New Firewood Product Nets $10,000 A Cord?!?!?
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
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Please remove the bark before making chips for wood smokers.
Here is a good strategy… I think. Approach the bbq restaurants you sell to. Offer to package the wood chips with the restaurant’s branding instead of yours. Customers would buy the wood chips from them because they want the same great flavor at home. Require a minimum order amount from the restaurant and give them a wholesale price.
I passed this on too my daughter. Doesn't have any equipment and IMO doesn't need it. Rent it, one day. Bust butt and take it back until you make enough to buy it outright.
While doing so, start looking for a deal on used equipment. Even rental companies sell older equipment if you can fix it deal.
HOW do you find Cherry, Apple, Oak, Hickory wood. Source seems to be the biggest pain the tale. Nothing happens with no wood, which you inferred to I believe.
Just a thought for rusty gear heads, if you have the space to build a small pole building. You could pipe heat from a sealed water outdoor furnace into a building that will dry the chips if you have a metal weave basket that can be moved by forks. Cherry wood is good and so is apple. Sugar maple, if you could get some, hickory and of course oak. Sassafras should do well but it would require more than what one would think considering sassafras doesn't get real big. Should bring a better price too.
Joe where do you get your labels
Hey Joe, you are such a mentor to me. Many businesses would never share their “secrets” or ideas for others to profit. You make me think more and more about firewood while I’m at my real job. Thank you!
Get your plans put to action buddy. You got this!
For the bagging process , put a conveyor belt in the trailer with a funnel attachment on the end of it smaller than the bag. Make a basket to hold the bag with a scale under it so the bags are the same weight.
Joe great idea!!! Awesome job you are correct great business model!!!
Wow, thanks Scott!
Great idea! Another option is bagging chunks; 3x3ish for home smoking/BBQ
You need a big ice machine scoop to fill your bags. Love your videos 😌
I use oak BARK for smoking my briskets and it is awesome...just saying. Nice video, thanks for sharing...best of luck!
when the buyer buys firewood do thay have to pay sales taxs and do you have to pay income taxes
This is a great idea! How long do you let the chips dry out for? Do you have a good way to test the moisture?
I keep them about a day and a half. I just go off of feel
with these gasoline prices, is it rentable?
That’s a smart idea. I think it’s time for you to hire some help.
Idea to make hand loading chips into the bag easier: insert a short length of stove pipe into the bag. The bag should stand up while you toss double handfuls of chips into it. When the pipe is full, you have the correctly measured amount for a bag full of chips.
That is how i bagged up kindling sticks. Neat quick and cheap
Issue I see could be too close the speed with bullet the wood and destroy the bags. Your point on a chute under the chipper the metal stops it, with a slope tapered to fit your bag just site there and feed the bags. Have a couple ideas on a bag holder. Of all the things, filling the bags looks like the most work at this end.
@@IndyTiger1050 use potato type bags. stronger so you can shoot directly into bag, no need to put holes in them, the customer can burn the whole thing at once, use it for kindling, and no plastic for the ocean (where 90% of plastic ends up). then you can add your business is environmentally conscience which is a huge selling point nowadays. or use the plastic bags and you can put a funnel where the bin is, then funnel to a slide to a double gate and between gates would be the same amount of product for each bag.
That’s a great idea Roger. Thanks.
the extension shute could be made from perforated steel sheet so that the exhaust air can escape and make a manual conveyor to move the bags when full.
Improvements: Find the largest tube that your bag will slip over one end. Looks like about eight inches here. Put bag on end and stand up on table. Fill tube to correct level . Then lift tube out letting chips fall into bag. If need be you can make flare end at top like funnel. Also once you get the volume in the tube correct, make a "full" mark on the tube for future fills. Now you have a consistent volume that is fast loading. Another one would be to get special bag that is zip lock but has longer piece beyond the zipper so you could heat seal with a "seal-a-meal" type heat element so it is permanently sealed until customer cuts off the excess and yet they can still zip shut between uses. No bags popping open on shelf for your customers. Also no risk of tampering that way.
