WinonaRail's Wood Yard

That seems to be my problem. They always see me before I see them. However, once I find their home, they die.

 

That looks like a rock solid base to me. Hopefully no more leaning/falling stacks!

 

Yes. Very solid with end supports to be added. No cribbing.

Prior stacks in this area sat on pallets on 4x4 sleepers and had sagged bad and poor top covering didn't help either.

This sits on three doubled up PT 2x8's from a beam I left intact so it has some clearance under it. Id sure love to do the other stacks from 2022 like this.

I had ran out of nails for the gun so a stop at Lowe's today. Back nailed then assembled one end support and middle divider. Stacked some red maple I split back in March. Once a half cord is stacked I'll add a top brace even though the end support seemed very beefy. Doubt I'll have time tomorrow to work on it, but the hardest part is done.

 

No question you're building the rack to last! I like how you use sacrificial 2x8s on the bottom (which may outlast most of the other lumber). I always use the blue or red pallets for the bottoms of the racks I build. They are pretty stout and tend to last longer than most pallets.

I'm glad to have as many IBC totes as I do. Otherwise, I'd spend way too much time building. Although I probably have 20 portable racks I've built from pallets that hold the same amount as a tote so...

 

The 2x8's were double up nailed together beams or on the end of framing where its a common practice to do that. They had a boatload of nails which some were rusting so a PITA to take apart. Even some of the 2x4's had them. I just bent them over and used as is.

Yeah that's a sweet set up with totes and crates with the tractor to move them. Most of the pics you see are my 60' square "wood yard"

 

Most of my pics are either my staging area where I keep finished wood for the roadside stand, my wood yard where I do most of the processing or the storage yard. I won't provide dimensions but let's just say combined it's pretty close to an acre.

 

I decided to check out another MP ad for free wood. This one is PINE. You read that right. I'm doing a test to see if it sells. You can see some of the stacks I took from. There are probably 10 more.

The rounds are predominantly dry and ready to ready to burn. I split enough to fill half a tote. I have about that much more left. I put an ad on MP last night and already have some likes and people tagged. We'll see how it goes. I can take my trailer for more if needed.

Sent from my motorola edge plus 5G UW (2022) using Tapatalk

 

I was sitting at my desk at my day job this afternoon when my firewood number rang on my phone. It turned out to be a restaurant looking for smoking wood. A City BBQ (chain, and one I like) is opening up about 45 minutes from me. He was looking for 6+ face cords of hickory every month. I told him I could supply most of the first order and I would be out for the year so he would be better off finding a different supplier. I really hate turning away business but I'm sure I'll get substantially more $ selling in small quantities like I do and being able to keep up with the roadside stand demand. If anybody is able to deliver to Fort Wayne, IN please let me know.

 

Ive got maybe a couple cords of hickory that's close to ready, but the delivery fee maybe a deal breaker.

I know what you mean by turning away a customer. I could've had a wood fired pizza place for a customer years back but he would need a cord a month IIRC. Place is still there. Little tiny place with some oddball (to me anyhow) pizzas.

 

If I can develop a reliable source for certain types of wood like hickory, cherry and oak, I would definitely reach back out to them down the road. The idea of having a couple of regular volume buyers is very tempting but I won't put myself in a position where I can't deliver what the customer expects and ruin the relationship.

 

Topped off the first half cord with sassafras. 2/3 red maple the balance. This should be dry enough for a late Winter sale. I wasn't that ambitious last week and working with wet wood in the humidity wasn't my cup of tea.

 

Yep, that's a hornet nest.

 

Nice job on the rack

 

I'm not a fan of the humidity either. It moderated here over the weekend so I split 1/2 a rack of bundle wood and a whole rack of white pine. That was as much as I felt like doing.

 

How were sales over the weekend?

I have a 30 bundle order going today or tomorrow. I messaged the other guy and said to bring him 30 as well.

 

It was slower than the last several weeks, which seemed odd since the weather was quite good. Still managed about $260 in sales. Lots of rain in the forecast this week until the weekend gets here. We'll see how it goes.

Have you had any more takers of homeowners ordering bundles?

 

None for bundles other than the five order last weekend.

I listed a face cord of "old inventory" red maple the other day. Tree was dead and partly punky when I processed it. Sat in a mound for many months until I restacked it. Now bone dry but rather undesirable as "normal" firewood so I listed it for $99 describing it as such. Had an inquiry with delivery half hour one way. Guy gave his number too. PMed and texted with no response. If it doesnt sell I have a customer very close by who burns inside and isn't picky. He'll get a screaming deal.

 

$99 sounds like a screaming deal to me. If not too punky, I'd mix it in with mixed hardwoods and sell it for the regular price. That's the same stuff I split last night. I pitched one piece of small cherry limb wood and half of another round. Everything else got mixed with maple and will go in my roadside stand.

 

I wouldn't mix it in as its too weathered. I was there yesterday doing bundles and checked them out. For pit wood its acceptable. The bin needs to go as its in the way. I'm demoing the old part of the shed to extend the new one.

Delivered a 30 bundle order to a regular. Have another 30 to deliver tomorrow to another local.

Stacked another quarter cord in the new rack. Mostly sugar maple with some black walnut. Have more maple to split to fill the next quarter cord.

 

Looks good, my friend