, but the pickup truck is getting further away.

Easiest though is if you can drop the trees limb it up, then cut it up 100" and skid it up to a landing area or the entire length of the tree if its within reason. Anyway get it up somehow/where and from the landing area then cut it up into cord wood, split and stack so its up out of the weather for the most part, only the bottom of the rows will be on the ground, stack it so it wont tip over later, cause that really is the pits.

Sell it for $100.00 cord or less, just to make sure it sells. Sell it as 100" for firewood may save you alot of work, but cut split and stack one cord, this will give you a good idea of how much standing wood you have (how many cords you think you have out there).

One or two of your oak trees cut them down, cut them up branches and all, to 18" length and see if you get a cord stacked.

Wood splits easier when its about -10 to -20F below or so lol

[CJO2010]

cool. This is very helpful. To get a clear idea for the dimensions of a cord, the logs would be 4' long and split, so 4' long, stacked 4' high, and 8' long pile? that's a cord? how does the 100" stack work? I think i will s try to sell it as cords, stacked properly.I'll split it too. Just piled a bunch of logs, but alot of them are at 19", and odd sizes. will this mess up the sales if some of it's irregular? I'll cut everything at 18" as you mentioned from now on. Still confused on the cord measurements haha. Once I understand something, I never forget it though.

[CJO2010]

what kind of chainsaw is that? mine's 34cc, which I could probably stop the chain with my hand. that looks like something I should get if I'm planning on cutting alot.

[demtion35]

Some may want 20-24" stuff but 18" is ok.

4'x4'x8' is a cord however you stack it whatever dimensions you work with will work.

Four foot long logs will be really hard to split. If some are 18 and some are 19 it wont matter really, just so they are not going to be too long to fit in a customers stove. No matter how you try he wont be able to fit a 24 inch peice of firewood in a stove that only can take a 20 inch long peice, unless he cuts it and thats no fun.

so four foot log, if you cut it equally in 24" two of those end to end equals four feet so yes that would be a cord 4x4x8'.