Questions? Are you selling by weight or by volume? Need to know and what local laws apply! Is that required labeling where you live and sell. If by weight you need a "commercial" certified scale for this use. If by volume make sure that every bag is "over full" and check the local laws on how they would require that you measure that on "fluffy" items like these chips. Compressed or not? Don't want to get this wrong. Weights and measures departments in many states are real headaches. Not an issue if you do your homework and always get it right, but don't just skip it and end up with issues. PS that overfull I mentioned is not lost product, but that way any single bag they randomly sample will pass. Call it insurance and figure the cost into the pricing. No one will complain about getting more, but if you are 5 percent less it becomes a federal case and they call you a robber. People are not rational. Some have lawyers on retainer.
All in all a pretty good idea IF you stay local and small. DO NOT TRY TO BID FOR PLACEMENT IN WALMART. They are notorious for driving their vendors into bankruptcy by getting them to invest in machines that increase scale and help you borrow money to do that. Then they drive your price down to where you lose money and go bankrupt.
Very nice post Mark. I think I should start heat Sealing but I'm not sure if these bags would be appropriate but that is on my list of things to do. I have my volume listed on the label and I know that I am well over the amount with what I'm filling.
@@ohiowoodburner a cheaper option would be to use a heavy card type hanger and staple it into place. Or even just get your hands on some index poster board, cut it into strips, fold it over the zip end of the zip-loc, staple it into place, hole punch and you are set. This would almost completely eliminate the bag opening and would give a more professional look to the product. No printing require as your label does that already. And you can use the tools you are already using.
Absolutely fantastic new endeavour Joe, you're an inspiration!
A few very obvious observations regarding the chipping setup, which I've no doubt you've already thought of:
Position the SuperSplit so that you can toss the raw materials straight into the chipper, and position the chipper to blow the product straight onto the drying 'platform'.
Pre-perforated bags are widely used in the fruit and vegetable industry, so they'd eliminate a small step from your process.
And of course, a nice scoop of some sort would greatly simplify filling the bags.
I kinda do everything you have mentioned now Ivor. I just simplified everything for the sake of the vid. Still, my first ones were made just like what you saw today. Volume from sales drives efficiencies for me!
Check with the USDA I think it must be bark free as well.
A kiln when/if it fits in your operation would eliminate the insect issue if your area becomes infested and fire wood transport is restricted or banned, also another value added perk of your premium product.
See if you can find perforated bags for your next batch.
Make a small hopper to put the chips into and open and close the gate on the pipe that fits nicely in your bags.
Consider an electric motor to run the chipper.
Just some quick thoughts that might make your life easier as this grows BIGGER! Praying this works out well for you.
Remember the old fashioned potato baggers we used in produce in the earlier days...same principle.
This is awesome. Extremely professional packaging
Thanks Adam. Maybe you should sell these in your stand?!?!
Great product. I just landed my first hardware store to wholesale bundles. They currently have moldy .75 cf bundles retaling at $9 each. I'll have to see what they have for smoker chips. Applewood would be another great product.
Michael
Great news Mike! Keep it up. Once you have that in the bag go get your next, and next!
Love the videos. Is there any chance you would post the U-Line product number for those bags you use? I’m not finding any of that size with a small gusset. Thanks!
What a great business idea! You are a smart guy and it is so entertaining to see your business develop! Maybe you can sell a t-shirt and a bag of wood chips on your merch site! Congratulations and good luck, this could be larger than your present firewood business! Also kudos to your daughters making the very informative and entertaining videos. The camera angles and close-ups and audio are perfect. The great editing of your story makes these videos something I am looking fwd to.
Thanks so much for the nice comment Arne!
I agree 100% with you Arne. The quality of the videos and sound are great. She is a big asset to OWB. I'm sure Joe is very proud of his daughter.
