Was just talking to my wife who is a nurse and I’m a pharmacist who said wow we are jealous of this guy who just walked away from the rat race and went with wood processing. I think a lot of people are looking at their lives at 35-45 years old who say they are tired of working their corporate jobs and want to scale back to the simple life and enjoy their time. Thanks for the great video Adam!
My wife is an attorney who works on Wall Street and I am independent contractor working in automation repair. She worked on her own for four years then went back to the corporate rat race. Why you may ask one is healthcare. We were paying over 18 thousand per year in premiums. Corporate jobs have a lot of benefits that working on your own does not have, matching 401K, paid vacations, disability insurance, etc. She was always concerned where the next client-contract was coming from. Without her insurance I could not do what I do as the healthcare insurance is a big issue. Whatever you are paying now double it in your own. I love being out of the corporate world but in reality I still am, if that makes sense. I wish you the best if you take the leap. I myself could never sit at a desk all day or be inside. Working for yourself has many benefits but healthcare is not one of them.
Scott Gibson very true on the healthcare part. One person in the family has to maintain benefits. The 401k part is nice as well, as long as the Stockmarket stays high. There are many pluses and minuses of both jobs. Just have to hit that lotto one day......hahaha
@@marcuswhite3628 We were on the healthcare exchange for two years which helped a great deal. We payed about 11,000 a year which was a big savings. Now we are back on big corporate healthcare. Healthcare is a huge issue for many. I know a lot of people who needed to wait to retire because of insurance. I don't miss my corporate job but during this pandemic I have, work has been slow. My old job people are still working every day, fortunately I have savings and things are picking up. My neighbor has a cord wood business and has lost his full time job and the wood business has saved him. He does about 600 cord a year plus tree work in my rural town. Its always good to have a side gig. Take care
I find it interesting that a guy would own his own business in high school, get a college degree, start a career and then return to what he was doing in high school out of a passion for that type of work. Good for him and his private American dream. I really appreciate his company motto about nothing going to waste and then having his business live that motto. Selling the IBC totes to roll the cash back into his business is just one more example. Most people think buying IBC totes are too expensive, but they are buying them off of a reseller, you went straight to the source. Great video.
I went to see Matt yesterday 10-5-2020 and bought 20 totes from him. What a great guy and an impressive business. My brother and I talked with him for a while was just a joy to chat with. Beautiful country side and a very nice drive down there. Wish him all the best. Adam...thanks for this video and take care as well.
Came for the Totes, stayed for the wholesome conversation and honest living. Wish the best two both of you. To bad its long ways away for me. But at least I know where to look locally now.!
A couple years ago a big concrete company bought out the home town concrete company and gave all the empty 275 gal totes away. I took two to make a electrolysis rust removal tank and several 55 gal blue plastic barrels
We use those to store wood in our sugar shack. If you have a pallet jack and concrete it makes life so much easier. In the end, you have to weigh out how many times you want to move the wood before you burn it. The cost of the crate can be weighed against the cost of a chiropractor. If you have a set forks on a tractor it's nice to just go get a skid instead of reloading the shit a thousand times over.
I know it’s been a while since this video was posted but got me looking for them myself. I’m picking them up locally for $10 a basket. Just picked up 14 today. Genius idea!
Talk about flashbacks. That guys operation brought back memories of working in a mill 20+ years ago. Add a debarker and a decent saw and he is making lumber too!
Stories like this are awesome it gives the normal person hope that they can do something other than the normal 9-5. Fire wood might not be your thing but you can find your thing and run with it
Hey Adam you are probably already aware of this, but I've seen a guy cut those plastic inserts diagonally then use them for little roofs over the firewood in the tote when you're storing it in the weather. Worked pretty slick. Cheers
Great vid. Thanks for sharing. Here,[ east of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, ] they are $100 for one that you can put drinking water in, [ potable ], and $80 for the other ones. Rick.
I like these totes for firewood. When I angle grind (cut) the side panel , I leave the top round on for extra strength. I rarely reach in to move pieces around, but bending over and 'ducking' inside isn't too much of a problem. I talked to a farm chemical distributor -- and these totes are rarely recycled -- which is a huge shame, the HDPE plastic is very useful, easily processed and re-used. Be safe!
The only thing I would add to his setup would be a metal detector before the cutoff saw... in western Montana bullets and nails/spikes (placed by tree huggers). Can damage a saw fast..
