How To Set Up And Run A Firewood Business

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Cutting and splitting wood on a brisk October day can be great for the spirit. It can also be good for the pocketbook, if you're willing to sell the fruits of your labor.

Here in the Fort Collins region of Colorado—as elsewhere in North America—the sale of firewood has skyrocketed since the so-called "energy crisis" of 1973—74. One old-timer in the business tells me he's doubled his earnings in just the past year . . . and he still can't keep up with the demand for kindling and split-out fireplace logs. The same products seem to be selling just as well in other parts of the country, and any able—bodied homesteader looking for part-time or seasonal income need look no further than the firewood business to find it.

THE PROPER TOOLS ARE IMPORTANT

Good, reliable tools are a must for any lumbering or logging enterprise ... and the harvesting of firewood is no exception. The axe, of course, was the prime implement used by a woodcutter "in the good old days" and—while no longer as important as it once was—still comes in handy a hundred times a day when you're working out in the woods. Get the best one you can buy, either single-bitted (bladed) or double-bitted, and keep it razor sharp at all times (it's the dull axe that glances off a hard knot and slices into your leg) . Remember, too, that an axe should never be used to drive a wedge (that's what sledgehammers and mauls are for) ... so go ahead and buy a sledge while you're in town getting your axe and wedges. (For a concise but very exhaustive illustrated guide to the proper use of an axe, read "Basic Axemanship", pages 32 — 37 in MOTHER NO. 7. — THE EDITORS.)

A good Swede or buck saw can also pay its way in this business even though, as everyone knows, the gasoline—powered chain saw is the piece of equipment that really sets the pace in any timbering operation today. There are a num ber of worthy brands currently on the market ... so look I em all over, talk to the people in your area who use chain saws a lot, and make your choice. If you have to err any in your final decision, err in favor of one of the machines that's built for just a little heavier duty than you think you'll ever give it. (You'll probably wind up spending from $200 to $300 for the saw.) And then treat that chain saw with both a great deal of respect and care. Used thoughtlessly, one of the machines will give you endless trouble and can—without any advance warning—cripple or even kill you. But treated with respect and properly maintained, that same saw will serve you long, faithfully, and well ... and allow you to cut ten times as much wood in a day as you could harvest with any other equipment.

Most of the woodcutters in my part of the country use pickups, ordinary trailers, or whatever larger trucks they happen to have for hauling cut and split logs out of the woods and to their customers' homes. Sooner or later, however—if you really want to go into this business in a big way—you'll want to get a low-boy trailer. Such a rig sits right down close to the ground so you don't have to throw those chunks of firewood so far up to load it or so far down when you're unloading the carrier. And once you've handled your first 40 or 50 cords of cut and split fuel, you'll appreciate just how much that can mean.

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