Hi Joe, I would recommend using a bulk bag, 1m3 in size to catch these in. You can get them with the mesh sides on so that you could potentially chip green wood and then store them away to dry out somewhere else until seasoned. Those bags have loops on the four corners so you could use the tractor forks to move them around. I would find out what scoop or container when filled gives you a the desired quantify for the bags each time. If you want to make any sort of funnel I would suggest making it from PVC/Plastic rainwater or stormwater piping/guttering goods as they are readily available, comes with brackets and no doubt there are already funnel like components for capturing the debris out of the guttering. You can make any chute or funnel required to tour requirements cheaply and easy to change out parts. Perhaps have your rig set up on a pallet so it can be again moved by the tractor when needed. Clever idea to sell the wood chips. Maybe you can set up a tarp so under the wood splitter and collect any suitable debris that falls to the ground where splitting the wood daily. I know you have a few machines now and they may already collect the debris for you. Then it may only be a case of sifting out the dust from the chips and possibly putting these through wood chipper. After watching this I am now wondering if the chips would be suitable to burn in a pellet stove as they are quite popular here, I could offer these at a similar price point to the local hardware store. Cheers 👍
You need to weigh the bag and sell it by weight. Keep yourself out of trouble.
Sounds like the tale of Henry Ford using the remaining wood scraps from the model T frame to create charcoal. Great idea!
I understand Mr. Ford designed the wooden shipping box that one of his raw material providers used so he could take the box apart and make the floor boards for his cars.
When people use chips for smoking they soak them in water before use, so I’m not sure it’s necessary to dry before packaging, especially with the ventilation holes in the bag (which I really think are probably an unnecessary step as well).
To speed up your fill process get a flat table and cut a hole in it, then screw a traffic cone to the bottom of the hole (cut off the point and you have a funnel that you can put your bags around. You probably need to play with the table height to get the ergonomics right but it is like how they fill sand bags. Then just slide chips through the hole in the table and gravity fill the bag.
Also, all the bark from the debarking operation could be sold as Tanbark. We used to use that as a ground cover in our garden.
Nice thoughts buddy Thanks for helping me out!
@@ohiowoodburner Your welcome. If things work out you could build a metal shed and paint it black for drying. Put a wood stove in there and you have year round drying capability.
Hi Joe, great and logical idea. You may want to consider putting the chips through a screen of some type to remove the smallest bits. That way they would be more consistent.
Totally agree Clive. I am on the lookout for that tight wire mesh and use it as a shaker.
I like it. Thanks for sharing. Hope it does well for you
Another idea, use the trash that come off the splitter when processing rounds. It might have a lot more fines in it, test and see. Now if you could get a pellet maker you can use those fines to make pellets for pellet stoves, grills, and smokers. That will cut your wood waste down to almost 0.
Hello Joe, I like your new idea. It has reminded me of a video from Outdoors With The Morgins where they showed a bag of wood chips like you are developing but that the wood was coated in wax. It was a BBQ fire starter. A lot of people, including myself, do not use starter fluid for our cooking fires because we don't want the fuel smell or taste on the food. I currently use a wax based fire starter from ACE Hardware that is quite expensive. You could potentially start a sister line product using your chips that is a fire starter. It would only require another step to coat the chips, somehow. Anyway, I hope you find this interesting. Thanks, Dan
Thanks for the thoughts Dan. I can see that happening eventually!
I wonder I you could dry and use the sawdust for starters?
@@chrisartman6168 probably- but it has a goodly amount of bar oil on it. Some people would likely have the same objection to that as to lighter fluid. Worth a try anyway- enough paraffin, and you'd never notice it- especially for non cooking fires.
Personally, I use splitter debris, dead sticks, and/or wood like pine, spruce, poplar, etc split into slivers. And a wad of greasy paper towels, or rolled up strips of cardboard. (cereal, cracker, etc boxes work great for this! so do empty paper towel and tp rolls.) Lit with a propane torch. I'm too cheap to go out and BUY firestarters, lol. Especially not when I'm surrounded by trees, and have a neighborhood dump for yard waste to raid for material.
@@pyroman6000 If you use canola oil in your saw, then it's cooking oil already spread on the wood. I run a tree service & have been using the canola for over a year. It works well.
@@andrewvanada52 Interesting, I never thought of that. Pretty cool idea!
Excellent you next investment should be an automatic bagger they're on Amazon you can program them to weigh the product or by bulk much faster than by hand.
Are u going to do Cedar I'm in landscape bizness just cut down two thirty foot cedars and expect to cook with it for a decade or five years I'm pretty excited may try hikery next threw away a Japanese red maple years ago and cannot forget about the loss of wood great video
High Joe I was always wondering what you did with the scraps and why you never sold them just as a fire starter ? As for the wood chips for smoking that is a great idea . I think once you get the production up to speed you may even be able to sale them from you online store too . I cab see why the chipper like the greener wood because it is softer . And maybe in the future you can have a kiln made that is heated by your outside wood burner ? These are just a few thought I have . Keep up the good work .
