Well, Saturday was an interesting day. Doing some clean up/rearranging on the woodyard to process some hickory, get a message from the S GA guy, his SIL brought him a rack and wood his dad was getting rid of and another load today, he had the winter wood covered now...... But JESUS supplies our needs... Got a call from a repeat customer that gets a load about every 2 years, wanted to know if we were still cutting wood. Yes sir, so he wanted a trailer load. We moved the conveyor back to the white oak shed and got it loaded and tarped. Another road trip to Macon and got back home in time for dinner out with friends...
On one of my latest deliveries I noticed the remaining firewood was of high quality and I told the customer so. The firewood dude died recently. Didn’t know what to say. Guess I have a new customer if I can stay healthy.
Did a large clearance job for a lady south of me this past Jan-Feb. Have about 3 cords of limbs from the job and mostly hickory. I over loaded the Lopi with hickory limbs and was combusting at 1,200 with the stove top around 775. Won’t do that again.
Sold a new customer a Rick of white oak about 2 months ago. Have learned he sends his elementary kids to a private school and this school has a Dad’s chat group. He recommended me for firewood and have sold about three dozen ricks from his post. I researched the annual tuition at this place and it is mind blowing. Just reinforces my belief that the very wealthy want high quality things regardless of the price.
Thanks, that was a shed I was hoping to keep for retirement...lol... Maybe we can fill it with white oak again...
Paid my local logger $150 for a cord plus of very well seasoned cherry logs. Cut it, split it, stacked it and sold the last of it yesterday. $315 for this rick. This is how you make the bank in Nashville!
Headed out today "Nashville Light" (3&1/2 ricks) and again in the morning "Nashville Light." One of you FHCers coined the term. Wish I could remember who. Come back home Benjamin heavy though. Have three to four ricks scheduled everyday out through next Monday. Artic blast moving down South next week has business humming. Haven't had a 20K month yet, but this could be the one.
Rolling out early tomorrow morning "Nashville Heavy." Four full ricks over 195 mile round trip. $1,240 before tips. Raised my price yesterday to $320 a rick. Only have about 100 ricks remaining, so the party will be over shortly. My last delivery today, 1&1/2 ricks. Three wheelbarrows worth went into their patio.
I'm curious about the hard maple - what species is it? I wouldn't think there's that much sugar maple in Nashville except as ornamentals, but right or wrong that's what I associate with "hard maple". Most all the maple here is either silver or red, what I consider "soft" maple.
How do you compete against the “Cliffties “ of firewood in your area? You deliver a hundred miles away.
Most maples in the Nashville area are soft/silver maples. Ok firewood, but not in the same BTU league as hard maple. My timber property is mainly cherry, hickory red & white oak and a smaller portion of hard maple. Oak and hickory is what is mostly desired, so don’t cut much hard maple unless it is in the way of harvesting the good stuff.
"Hard maple" must be red maple, then? I could be wrong, but I expect sugar maples are a rarity there, prefering a higher elevation or more northern climate.
Had a dental appointment this morning in Clarksville, TN (twice a year thing when you have all your chiclets). Then delivered a measly two ricks of white oak for $640. Returned home and loaded a "Nasvhille heavy" for tomorrow (four ricks). Nashville heavies also for Thursday and Friday. Also split and stacked a rick of restaurant hickory this evening. 12 hours a day keeps all the competitors away. How was your day in the firewood business?
I worked my 6PM-6AM night shift Monday night, had my yearly physical to make sure the ol' mule was still good to go, then cut about 2 cords of 1 yr old hickory logs, started about noon, went to dinner with my bride, went to bed about 9 and up at 2:30AM...not bad for a 63 ol fat loser......up for about 28 hrs...and I played with 3 different saws...
I went to my regular job Monday and Tuesday and didn't do anything firewood related. Instead of patting myself on the back for how much I work, I will use this time to comment about how much I don't have to work to keep the Benjamin's rolling in.