Just a suggestion, if you cut about a foot of the side of the plastic, then make a slice up the corners it will make a nice top for the firewood in the basket. I have about a dozen of these basket that I was able to pick free or cheap over the years - they make a great firewood set up for me.
Great video Adam, Yet another example of someone who had a side gig they were passionate about who eventually realized it was their calling. He does indeed have an amazing setup. It’s great to see products being recycled for other uses. BTW.....my high school used a heating system using chips and that was back in the 80’s on the east coast of Canada. I think a lot of the schools eventually switched over to that heating method. Keep up the great content and stay safe.
I have found some farmers that get diesel additive in them for their tractors. I picked up 10 for $10each. But mostly find them for $25-$75. Depending on the quality. I’m in Illinois near St. Louis, Missouri. Great video
I used to work as a production worker for Norway Seafoods, but as I got older my health started to fail. My boss suggested that I apply for a scolarship to train for a bacherlor's degree in Economics, and so I did. After 3 years I was able to quit that job and start working full time at an accounting firm in town. I hated that job! Talk about Lone Ranger, being stuck in a PC all day, almost never seeing others except for my boss, was not a job for me in the long run, but I got to save up a lot of money and was able to retire eventually. I really wished that I had tried something else but accounting.
Great video! My friend works as a mechanic at a place eerily similar to that here in CT, I buy the IBC totes from him after the mulch dye is emptied for the same price of $25. I actually then resell just the tank itself without the cage to people for various uses and recoup about 90% of the cost!
I work at a certain military insulation in Texas where we get bulk oil in IBC totes. After they are empty they are sold at a sell once a month for 7 dollars per tote. I'll buy 15 to 20 at a time and sell them for 70.
Hey Bro, you be the man of the hour. I’ve been trying to determine how I can get my hands on about 10 or 12 IBC totes. Saw you on RUclips and my question is solved. Thanks for the insight and recommendations.
1-3-2021,Adam, people here in Chicago buy those chemical totes from chemical companies after they empty the chemicals out of them,but not all companies will sell the totes to you because they clean them out and fill them back-up, but I know a chemical company that sells them for cheap here in Chicago, I'm a retired truck driver here in Chicago so I know we're to go for totes, oh by the way great show and video's you have,and you seem to be a nice person.
if you did that and invested thousands of dollars into a saw mill and training and 1 year from now prices fall and then your out of money because you tried to chase the price of lumber.
You can build you a kiln. They are just an insulated box with a heat source and fans to move the air. I've got a neighbor that made his own small kiln to dry sawmill lumber. It's just a crude shed that is insulated and made fairly air tight. He has a wood stove to produce heat, some small box fans to curculate the air, and a small dehumidifier to remove the moisture.
Have you looked into building a solar kiln. They are easy to make, take a little longer to dry the wood but can get the moisture content down to around 6% in about two to three weeks with good sun. We use them in Louisiana and east Texas for our off grid building projects when away from modern convinces. I have a friend that used one to dry the wood he cut from his own land over in east Texas. He had an Alaskan sawmill, twenty acres of good pine and about a year later had a beautiful home for him, his wife and three kids. You can build the solar kiln in just about any size and they work great. I don't see why they couldn't be used to dry firewood. I wouldn't use them for commercial use but for personnel use I think they would be a good way to dry your wood to cut costs for areas with higher cost for dried firewood.
You might want to look into a solar kiln. Then with just a fan or two you would be all set. I use one to dry down lumber so I can build with it. Good luck
Great video, lots of ideas went into that whole set up but every urban center needs two or three feeding products into it. What would you think about a twenty foot shipping container as a kiln? Add some fans for circulation and a chimney throughout to get all the heat available? Build the fire at one end, load and unload at the other. Totes are handy to have for many purposes.
Henry Farmers CO-OP in far western KY sells those baskets for $ 20-25 each. Used by area farmers for liquid chemicals, so plenty available. Good job; interesting video, & interesting use for firewood.