I like the way you think Larry! Thanks buddy
Fire starter is what I’ve been looking at in my area. Local, family owned sawmill has a mountain of sawdust going to waste.
Sales, Sales, Sales. Go to your local Wamart and speak with the Store Manager. He/She has the authority to procure local products for sale.
7:32 It's interesting, I was always curious how the barcodes are assigned to products, never would I thought that I learn this in wood-working video :-)
I sell firewood in northern Alberta, no such thing as oak, cherry or hickory!Looks like you are set up well.
I would be using a pail without a bottom that fits inside your bag to fill it easily.
I've used all the smaller branches and pieces for a similar idea running it through my wood chunker. It turns them all into useful pieces that can be shoveled. I cook a pig every year with diamond willow using this method.
Wat other wood cooks well?I'm stuck chizling with chainsaw
Seems to me you are not turning the gas up enough on your tractor . If it is bogging then it is way too low.
Great business development there Joe. For filling the bags maybe the right size bucket with the bottom cut out will hold the bags open.
Cheers 🇨🇦
I have a current method that I didn't bother showing but I will in future vids. It is fast enuff for me right now
A one of the saw mills that I went to sells strips that are 1.25" X 2.00 "the Amish use for kitchen stove wood. They are $10 to 15 a bundle and over 8ft long .Most of the time there is 3/4 of cord in a bundle you could just pull them off of the trailer and feed in to the chipper no sawing , split , just stand there and feed . By using the cut offs there will be a lot less saw bar oil in the wood . Since you already have the chipper have you looked into a pellet mill .If you want to ride up there let me know even buy you lunch @ Mary Yoders
Interesting. Do the pellet mills use chips or sawdust?
Thanks for the offer I like Mary Yoder's LOL
@@chrisartman6168 Saw dust the finer the better
@@ohiowoodburner What time is good for you
Thank you for sharing, I just hope that I am the only one that has seen your video in my area!
Joe… if I’m being honest and I feel as though I speak for all viewers, you truly know how to open up a video and have us craving for more. This new idea will not only bring more content to the channel but more cash in your wallet. May the good Lord let you prosper and may he always look after the amazing man that is Ohio Wood Burner. May the lamb of God shine his light upon us. Amen.
Thanks Joe!!!
Hey, great advice, Joe!
I'm in early stages of starting a pressure washing business here I'm sunny Fremantle Western Australia
It's actually taken me way longer than it should have coz, as I wanted everything perfect.
I wish I had come across your videos a year ago because I struggled so long without any income coz...
Things just had to be perfect!
Thanks again Joe
Your friend from DownUnder 🇮🇹
Get started TODAY Ben. You got this!
Hey Joe. Thanks for another quality video. I’ve been thinking about this too. Now that you have the packaging, you may be able to make chunk wood also. Take your small splits and instead of chipping them, cut them 3”-4” in a chop saw. I like to use chunks in my Weber charcoal grill. I just pull sticks from my wood pile and cut a few when I need them. Personally I don’t mind the bark, but I know others don’t want it. As for bagging, I’m wondering if you could make a bin to fit the bag? Like what Scheib does to fill his bags for his stand, just scaled down for you
Thanks again Joe! I enjoy the podcast this morning. Have a great day 👍🏻!
I think chunks will happen one day Chris. Prob need a thicker bag but I would want all the thicknesses uniform. Gotta look professional!
Just a thought::
What are you doing with the trimmed-off left-over branches? Aren't they, in truth, wood too? Perhaps there's a way of using/processing them to create a usable/sellable product too?
Have you considered tumble drying with like a dryer
What a stand up video. I believe in you and your business model.
The waist could also be utilized for mushroom farmers. Hardwood shavings are a good substrate for growing mushrooms.
Cool video.
You can either use old cotton pillow caes or burlap bags or something like it that will breathe and affix them to the out chute of the chipper. Your chips will go into the bag, and you can store them that way.
