Wood you barter your wood

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Gboutdoors

Burning Hunk
Nov 21, 2013
224
S.E. Massachusetts
I find my self getting way ahead on my wood stock but love the time I get to spend in my woods I can't stop.

So to keep my stacks from taking over I have begun to use firewood to barter.

A few weeks ago I traded two cords for a Kubota FL1000 tiller :).

Then I had some trim painting done in the house and the painter said he would like a cord of would instead of cash.

Now after 4 years of building our new home clearing land and landscaping I have time for the boat and fishing. But the boat and engine need work. So I talked to a friend at his boat yard and he stopped by to check it out. After looking at the boat he asked why I have so much firewood. Now he wants to barter his work for a few cords.

All these trades have been with guys that like to burn but just don't have the time or will to cut their own wood.
 
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Last night short box pick up load of willow and some pine split and dry for 2 bottles of Russian Vodka and a bottle of Jack Daniels 1981 commemorative. Wood is to be used in outdoor fire pit. ( when he runs through that I gladly add another load no trade needed)
 
I'm sure your bartering wood is actually seasoned as opposed to the "seasoned" firewood you see advertised, therefore it is actually worth $200-250 a cord ( or equivalent).

For internal accounting purposes, I value my dry stacked wood cord equal to the 100gals of fuel oil it replaces
 
I have a hard time letting my wood go. For one, I over value my wood, as I never forget the amount of work it takes for a nice stack of very dry wood. Also I have a fear of not being able to get more, there is a great comfort in being many years ahead. A good neighbor that has been lazy the last 2 years, wants to trade some green mixed wood for my seasoned wood. Problem is all I have is the primo wood seasoned for at least 4 years, hickory, oak, black birch, super knotty ash that all had to be noodle split, and locust. I want to help and probably will, but it is tearing my insides up just thinking about it.
 
That would be a good trade with the cost of meat the way it is.
Very good trade considering the price of quality cow cuts. It's actually .75 cord of truly dry elm that I split by hand cursing the entire time. His offer not mine. I did give him well over half a cord of uglies etc for free to have a July 4th bonfire.
 
A good neighbor that has been lazy the last 2 years, wants to trade some green mixed wood for my seasoned wood. Problem is all I have is the primo wood seasoned for at least 4 years, hickory, oak, black birch, super knotty ash that all had to be noodle split, and locust. I want to help and probably will, but it is tearing my insides up just thinking about it.
I feel your pain because I'm in the middle of trying to build my stack.The hard work on days like today has not had a chance to mellow into a nice memory yet. BTW,a GREAT neighbor would include a bottle of the good stuff on his end.
 
If I got that far ahead I would wheel and deal. After last winter , it's a bull market!:)
 
I keep the pine, willow, aspen, cotton types around just for the fire pit people. I use a bit of it in shoulder season but prefer to use the Silver maple, box elder types for that time period.
 
Far enough ahead and knowing I could get as much as I want. Sure, I'd bater cord wood. Around these parts all you are really batering is your labor. around here, anyone that wants wood is able to get it. You just have to be willing to work.
 
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There is an advert in my local paper for a guy who wants to trade his home produced honey for firewood, I am tempted but like some of you guys I know how time and effort goes into firewood. I think bees do all the hard work for honey......
 
Last nite I was unloading my scrounge, my neighbor asked me if I wanted to sell it, I need wood to get 3-5 years ahead so I said no thanks, but talk about turn and burn, if I was ahead way ahead of where I want to be, I would definitely sell or barter for it. Seems to me like you got a nice little business going on.....keep going with it.....
 
Don't see anything wrong with it. In you day-job you "barter" your labor for money and then the money you "barter" for products you need/want. Now you exchange your labor directly for those products by doing something you actually enjoy. But as Lumber-jack rightly remarked, in principle those transactions are taxable. I would keep that in mind.
 
I would do it, but I would have to find somebody who thinks my wood is as valuable as I do.
 
I routinely swap, and even sell a bit. It also helps build word of mouth. When opportunities pop up, they get refered to me.... If it's already on the truck I'm especially easy to deal with :) Pays for gas, saws, and gets access to more wood in the future.
 
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