Market for Kindling?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

Riverside_eng

Member
May 25, 2018
37
Haverhill, MA
So I have a pile of shorts/chunks that has been drying for over a year and I am in the process of splitting up some kindling. As the process goes once you start going you can eclipse what you really need split small for kindling. Given the current economy I could use a few extra bucks, so I wondered if its common for people to buy large bags of kindling, if so how much does one charge?

I know the group on here is likely not the type that would buy it, but also I know in my area there is a cohort of people selling split and seasoned so that would indicate there is a decent amount of people buying split wood yearly in my area.

Thoughts and insights appreciated.
 
I would buy good kindling. Not sure if the market for it is tiny, small, or medium. Right now I buy good red oak firewood from the hardware store down the street -- $5 for a bundle with 12 squared off splits (some kind of lumber waste) -- and split those 3 times to give me 48 pieces. Great kindling, but a little labor intensive.

Lowes used to have red oak kindling, pretty small pieces, very good stuff (from some mill) for about $4 a bag. But haven't seen that since maybe 2012. They either lost their supplier, or found it didn't sell all that well.

I also like white pine for kindling. I don't like ash, hickory, cherry, or sweet gum for kindling. They seem to have too high a kindling temperature -- not good from a cold start.

Best kindling from the yard is small tulip poplar branches -- dead ones -- that fall on the lawn. Those are great. Been up there seasoning in the air a long time.
 
Ideally you hook up with campground and sell bundles there for $3 to $5 a bundle. You are selling convenience. Sawmills produce vast amounts of kindling, they sell it to pellet mills for feedstock, if they can make more selling it as kindling they would be but its a low margin business. I can buy kiln dried "seconds" from a lumbermill that had a firewood business. They sell a 1/4 cord bag of kiln dried firewood pieces on pallet for $85 bucks. They are bigger than kindling but if kept dry, they can be match lit or lit with ball of newspaper.
 
There’s a small outdoor cedar products Manufacture in town that sells small chunks of cedar scrap for $5 for a 50lb corn bag full. They sell fast come fall and all winter. I used to work there PT before they started to sell it and I took home LOTS of it and years later I still have a bunch. If your making kindling a good place to get scrap wood and much of the time it’s oak is from hardware stores that have mower crates to get rid of. I have a lot of that too, too much really but that’s what happens when your a fire wood hoarder I guess.
 
I would buy good kindling. Not sure if the market for it is tiny, small, or medium. Right now I buy good red oak firewood from the hardware store down the street -- $5 for a bundle with 12 squared off splits (some kind of lumber waste) -- and split those 3 times to give me 48 pieces. Great kindling, but a little labor intensive.

Lowes used to have red oak kindling, pretty small pieces, very good stuff (from some mill) for about $4 a bag. But haven't seen that since maybe 2012. They either lost their supplier, or found it didn't sell all that well.

I also like white pine for kindling. I don't like ash, hickory, cherry, or sweet gum for kindling. They seem to have too high a kindling temperature -- not good from a cold start.

Best kindling from the yard is small tulip poplar branches -- dead ones -- that fall on the lawn. Those are great. Been up there seasoning in the air a long time.
You say Red Oak is good for kindling, I would tend to think that it would be tough to get going but I guess if it is super dry....

I like Silver Maple, White Birch, Ash and even Poplar although that smokes somewhat. But we use what we can get and whatever works!