Cool idea to do an add on.
You can also look at making hardwood mulch from all of the bark and leftover scraps.
A plastic place mat in the bag holds it open.
A similar product suggestion. Take the chips and wax coat them for a firestarter. Mike and Melissa Morgan were using some that someone gave them to start their fire ring. They has a similar bag that someone had given them and just grabbed a small hand full a it made the perfect quick firestarter. You could use any wood including pine for the firestarter. Would have to look into methods of coating the chips with melted wax.
Eagle eyes indeed brother 🦅
Awesome idea man, thinking outside the box lol. How long of pieces will the super split handle? You can set the processor to make that length piece and stack them separate for chipping. Also you might be able to have a local weld shop build a hopper to make filling your bags very easy. Take care
Thanks ALLF
Hi Joe!!😀😀
What a great idea for another product from firewood. I love the way they look.
I really hope it works out for you and you can get a bunch of places that you can sell them at.
I think people are going to definitely be interested in buy them. I do think that 10 to 15 dollars is a little high for a price. But if you can get that much money more power to you. Even if you only get 5 dollars per bag it would be definitely worth doing it.
Good luck with the new product.
Take care my friend!!😀😀👍👍💚
Logger Al
Thanks Al. I have seen these for sale at prices that I would never pay but it seems people are. I have used my network of retailers to zero in on an MSRP.
@@ohiowoodburner I haven't checked out what they are getting for a product like this. It will definitely be worth while to do Especially if people are willing to pay 10 to 15 per bag.
Good luck buddy!! I'm rutting for you!!
Chip off the scraps from your roller cleaner you get rid of them and then sells the extra for chips
I am going to try chipping them and see how they feed. Thanks Rich
you should weigh out the bags and making something to go into the tote like a funnel, so you don't lose chips on ground
Could I make a suggestion for your process? Why not chip the wood straight into a flat bed trailer. Eliminates the need to go from tub to dump truck. Also won’t lose any product on the ground from chip that miss the tub. Not a huge deal but I’m sure you aren’t looking to waste anything either.
Could have 3 trailers for each wood type or just simply divide the trailer into 3.
Then you could move the trailer where you want it and let it dry and then package straight from the trailer. If it’s economical you could use Dunlap bags so the filling process doesn’t have to be as delicate and there’s no worry with ripping the bag. Better in transit as well. Might set you apart from other retailers.
Could also use a metal slide/funnel for packaging.
If you will add a divider in your intake hopper it will help keep your sticks from turning sideways. That will give you more consistent sized chips. I noticed that when it gets turned, it splits the pieces rather than chipping it. Or even choke it down to like 1/3 the size. It'll still get twisted at the end of each piece, but it'll still make a decent difference.
I have thought about this idea as well. My chipper is an antique, but makes more like planer shavings. It's a huge drum nearly two foot thick sixteen inches wide, with planer looking blades sticking out. It is , it's own feeder as well.
Just a thought - chip straight into your trailer or alternatively cut down an IBC bladder and attach it to a pallet and chip straight into that. It would be an easy way to separate species and easy to move around with pallet toes.
My favorite part was seeing a Bobcat tractor...
I bought my Bobcat back in 2010 and soon after, they were off the market.
Good action Joe~
Excellent video. I just subbed. I think in order to increase productivity through drying time, you could build solar kilns. They're just like a greenhouse...super easy to build with clear polycarbonate roofing panels, but you can put cheap solar powered fans to blow across the chips. I'm sure it'd cut down the dry time.
Cool idea Joe.. In my firewood side hussle, I have learned be polite, on time and consistent.. My firewood may not,look pretty but it will burn. 😊👍
Thanks Dan!
Such an amazing idea for otherwise "trash" wood. I mill slabs and lumber and have a ton of waste that I don't know how to get rid of. Mainly small limbs and off cuts from making slabs. I have a wood chipper and get all my wood pretty much for free. I am going to look into this idea for sure. So very glad I found your channel. Thanks!
Glad to see the R&D department hard at work on cutting edge forest products!!!
LOL It's the operations dept that is holding us back!!!
I love this video, I live on a hill in the woods surrounded by maple, I had been thinking getting into the firewood market, your advice about not waiting until the perfect moment is spot on. I'll start small and see how it goes.