I think I've hit the jackpot for 330 gallon totes around my area. I paid $50/ea, and they're food grade, although that doesn't really matter since they'll be firewood baskets. The contained fruit juice that a local winery buys for distilling (or whatever it's called in the winery biz). I plan to pick up 4 more this week, and that should hold me for a while. I'm in north Georgia, and between pandemic pricing driving the cost of these up and less use of them, they're harder to find up here. Closer to Atlanta, they're more readily available, but still averaging around $100 for 275 gallon food grade and $150 for 330 gallon food grade. I heard you mention the other day in a recent video you have a secret plan to get wood ready for this winter. I think I just figured out you're buying a kiln :)
No secret Adam your bundles I would guess weigh 2-3 times what the other bundles weigh. I imagine that slab would is fine starter, but fire wood, naugh I ain’t thinking so. But people up to the lake for a weekend buy what they can get. Me I’m thinking one bundle of starter and four bundles of cord wood makes a great evening, Great operation, having all that acreage makes a world of difference.
the tour was awesome. I'm interested to know if he receives a dumping fee from the haulers. Here in Bucks county the tree guys are happy to drop off logs for people because it reduces their dumping fees. A friend of mine has a farm where a lot of small stuff is dumped and they turn it into compost. most of the other stuff is brought in to sell.
Northeast Arkansas, found one food grade tote for $75.00. I think that I've seen totes used for chemicals for $35.00. Firewood is selling for $50.00 plus or minus a Rick (3 rick is a cord) mostly mixed word cut and split, delivery extra. Enjoy your channel
I just commented before I saw yours. I’ve got property in Northeast Arkansas and my cousin is a cotton gin manager in Monette. He has some there. I think farm chemicals come in his or maybe something used during the ginning process. Not sure. People use them for their trash cans too.
I ALMOST skipped the latter half of the video because you didn't mention the totes.. But the tour was VERY interesting. I suggested something similar to this to a local hardwood sawmill about 20 years ago. I even suggested a partnership on the separate slab drying/ firewood side of the operation that I would run. No telling how much money they threw away. Dyed mulch wasn''t a thing around here back then. Now I have to go find a mulch dying operation near me.....
Great video! Extremely interesting! Thanks I did a quick research on craigslist. The totes are going for $50-$75 each. That is from the St Louis Mo. Craigslist!
now that you have your mill, build yourself 1 or more of the Virginia Tech Plan based Solar Lumber Kiln. They would work for firewood and I think that the standard sized kiln would probably hold up to 4 cords..and you can use one to dry your lumber as well.
Check out the Virginia Tech Solar Kiln plans. I'm a woodworker and have considered this. I'm sure it would be great for firewood also. The kiln may be able to do 2 cords at a time.
Found some here in SE Michigan for $20 in the smaller of the two sizes but that was just one seller. Most of the 275 gallon totes were in the $50 or above range. So your buddy has got a pretty smoking deal going.
that was very interesting thanks for the tour of the mill your buddy has his ducks in a row smart young man thanks for sharing Happy New Year's to you and your family
If you are looking for cheap totes, check with your local ag pilots (crop dusters). Most of the dusting services around here will give these totes away to get rid of them. Since you are tossing the plastic liners, it doesn't really mater if they had herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides in them previously.
@@HometownAcres they were $25, what a coincidence. Hang on for 20 minutes, pull up a chair, and I’ll tell you the tall tale that has me interviewing Betty at the transfer station about how she manages the scale and she uses numbers subtraction to calculate the weight of garbage
Great idea. Here in California we have an abundance of steel and wood and plastic picking bins cheap, been using them for years. Lot of totes here too but 30 to 50$ and up.
Around Portland, Oregon, they vary widely from $75 to $300 (each). There are companies which specialize in selling bulk containers of all sorts from 55 gallon drums to 5000 gallon stainless steel bulk processing containers. Check craigslist.
in Finland every home and buisness has a hot and cold water line supplied to the by each city, they have no land fills at all, the goverment tells you when you have to cut your land of all the under brush and dead falls, they send in a machine that cutsa and bales it all, and it is trucked off to the closesed city boiler. and the city pays you by the ton for it, witch more then covers paying tor the company that cut your under brush, what cant be recycled or composted from trash is burned in these half mile long boilers that heat your home and demestic hot water, avarage cost a month for your city hot water for heating and domestic is 20Eu, all your glass an all plastics, you take to a shopping mall were they have a wall lined up with machines that look like huge ATM'S you put your glass and plastic in and the machine kicks out cash for you, same with tin cans in another unit, these huge city boiler burn so clean, there is no smelll or smoke, hot water lines under streets and side walks melts snow and ice
That is unbelievably fantastic! You must be so proud of your country. It could never happen here in the US. We can't get our government officials to agree on anything! So sad!
