My wife says you guys

[fabsroman]

have made a monster out of me. The pic is what I have scrounged since the beginning of August, along with 2 cords that I have stacked on the patio by the basement door. She is starting to throw up the red light on getting more wood, but I have several more opportunities. I could probably get 20 cords before winter if I wanted to. Just don't know where I will be storing all this wood. Trying to figure out where to build a woodshed come spring.

20 cord? My wife thinks something is wrong with me if we don't have about 20 cord stacked in the spring! When I look at our wood piles, it is like looking at the register on our checking or savings account or the CD's. The only thing is, the wood piles pay much more dividend than the bank pays.

Well, that there is a coincidence. When I was standing in the back of my truck and taking that picture, I was thinking the same thing. Having all that wood on hand is like having money in a savings account. Especially since it translates into money further on down the road.

The difference between you and I is that you probably don't c/s/s 20 cords a year, just what you use the previous year. Me, I am looking at doing 20 cords this year. Probably won't though. I'll probably cut up 10 cords this year and wait until the spring when I have the wood shed up to increase the wood supply. I'm probably going to aim for 15 cords since I am hoping it will only take 3 cords a year to heat this house, but who knows. Ultimately, I would like to be 3 to 5 years ahead so I don't ever have to worry about buying a moisture meter. Then again, a moisture meter would just be another nice toy, especially when it comes to posting on this board.

Sorry fabsroman, but that one statement isn't quite true. Last year we did cut only around 3 cord but last year was definitely not a normal year. We cut many more than that. If not, how would we be able to sell any and also be able to provide some poor folks with their winter's supply of wood? Sorry about the answer but your statement set a bit wrong with me as I remember too many years when we cut split and stacked well over 20 cord.

You'll have to note the "probably" in that statement. So, it turns out that you have c/s/s 20 cords for several years.

Didn't know you were doing this professionally. If that is the case, then I would expect you to c/s/s WAY more than 20 cords a year. I would almost expect that on a monthly basis. Around here a cord of hardwood runs $220. At 20 cords, you would only be making $4,400. A little tough to eat making just that. I would have to do about 230 cords a year just to justify doing this for a living part time and at 230 cords a year it would seem like a full time job. Honestly, I have no idea how anybody can make decent money selling firewood unless they really have the machinery set up to process it quickly and a ready supply of wood delivered to their place of business.

Guess my statement should have been "The difference between you and I is that you probably do this for a living and for charity".

 

[Backwoods Savage]

No fabs, I'm no pro by any means nor do I depend upon wood sales for income. I'm past that point. Now I cut to supply our needs and do a bit more to help others and a few sales. Some years I cut a lot and some years not much. I've even had a few when I could not cut. But most years I do cut a whole lot more than we burn, which is only 3 cord.

 

[fabsroman]

No fabs, I'm no pro by any means nor do I depend upon wood sales for income. I'm past that point. Now I cut to supply our needs and do a bit more to help others and a few sales. Some years I cut a lot and some years not much. I've even had a few when I could not cut. But most years I do cut a whole lot more than we burn, which is only 3 cord.

After the last 45 days and all the wood cutting, splitting, and hauling I have been doing, I am actually sitting here hoping that I don't have to do it again for a couple more years. Thing is, I know that in another month or two, once all these piles are nicely stacked and we are actually burning this year's wood, I will be right back at it.

A couple of weeks ago I contemplated selling wood to buy a new shotgun or new bike frame, but today I decided against it. Who knows, maybe I'll decide to sell some once I figure out how much I have and about how much we will actually be burning a year. For me to give it away, the person would have to be a pretty good friend and pretty down on his/her luck. They would also have to help in the splitting and stacking of it.

Off on a tangent, I stopped to chat with one of my neighbors at her mailbox yesterday and she and her husband think I have 10 years worth of wood right now. I seriously doubt it, but it would be nice. Wonder what they are thinking now since I added about 3 cords to the pile after that chat? LOL

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I know what you mean. This year I bought a new rifle and a new bike too. Rode that bike 27 miles today too.

 

[fabsroman]

I know what you mean. This year I bought a new rifle and a new bike too. Rode that bike 27 miles today too.

I haven't ridden in a month. Between work and wood, I just have not had time. The really sad thing is that I have a riding buddy in the neighborhood and I saw him ride down the street over the weekend while I was throwing wood out of the truck. Then, today as I am unloading more wood he is riding home and decides to pull into the driveway for a chat. If I had to pick, I would pick riding over wood, but it would suck to have the family cold over the winter. So, the priority is wood and then riding. I'll make it up once this wood gets stacked.

Don't even get me started about rifles. I bought an AR-15 lower and an AR-10 lower two years ago and have not had the time to build them up. Should have bought the entire gun, but my cheap self was thinking about the money I could save building them myself and the avoidance of most of the excise tax on them.

 

[mayhem]

Tell your wife either let you split the wood or she can pay the oil bill.

Then tell her to shut up and get back in the kitchen...I want to see what happens.

Really you should just do whatever she tells you to do if you value your life.

I guess you are replying to me, but I am not sure.

As far as paying for the oil bill, we keep all our money together. So, she really wouldn't be paying the oil bill, we would both be paying it.

As far as the kitchen goes, she loves the kitchen. She cooked chicken parmesan tonight and it was delicious. Now, as far as telling her to be quiet, she does not like that.

As far as doing whatever she tells me to do, it doesn't always work out that way. However, we hardly ever argue about anything. If we have an argument a year, that is a lot.

All in all, things are good. I am actually at a point where I am getting tired of cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, so after tomorrow, which should give me another 2 truck loads of oak, I am going to put the brakes on the wood cutting. Too much of anything is usually a bad thing. 10+ cords of wood in less than 60 days is starting to make this wood cutting stuff old, instead of a hobby.

Yes I was replying to your original post.

You've gone and taken my reply far too seriously though. I should have used a smily.

Apologies abound!

 

[fabsroman]

Tell your wife either let you split the wood or she can pay the oil bill.

Then tell her to shut up and get back in the kitchen...I want to see what happens.

Really you should just do whatever she tells you to do if you value your life.

I guess you are replying to me, but I am not sure.

As far as paying for the oil bill, we keep all our money together. So, she really wouldn't be paying the oil bill, we would both be paying it.

As far as the kitchen goes, she loves the kitchen. She cooked chicken parmesan tonight and it was delicious. Now, as far as telling her to be quiet, she does not like that.

As far as doing whatever she tells me to do, it doesn't always work out that way. However, we hardly ever argue about anything. If we have an argument a year, that is a lot.

All in all, things are good. I am actually at a point where I am getting tired of cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, so after tomorrow, which should give me another 2 truck loads of oak, I am going to put the brakes on the wood cutting. Too much of anything is usually a bad thing. 10+ cords of wood in less than 60 days is starting to make this wood cutting stuff old, instead of a hobby.

Yes I was replying to your original post.

You've gone and taken my reply far too seriously though. I should have used a smily.

Apologies abound!

I suck at humor over the internet. I get it pretty good in person, and have people laughing pretty good in person. However, over the internet my humor detector and skills are terrible. Sorry.