Nice idea to add to your business. Now do you weigh your chips after bagging them up to make sure they are the same weight? I also noticed you don't have 3X shirts yet is there anyway you could sell the logo print for the shirts then we can put it on the shirt at a local shop for us bigger guys?
I am in the weeds with firewooding but when I can get the bandwidth I will look into 3x. You aren't the only one who has brought this up. Thanks Kev!
Joe awesome video. Thanks for sharing your recipe for success. I had put some cherry through my chipper last year and was going to put it in burlap bags but the idea of drying on my dump trailer is awesome and plastic bags makes sense. Thanks again
Hope it works out for you Tony!
Just FYI there are holes punches made specifically for plastic bags so you do not have to put the paper in it to make a clean cut. Also, fold your bag in half or fourths to make multiple holes with the same punch or punch multiple bags at a time. You can do this with the right punch.
I would imagine with volume I would change to something like that. In due time! Thanks Brett
Not sure if you get the humidity we get here in SW Ohio, but a kiln will be needed. Now a solar, aka greenhouse, or just a tote with a screen over it maybe under a roof? Something simple like your trailer idea but dedicated to your purpose. Yet, I wonder what is best for keeping the volatile oils and fragrance of the wood chip? Is a ferment better than a dryer? Not sure but you have your zillion dollar idea. You could employ a lot of people with this idea. But a one man band could automate this quickly with less headaches.
Diversifying inside your core competency is a testament to creativity and ingenuity. So many people chase squirrels all over the park to try to diversify. You my friend, have found a way to just make more lanes (revenue streams) on the same road. Well done! I enjoy the channel.
Thanks so much for the nice comment
Did you have a major in buzzwords and catch phrases?
If you wanted, you could add more varieties as they come into your yard. Sugar Maple; Apple, Beech, etc- whatever you can get your hands on. If you didn't have that boiler to feed, making your cookies and end cuts into chunks would be a nice companion product. That's what I do with mine: Bust em up into small chunks, and toss them in a box until I get enough to make a good cook fire. With the Axis, you could split a whole stack of them at once! Anthony at Ontario firewood resource sells chunks like that, and his customers seem to like them- enough that he now cuts rounds into chunks to split.
Those bags of chips and chunks sell for silly prices, and people are willing to pay it. May as well get in on the game! The local business aspect could be a selling point for you, to help your product stand out from the crowd.
Your idea makes me look at all those splinters and chips I make when splitting wood in a whole new light. I should try saving them, and tossing them on the fire just before I put the meat on the grill. A little extra cherry or apple flavor without putting a whole stick on- and raising the temp of the fire by quite a bit. I've been just tossing them in my kindling bucket.
green wood smolders longer creating smoke and less heat.
To save a little time punching holes in the bags, fold it in half or qtrs first.
Bro host a smoke off! Get some banners, and come up with a respectable grand prize. Get the best smokers and bbqers in the area to come out and use your product in the tournament! You make money on admission to offset the cost of the grand prize and people get to buy the best meat they ever had, and it was made with your product!
Love your idea. I am always looking for new ways to make more money in firewood. I lost my job last September and have been selling bulk firewood and a few bundles. But this is a great idea. Thanks for sharing . Keep brainstorming, and have a great day...
I hope you can bounce back Ken. One of my big motivators when I stepped away from work was not having that safety net. It really got me kicked in gear to get OWB moving
For drying...have you looked into building a relatively small "greenhouse" wood chip dryer with a chimney stack. The sun will heat up the container of chips and the stack will cause a draft drawing air through the container.
Alternatively there is also a solar kiln.
Walmart has smoker chips for $2.97 -$3.97 for 180cubic inches of chips. They also had some "Gourmet" type chips for $10.00but for $10- $15 dollars you really need a charcoal bag or 50 potato sack for that much money. Gouging isn't good business either.
Great looking product! I've had a similar idea, but I don't have a chipper yet for my tractor. I tried selling bundles of fruit wood sticks at my farm in Columbus one year and just didn't have the sales, but bagged chips are great for retail, and that's an attractive package. With the system you've got there, it might be cost effective to simply purchase cordwood or logs locally and process it into chips.