We have a 20’ shipping container insulated and double barrel wood stove. 2 fans working good . But trying to figure out dehumidifier I keep burning them up looking for a better way. Like the container
What kind of insualtion did you use? I made a half cord kiln out of a walk in freezer. Worked good for proof of concept. But did get it a little to hot and some of the insulation expanded. Used a little house heater wood stove. To much heat for that small of a space.
@@davehawkins9279 Try Roxsul insulation on the outside of the container so it doesn't absorb moisture. Then attach Hardie plank siding 4x8 panels with an airflow gap as a rain shield for the insulation. Both the Rosul and the Hardie siding panels are fire proof. You can add 2,4 or 6 inches of insulation.
I just bought couple for $20/tote. I live in Indiana. But I have seen them go for as much as $75. This guy only had a few, less than a dozen. He gets them from a factory for free. I wanted to try a couple before I got too many. Live in a small town, small lot, so don't have a lot of space. Might work until price of lumber comes down so I can build a firewood shed.
Found a construction equipment tire shop that sell some ag tire he buy the fluid that he fill tires with in IBC tanks. He let me have 4 and I gave him $15 each he said I didn't have to give him anything.
I found IBC Totes that had a black dye in them. I'm using the frame for firewood. How do I get rid of the plastic bottle? I saw where one person cut a portion off of the bottle to make a cover for the firewood.
Where I live IBC International Bulk Container, totes sell for 145 dollars rinced. So I am not buying any. They could become excellent compost bins with the bottle out and 1/4" hardware cloth inside of the cage. They could also be used to make hay feeders and easily drainable water toughs. What I need is an inexpensive source for plastic pallets to put underneath the IBC totes so they don't rot out. Any suggestions? Thanks, Tom.
Check your local refuse/recycling transfer station, especially if they service a large agriculture area. I'm a trash truck mechanic and the buy back has dozens stacked up.
Hey Adam, just an FYI.....went by a place yesterday that uses totes for firewood. Instead of removing the whole bladder they left the top of it in to keep the wood dry.....pretty smart idea so I thought I'd share!!
The other place to look is concrete works companies. They get concrete dye in those same totes. So companies that build on site concrete pools, stamped concrete patio, make their own landscaping blocks. That's where I've found them between $20-30 each. I'm in central PA above Harrisburg.
suggestion on doing the kiln dry . why not build a double barrel wood burner with a heater exchanger tube setup in the top barrel so you can the force the air the the wood to dry ? that way like him you could use your scrap wood to heat it it to dry . just an idea :)
I used to work at a ready mix concrete plant. They got their chemicals used as admixtures for their concrete in these totes. So try your local concrete plant.
You might want to look at OTW here on RUclips for kiln ideas. He is a small saw mill in E. Tennessee who kiln dry and sterilizes wood slabs from his sawmill, but those types of kilns should work for your needs, maybe just a bit slower. The one kiln he has for a while is a system installed in a self contructed building so you could size to fit your totes. His new one he is getting is a pre built unit by a company near him. At least it would be worth a look. Good luck and thanks for the tip on used totes.
Very interesting video. I am an HVAC mechanic that specializes in hydronics just outside Reading PA. This year I was ask to pipe in 2 outside wood boilers. One is gasification and the other just forced draft but also does coal. I have taken quite an interest in wood and some of the new wood burning boilers that are available. Some of the wood chip boilers coming from Europe are really cutting edge and fully automatic. The question I have is how do you dry those wood chips? I have watched several videos on this and was led to believe wood chip piles can spontaneously combust if not dried properly. Does the school district dry these chips before use? Do they burn them green? Very informative video!
U should make DIY hottubs out of them ;) Trim around out of wood , and hook a small woodstove made of propane tanks. Water cycle itself , no need for pumps !
Link for Hometown Acres gear below
teespring.com/hometown-acres?pid=2
You have time on your side look at the solar kilns for a lower cost to build and operate and fit your needs.
great story
I live west of Nashville about 30 minutes. Totes are going for $60 up to $ 150 . Interesting video I enjoyed watching it . Thanks
At 19:04 he finally talks about the totes. You're welcome.
Thanks 🙏
Thanks!!!
The title of the video is misleading.
Exactly... and thanks Shayan for the 19:04 note!!!
Most videos could be less then five minutes. Why they drag these out is beyond me. Thanks.
Was just talking to my wife who is a nurse and I’m a pharmacist who said wow we are jealous of this guy who just walked away from the rat race and went with wood processing. I think a lot of people are looking at their lives at 35-45 years old who say they are tired of working their corporate jobs and want to scale back to the simple life and enjoy their time. Thanks for the great video Adam!
