How Low Does The Price Need To Be Before You Scroungers Would Put Away Your Chainsaws?

[Slow1]

What a lively thread we have here... Started out as a simple sounding question and opened up into a whole discussion of scrounging in general.

I can see that "scrounging" has some very different meanings for each of us. For some it means going back into land that you own and cutting down trees to drag/haul back in some state of processing. On the other extreme are the more urban(?) loggers who scrounge by way of hoping to find some CL posting or word of mouth lead to pick up 1/4 or 1/2 cord of decent wood at a time to bring home.. sometimes laying on the curb in very questionable state. Your yield may vary as will your mileage eh? In between are all sorts of things and I somehow doubt that there are any folks here who only do one type - i.e. even the "pull stuff from my own land" folks have gone to help someone out and come home with wood. Although I suppose the other extreme doesn't work well... I can't happen to suddenly own my own back 40 for an afternoon

What does seem common here is that I haven't seen anyone say "I scrounge just to save money and for no other reason" - seems we all enjoy some aspects of it.

Glad to have a thread to share with my wife here too - she knows I'm not the only one with this addiction now... not sure yet if that is helping my cause, but...

 

[Duetech]

One wood guy went so low in business volume that his saw mill is quiet and he went to work for the city now and won't answer my calls for wood in log or cut lengths. On the other hand though I have another guy who delivers c/s oak, hickory with a little cherry/elm @ $400 for a full three cord load and he is supposed to be delivering today. Along with the wood for the c/s/d is a vocal warranty that if it doesn't stack up as advertised they'll make it right. I scrounge some too and don't mind the work out sometimes but the scrounging isn't always good enough to supply the heating needs. I have a chance to order 10 cord of oak in log length for $1300 but the price is too high once you add in the work I have to do to save $3.33 per cord. But I will continue to scrounge when I can.

 

[dvellone]

Sitting at my kitchen table sipping coffee and waxing nostalgic about woodswork I'd say that I wouldn't put down my saw as long as I could still pick it up...but if I could bring the laptop with me the next time I'm cutting, dragging, bucking and splitting I'd tell you that I'll mortgage my house and buy enough so that my great-grandchildren will point at the stacks and tell tales about their grandfather's savvy purchase.

 

[karri0n]

I think the question in my case is more likely "how cheap would a pickup truck need to be for you to start seriously scrounging", and the answer is under $1000 for one I think is going to be running for at least a decent time frame. I scrounge some stuff out of my ~3 acres, but the back 1/3 of my woods is swamp with no really good wood and terrible footing. The wood I do manage to get is nice red oak, but it's pretty knotty, and even the fiskars has trouble with it sometimes. When I get a really good haul out of there I'll rent a splitter.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I think the question in my case is more likely "how cheap would a pickup truck need to be for you to start seriously scrounging", and the answer is under $1000 for one

That was my price point for the trailer and it took a long time to find one. The problem with the $1000 pickup truck is it requires maintenance and it has limited other use especially after some inevitable abuse. $1000 bought me a trailer with a 5K axle and a hydraulic cylinder underneath it that can be towed by whatever truck/SUV I happen to be driving anyway. That trailer will outlive many trucks and only requires a squeeze of grease as maintenance.

 

[bergmw1]

I don't know guys, I've been searching for log lengths 8-10 cord or better in north eastern Massachusetts and have been unsuccessful. Does anyone have any contacts? I've searched the web for logging, landclearing, tree service. It seams that anyone in my area wants what they get to process for them selves and sell 1/4 - 2 cords cut and split.

 

[newstove]

Try this guy:

http://worcester.craigslist.org/bfs/1204299175.html

I haven't used him, but he finally got back to me (I e-mailed him 2 weeks ago, and he just e-mailed me back) and would deliver log-length, 10 cords, for $900 to my area (your price may vary if he will deliver to you.)

I'm still debating. ;-)

 

[Wet1]

500 cords!?!?!?!

10 cords for $900 isn't bad at all. I'd bet he might even go a little lower since he's sitting on so much.

 

[mbokie5]

The nature of being a scrounger is that it's hard to give up the habit.

I just brought home five F150 truckloads, probably 1.5 bush cords to 2 bush cords of Norway maple.

Not the best and it has to sit for a year. But like the man said, there's no such thing as a cold fire, no such thing as a bad load of free wood, the fire has to be fed and we all like doing it, being physical, being active, outdoors alone or with enjoyable company, and at peace with ourselves.

All of it has a reward. There's no part that doesn't pay a dividend.

At the same time, I would pounce on that cheap wood like a tick on a dog.

$135 is a righteous price. Save your gas, equipment and insurance, at that price, and gather some free stuff with that money and be that much further ahead.

Or, take your wife out to dinner.

 

[Wood Duck]

I collect all my own wood, but I guess there is a price where I would buy wood even though I don't think I need it right now. $135 per cord might be about the price. It would be nice to get way ahead (three years ahead seems like way ahead to me) and not even think about drying time. Buying a years supply at a nice price would be a quick way to get there, so I would consider buying for that reason. However, even with cheap or even unlimited free wood, I think I would still want to cut some just because I enjoy processing firewood. I bet I wouldn't cut nearly as much as I do, but I would cut some.

 

[PunKid8888]

I Bought a pellet stove because I thought I would not like processing wood for heat in a house. but after 1 winter I realized I missed it and plan on removing the pellet stove and installing a wood stove. I now have 1 full cord of scrounged wood and I still don't even have a wood stove in the house yet. With that said I would only buy wood if it were to make sure I had enough to last the winter. But I see the wood processing now as exercise and a feeling of accomplishment. I work in a cubical all day and have a 45min commute one way. I spend a lot of time sitting and in order to stay healthy I would have to join a GYM for 30 bucks a month, or just spend a few weekends cutting splitting and stacking. so there is other aspects then just the cost of the wood.

 

[Hurricane]

I am along with most here, I do it because I like doing it.
I did buy some log length loads back in December to try to get ahead. The guy charged me $50 per load delivered and it was 85% oak and ash with some pine mixed in. After processing 3 loads I think I wound up with about 3 1/2 cords. With my scrounging I have close to 7 cords split and stacked now, that is at least 2 years if they are like last years weather. If I burned more wood than I do I guess I would consider buying some of it. I only bought wood one other time in my life, that was the year I moved in almost 15 years ago. After reading on here and scrounging standing dead last winter to keep up, I decided to be 2 years ahead and that is what motivated my purchase. I always cut in the spring and split in the fall now I will do both in the winter when possible.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I think I would scrounge regardless. For me, it's not about getting firewood, it's about making sure some other guy doesn't get it.

 

[Todd]

I think I would scrounge regardless. For me, it's not about getting firewood, it's about making sure some other guy doesn't get it.

:lol: :lol: :lol: You selfish ####!