I've known a couple cheesemakers who followed the same path. They started out raising goats, and just got into cheese as a way to make more money on their milk. But it was so successful that it was no longer worth their time to bother with the goats! They just started buying milk wholesale and manufacturing the cheese, and it's gone great.
I don't know how or where you source your wood, but I'd bet arborists could keep you busy if you provided them a place to dump logs. I compost commercial food waste, so I'm always needing wood chips. I've tried ChipDrop and AEP with little success. I've got a tiny gas-powered chipper, but that isn't cutting it. I don't need smoker quality or dyed mulch. Just something to rot into compost. I'd pay to have that delivered if I could find a reliable source.
I used to buy sawdust from sawmills (shoveled it myself & paid $20 a pickup load) to use as chicken bedding, but my sources dried up. I haven't found a feasible way to produce that much sawdust on my own. Do you have any thoughts on that? I've been inclined to switch to sand as bedding, but I'd still like to know how I might go about making my own sawdust in large anounts, especially now that I have a tractor.
I buy my logs off loggers so the volume that comes onto my lot usually gets me some nice cherry, hickory etc. Thanks Wayne!
Now that's thinking Joe! Good stuff. Best of luck - wonderful idea!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not stick your arm into that chipper hopper. They are designed for inserting branches from cut trees/hedgerow, not for poking a stick by hand into the hole at the bottom. That PTO will just keep going whatever gets into the chipper and there's no big red kill switch/bar at the opening! Anything could cause a problem - sleeve gets caught on a thick splinter...
Tiny suggestion - lift the bucket the chips are blowing in to, & don't lose any chips. I know you're not losing many, but...🤷♀️ Great video - great addition to your business. God bless you and your family!
Thanks Dianne!
@@ohiowoodburner Or a cloth tube from chute to bin.
40+ years, I cut Maple, Alder, Douglas Fir for free. I will continue to Cut Maple, Alder, Douglas Fir till I die. That's how I heat my Home an Shop.
My bf bought a WoodMaxx WM8H for this very purpose.
We assumed the chip size would be adjustable but it is not.
The chips are too small for average BBQ smoking chips. It makes great mulch for the garden though.
Anyone have more suggestions on wood chippers that perform well making BBQ smoking chips and have an adjustable chip size feature?
The Titan seems to do a nice job making BBQ chips.
I think you have a fantastic idea. My dad and I use to cut firewood approx 20 years ago. We ran into the same dilemma. Well to make more we need to cut more, split more, etc. Reality is like you said though... DO I WANT TO DO ANOTHER 20 Cords of wood. Or do I find a way to make more money with the wood I already have cut and split. Best of luck on your business model. Wish all the best for you and your business!
You may want to get an average weight per bag just for your own Quality Control. Perhaps different species have different densities as chipped wood. It may be useful info for your business.
On another note, going back to your earlier questions at the beginning of this episode... "who wants the business to grow?" the answer, at least for corporate businesses, is: Stock Holders! And for private businesses, one reason they may want it to grow is to attract the attention of potential business buyers.
Great Videos!!
I have a volume listed on my label and I do know that I feel them over that amount so I don't get in trouble with weights and measures. Still you hit on a big topic for me with his consistency and professionalism I want each bag to have the same amount in it
A fellow I knew in the 1970's had a land clearing business in central Texas. He was paid by the ranchers and farmers to clear mesquite from their land. Mesquite in the 70's was a trash tree, not the premium wood it is today. He saved every bit of the tree which was larger than his little finger. In the winter, he would have his crews cut and split the wood and put it in net fruit bags. Each bag held 10 lbs. of mesquite. In the summer he would take 40,000 lbs of mesquite to the suburbs of New York City and would sell the wood as bar be que flavoring. For $10 a bag, He made 6 trips yearly and grossed nearly a quarter of a million dollars. This is on top of what he got paid to clear the land. IF he could do that 50 years ago, think what you can do now!
I look forward to the video about you sharpening the chipper knives! :D
I wonder if laying out black tarps on the grass to dry the chips would work or building some sort of green house to dry them on the cheap without having to worry about the rain. This looks like a fun idea to develop, looking forward to more videos.
Thanks HG!