Yeah, I think people who work for themselves get the most satisfaction out of their jobs for sure
My wife is an attorney who works on Wall Street and I am independent contractor working in automation repair. She worked on her own for four years then went back to the corporate rat race. Why you may ask one is healthcare. We were paying over 18 thousand per year in premiums. Corporate jobs have a lot of benefits that working on your own does not have, matching 401K, paid vacations, disability insurance, etc. She was always concerned where the next client-contract was coming from. Without her insurance I could not do what I do as the healthcare insurance is a big issue. Whatever you are paying now double it in your own. I love being out of the corporate world but in reality I still am, if that makes sense. I wish you the best if you take the leap. I myself could never sit at a desk all day or be inside. Working for yourself has many benefits but healthcare is not one of them.
Scott Gibson very true on the healthcare part. One person in the family has to maintain benefits. The 401k part is nice as well, as long as the Stockmarket stays high. There are many pluses and minuses of both jobs. Just have to hit that lotto one day......hahaha
Scott Gibson maybe look at Medishare...
@@marcuswhite3628 We were on the healthcare exchange for two years which helped a great deal. We payed about 11,000 a year which was a big savings. Now we are back on big corporate healthcare. Healthcare is a huge issue for many. I know a lot of people who needed to wait to retire because of insurance. I don't miss my corporate job but during this pandemic I have, work has been slow. My old job people are still working every day, fortunately I have savings and things are picking up. My neighbor has a cord wood business and has lost his full time job and the wood business has saved him. He does about 600 cord a year plus tree work in my rural town. Its always good to have a side gig. Take care
I find it interesting that a guy would own his own business in high school, get a college degree, start a career and then return to what he was doing in high school out of a passion for that type of work. Good for him and his private American dream. I really appreciate his company motto about nothing going to waste and then having his business live that motto. Selling the IBC totes to roll the cash back into his business is just one more example. Most people think buying IBC totes are too expensive, but they are buying them off of a reseller, you went straight to the source. Great video.
work smarter not harder...love what you do and you will never work a hard in your life.
College education isn't for everyone.. The country needs less student debt.
Both of you are an example of American talent & ingenuity. Bless you both!!
Cut the bladder at a 45 from corner to corner to make free roofs that keep your wood out of the rain
Dang that's a great idea.
it amazes me that there are so many interesting people and interesting stories on RUclips. This one checked both boxes.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. RUclips is a great platform. Thanks for watching!
I went to see Matt yesterday 10-5-2020 and bought 20 totes from him. What a great guy and an impressive business. My brother and I talked with him for a while was just a joy to chat with. Beautiful country side and a very nice drive down there. Wish him all the best. Adam...thanks for this video and take care as well.
That’s awesome. Glad I could help. Looks like I’ll have to wait til spring to buy anymore from him haha
Hometown Acres I think I left you two
Came for the Totes, stayed for the wholesome conversation and honest living. Wish the best two both of you. To bad its long ways away for me. But at least I know where to look locally now.!
I love the way you clap your hands together at the beginning of every video, that's what a real man looks like.
Great deal! In my area 330 gallon ibc totes are going anywhere from $50-$120… and $30-$90 for the 275 gallon. Love the videos! Keep up the great work!
Like most subjects it is far more complicated than an initial examination would indicate! Thank you for this very educational video!
A couple years ago a big concrete company bought out the home town concrete company and gave all the empty 275 gal totes away. I took two to make a electrolysis rust removal tank and several 55 gal blue plastic barrels
We use those to store wood in our sugar shack. If you have a pallet jack and concrete it makes life so much easier. In the end, you have to weigh out how many times you want to move the wood before you burn it. The cost of the crate can be weighed against the cost of a chiropractor. If you have a set forks on a tractor it's nice to just go get a skid instead of reloading the shit a thousand times over.
I know it’s been a while since this video was posted but got me looking for them myself. I’m picking them up locally for $10 a basket. Just picked up 14 today. Genius idea!
Talk about flashbacks. That guys operation brought back memories of working in a mill 20+ years ago.
Add a debarker and a decent saw and he is making lumber too!
