WinonaRail's Wood Yard

Nice! Do you sell a lot a pear?

Meeting a guy next week who is buying five bags of smoker chunks. One each of apple, pear, mulberry, cherry and hickory. My first sale of pear.

 

Nice score

 

I have a few customers that buy bags. Nobody else sells it.

 

Got most of the pear split after work yesterday. Being a yard tree AND a pear, it wasn't the straightest tree to split. The best splits were sorted for smoking wood, bigger pieces went to bulk mixed hardwoods (presently mixed with maple)and gnarly stuff was sorted for boiler wood. I used 3 IBC totes for sorting.

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Nice work, Gary. How long do you cut the smoker wood?

 

Yeah it doesn't like to split straight. Often chips off in chunks in my limited experience with it. My last outing I tried splitting on center and they came out nicer.

 

Everything is 16". Other than really gnarly chunks, you never know how the pear will split so the splits that aren't suitable go into bulk wood (which is always 16" for me). Most of by smoking wood gets bagged. The prime splits get cut in half (8") on the miter saw after they season.

 

Pear produces a lot of kindling. Fortunately, I sell that too!

 

My

last score produced a lot of chunks and rather than toss them in the nugget bin I bagged them. That customer wanted chunks and ill have to cut hickory, mulberry and cherry in half like you do. I do have chunks of them but buried somewhere in bins and I'm not digging for them.

You ever sell any logs for turners...lathe? Guy responded to my mulberry ad looking for logs.

 

That's something I've never done. I've sold long rounds for campfire stools and a couple guys wanted to split their own wood but didn't have access to logs.

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Here's how I sorted the pear. The nicest splits went in a tote by themselves. Bigger pieces went in another tote (with maple on the bottom) for bulk wood. Big gnarly chunks went in tote #3 that will be sold as boiler wood. The tree netted just under 1/2 cord. There were several small chunks and shorts as well.

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The roadside firewood stand has reached the end of an era, at least for now. Over the last week there have been three separate thefts totaling $155 in stolen firewood. The last straw was when I came home after church today and found a $75 stack missing with no money or electronic payment made.

I felt my only option was to remove all remaining wood from the stand to keep from losing it as well. It now sits completely empty with a sign stating that the stand is closed. Pick up is available by appointment only and delivery is also available. I have updated my marketplace ads accordingly.

I have a very strong suspicion that the wood was stolen by a competitor that wanted to put me out of business. Sadly I can't prove it yet. I am switching to a delivery model at least temporarily. I plan to install new cameras with data connectivity to allow me to monitor the stand in real time and record all activity. When I have the cameras installed and tested, I will refill the firewood stand.

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Thats terrible. I would've shut it down too. Did you call the police? Unfortunate that you have to take such drastic measures.

Ill have to take a pic of the wood stand I pass often. He threatens thieves with a sign.

 

So sorry that happened to you, Gary. It's sad humanity stoops low.
I hope you can get the cameras you need and open up again

 

I hate a thief...Sorry for your loss!!

 

I hated to like your post but I am glad you are getting cameras and were able to do wood by appointment or delivery.
It that percent of people that unfortunately make it bad for even the honest

 

I haven't contacted police. There's really nothing they can do without evidence. I actually have signs up about cameras, but none are working at the moment.

I had a problem a few years back with vandals. I caught them on a game camera, emailed pictures to the police, who posted them on their FB page and had all 3 identified the same day. That's my game plan going forward if it happens again. Also, I "may" be armed at all times now when out among the wood stacks that are accessible from the driveway (although 300'+ off the road).

 

My roadside stand business goes crazy from Memorial Day through Labor Day. I may convert it to a seasonal stand and focus on deliveries the rest of the year. Sometimes you have to adapt.

 

Me too. I can't excuse anyone that essentially takes the food from someone else's table because they are too lazy to work for their own food. Now I'm scrambling to try to figure out how to pay bills. But I'll make it. The Lord will provide.

 

I really hate that good honest customers will stop by to make a purchase and find the stand empty. I'm sure they will understand but they shouldn't have to deal with the inconvenience.