Pretty slick! Gotta give ya that!
Thanks Andy and Sam!
Where I'm at firewood is 6 months sales and 12 months work......anything to fill in them money hemoraging 6 months is great. Unfortunately no cherry or hickory around here........btw I do like the individual labels better worth the money in my opinion. Great plan!!!!!
Love your video and your wood chip product ! ! ! Now go to a small welding shop OR set up your own " assemble your self BBQ smoker " ( The buyer does at least 51% of the assembly for legal reasons ) home BBQ smoker ) and include a 3 pack of your wood chip choices for different flavor choices... Now you have sold a cooking product that will require MORE of your wood chip products to fuel there BBQ build it yourself BBQ smoker... Now that is adding more of your FUEL to there fire $ $ $
Very interesting, in our area firewood can be Birch, Fir, Spruce, Hemlock, Pine, Balsam and such, I wonder do you think making any of these into chip's for BBQ smoking would work? I'm making bundle's at home and have a roadside stand to sell them, it work's I'm interested in your input, I'll find a way to get ahold of you another way, I like what you do, thank you.
Chip it into a 55 gallon steel drums. Have a waste wood fire beneath the drums.. 8-10 pieces of 6 inch stove pipe inside the barrel to separate the chips and evenly heat the chips...watch for water vapor escaping from mini chimneys....Voila! Instant wood chip dryer/cooker that will super dry the chips completely.
Great! NEVER EVER put your hand or arm into the chute of a chipper while the machine is running! Drop another piece on to so the weight will help feed the pieces though. I worked on a potato farm filling 5 pound bags. They had a machine with a huge hopper , the operator held a bag under a clamp, tapped a foot pedal, the clamp grabbed the bag. Hit another button, the machine ran a conveyor and filled the bag until the scale shut it off. You made the weight exact and took the bag off and ran it through the sealing machine. I think Mike Morgan (Outdoors with the Morgans) got a machine like this he sells firewood starters in his packages. Awesome content, I am going to have to go back and watch some of your videos I have overlooked.
Weber cherry wood chips on Amazon are $4.49 for 2 pounds. That's probably less than one stick.
It's a good idea. One concern though, you MAY need to make sure everything is food grade since it COULD be used to directly heat food. If someone smokes their fish with this, and a glob of grease falls into your process, or a dead mouse gets sent thru the chipper because he is hiding inside a piece of wood... 1) you may want to use a food grade grease, and 2) you may need to inspect the chips for 'foul' things. You know this litigious country we live in, you almost can't be too cautious. Hope it works out for ya!
10 bucks a bag you're gonna get approximately $4800 a cord. That's based on approximately 480 pieces of wood and a cord at 1 piece per bag.
I just sell bundled camp fire wood from home. It sells for $5 a bundle at the local quick shop convenience stores I sell for $3 a bundle. I buy the wood by the rick from a local guy and spit with an axe. I can triple investment
Damn, thank you for not being afraid to share ideas.
I think in firewood there aren't any secrets. It falls back on to execution.
Thats pretty brilliant buddy, talk about small quantity, high margin! BBQ guys will love this too. $19.99 retail
Wholesalers (Walmart/Kroger/Lowe's/ect.) will only give you about 25% of retail, like you said better to just sell to local people.
When you make more, bag more, sell more, sell higher, isn't that kinda against your first statements? Don't sell more, sell higher. Don't you ever feel slightly unpatriotic promoting inflation causing principles? When you have all the money in the world, what then? Who's left to be your customer? Sorry, but it just seems soooo Wharton!
Great idea. I do have a tractor, I do have a Chipper, I do have a honor-based cash stand (for flowers). I ordered already wood to split but why not also take some sticks and splitter them? During summer time in a green house it should not be to difficult to get the chips dry in some days. Perfect. Thanks.
OK. Do not get a kiln. Cut some squares of black plastic. lay them on some of your pallets. On the ground is actually ok. Can be used multiple times. Spread about a bags worth of chips on each plastic square. When dry just pick up plastic square, with chips. Pour into bag.
If you punch a whole into bag at very top on each side, then it can be hung. No need to hold bag. Make sure bottom of bag is resting on solid surface, so there will be no weight on holes in bag.