Beginning bundler

I've learned to keep a good revolving inventory of splits on hand.

Right now I have 10-11 cords on hand JUST for bundle wood. Maybe 3-4 cords are dry enough to sell. I WONT use green or under seasoned wood in them. Wood going into them now was CSS June/July last year.

Most of the wood used is medium to low btu to keep the weight of the bundle down. I prefer one year or less drying woods.

 

Wonder how the OP is doing with his bundle sales? How about it Sandhillbilly?

 

End goal is wholesaling to local convenience/grocery stores. My supply isn't growing like I'd like so I might be looking at a roadside stand initially, just to get a little cash flow.

 

Well I can’t quit my day job just yet and live on bundle sales.
I have yet to restock the convenience store in Mullen that kinda sparked the whole enterprise. I sold them 45 bundles to start with and I hear there’s about 20 left. I’ll know for sure tomorrow because I have to go there for a doctors appointment. I’m a bit disappointed with that location. I think maybe it’s their retail price is a little bit high.
The grocery store down the street from me is doing better. I’ve delivered 2 orders of 20 bundles and they are getting pretty low again. The coming holiday weekend will probably see the need to restock again.
I try to make sure there is always 3-4 bundles in the back of the wife’s car when she goes to work at our local convenience store. This has resulted in the neighborhood of 12-15 bundles sold. I get $8 each for them. (Or rather she does, I seldom see that $$) she only works Wednesday and Friday and every other weekend. So most of those sales are Friday evenings.
2 weeks ago I had the chance to visit with another person who I had hoped to be able to supply. Turns out that a local tree company supplies him. But we got a chance to talk and he looked at my bundles. Said he would keep me in mind if the tree guy comes up short or something.
I’m seriously considering trying a roadside stand at my place of employment next year. Right next door to the convenience store the wife works at and along the highway at a major crossroads


I was pretty anxious about having/keeping enough inventory of dry wood of decent quality splits, but that hasn’t become anything close to an issue yet.

also considering checking with the lady at the Kwikstop corporate office and seeing about the other 2 locations she mentioned. They are quite aways away but if’n I could get them each 50 bundles and have it last the season it might be worth a try

 

I have elm coming out of my ears and splitting it usually ends up in a ton of stringy and odd shaped pieces. So I'm lucky to be getting 50% bundle quality after splitting, it's been pretty easy to access standing dead wood which helps drying time. I'm also not willing to sell green wood, I will be branding every bundle and will not sacrifice quality to make a quick sale.

 

I was fortunate earlier this year to get a bunch of standing dead elm that was pretty straight. The % of it that splits into bundle quality is still pretty low but it is dry and ready to go. Good on you for not wanting to sacrifice quality. I feel the same way, each of my bundles has a label with my name on it. (Also includes a homemade fire starter)

 

Have you found any techniques for splitting the elm that results in cleaner splits? I've started following the natural splits and grain in the wood and focusing on the outside of the rounds and that seems to help but I still have a lot that I'll have to keep or sell as boiler wood.

Also have you had any bad feedback from easier splitting lower btu wood such as cedar, cottonwood, or pine. I know looks seen to be the name of the game for bundles, and buzzsawbrad mentioned that he uses lower btu wood for bundles to keep the weight down. There again most people who are concerned about btus know bundles are not the way to buy wood for heat.

 

Not really. If it’s dry enough, it will split cleanly. My issue is that most of the trees around here are not growing in a dense forest, so they are more sprawling than telephone pole straight. This results in twisting and curving splits that are difficult to stack tightly together for bundle production.
I try to cut around and avoid crotches and knots. Which creates a lot of shorts and nuggets. I have totes full of those that I need to find a market for.

 

I’m guessing at least 90% of what has gone into my bundles has been standing dead elm. Maybe a bit of hackberry. I have a bunch of silver maple and a little black walnut to process.I hope both will split well enough for bundles. And ash is always good. Seldom mess with cottonwood.

 

Have you tried FBM for the nuggets? I picked up a couple new customers for them last year from my FBM ad.

 

I don’t do facebook, but the wife does. I’ve been planning to have her post/list them. I’m thinking something like $80 with delivery available for additional free

 

How much wood for $80? Sounds too cheap to me but the wood market is different out there.

 

One tote full. I think I’ve measured them out to be almost 1/3 cord if it was neatly stacked, which it isn’t.

 

I had just under a cord when I started selling. I put a dozen bundles in an IBC tote with one side cut out at the end of my driveway. I probably do 15 cords per year now. Most of that doesn't go to bundles.

 

8 months out of the year my bundles are mostly basswood, cottonwood and silver maple. I usually as a piece or 2 of ash, mulberry or honey locust (or whatever else I have that's higher BTU wood). Never a single complaint.

 

I'm about 15 min away from a lake that gets hit with 50-60,000 on big weekends like labor day, we're in a bad drought at the moment, but next year assuming we can get some rain the market should kick back up. This is one of the main locations I'm hoping to sell in roadside stands. That's where I thought the cottonwood, pine, cedar, etc. would work, just looking for flame not btus.

 

No offense meant but the entire state I live in is 15 to 25 minutes away from 1,000 + acre lake

Heck our Michigan members are like those be little lakes

But I assume that increases bundle sales and you are in a no burn area

 

None taken, I'm in KS and there are no natural lakes in the state only large mannade reservoirs most of those are small by everyone else's standards. The bigger ones (10,000 acres) get hammered hard on big weekends assuming there is water

 

18 left out of 45

 

Looks like I might not have to restock until spring.