Stories like this are awesome it gives the normal person hope that they can do something other than the normal 9-5. Fire wood might not be your thing but you can find your thing and run with it
It would probably be kimda hard to run with firewood
Hey Adam you are probably already aware of this, but I've seen a guy cut those plastic inserts diagonally then use them for little roofs over the firewood in the tote when you're storing it in the weather. Worked pretty slick. Cheers
Watching your newer videos and glad this one was suggested too. Only an hour south of me, thanks!!
Great vid. Thanks for sharing. Here,[ east of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, ] they are $100 for one that you can put drinking water in, [ potable ], and $80 for the other ones. Rick.
I like these totes for firewood. When I angle grind (cut) the side panel , I leave the top round on for extra strength. I rarely reach in to move pieces around, but bending over and 'ducking' inside isn't too much of a problem. I talked to a farm chemical distributor -- and these totes are rarely recycled -- which is a huge shame, the HDPE plastic is very useful, easily processed and re-used. Be safe!
The only thing I would add to his setup would be a metal detector before the cutoff saw... in western Montana bullets and nails/spikes (placed by tree huggers). Can damage a saw fast..
You made one of the most idiotic statements of the day. You know it is not the treehuggers putting bullets in the trees.
@@chrisallen9154 bullets, nails and spikes are hazards the spikes and nails are often placed by tree huggers use your head
Came for the totes heard the story was happy to hear it but now I ran out of time got to go hopefully I can come back to hear about those totes
Just a suggestion, if you cut about a foot of the side of the plastic, then make a slice up the corners it will make a nice top for the firewood in the basket. I have about a dozen of these basket that I was able to pick free or cheap over the years - they make a great firewood set up for me.
Thanks Adam for taking us along. What a cool way your friend got tired of being inside all day to going back outside where he is happy..
Great video Adam,
Yet another example of someone who had a side gig they were passionate about who eventually realized it was their calling. He does indeed have an amazing setup. It’s great to see products being recycled for other uses. BTW.....my high school used a heating system using chips and that was back in the 80’s on the east coast of Canada. I think a lot of the schools eventually switched over to that heating method.
Keep up the great content and stay safe.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I have found some farmers that get diesel additive in them for their tractors. I picked up 10 for $10each. But mostly find them for $25-$75. Depending on the quality. I’m in Illinois near St. Louis, Missouri. Great video
$10 is incredible. If you do firewood it would be worth buying as many as you can haha
It’s great to see a business from my homeland
A fantastic operation. I appreciate the tour.
That young man has an amazing set up!
I used to work as a production worker for Norway Seafoods, but as I got older my health started to fail. My boss suggested that I apply for a scolarship to train for a bacherlor's degree in Economics, and so I did. After 3 years I was able to quit that job and start working full time at an accounting firm in town. I hated that job! Talk about Lone Ranger, being stuck in a PC all day, almost never seeing others except for my boss, was not a job for me in the long run, but I got to save up a lot of money and was able to retire eventually. I really wished that I had tried something else but accounting.
Ahhh you got the pilgrims workin for ya,, IBC totes around the burgh are like gold !
Great video!!! I use wood every day and rarely think about all the work that goes into getting my firewood ready for use
Great video! My friend works as a mechanic at a place eerily similar to that here in CT, I buy the IBC totes from him after the mulch dye is emptied for the same price of $25. I actually then resell just the tank itself without the cage to people for various uses and recoup about 90% of the cost!
I work at a certain military insulation in Texas where we get bulk oil in IBC totes. After they are empty they are sold at a sell once a month for 7 dollars per tote. I'll buy 15 to 20 at a time and sell them for 70.
Hey Bro, you be the man of the hour. I’ve been trying to determine how I can get my hands on about 10 or 12 IBC totes. Saw you on RUclips and my question is solved. Thanks for the insight and recommendations.
Very informational video…I love touring any kind of production facilities. Thx!
1-3-2021,Adam, people here in Chicago buy those chemical totes from chemical companies after they empty the chemicals out of them,but not all companies will sell the totes to you because they clean them out and fill them back-up, but I know a chemical company that sells them for cheap here in Chicago, I'm a retired truck driver here in Chicago so I know we're to go for totes, oh by the way great show and video's you have,and you seem to be a nice person.
If you ever find yourself in northwest PA with some totes I’d take them haha
If you took note of the price for lumber these days, you would convert the firewood business into a lumber mill.
if you did that and invested thousands of dollars into a saw mill and training and 1 year from now prices fall and then your out of money because you tried to chase the price of lumber.
Not all logs are hardwood quality
You can build you a kiln. They are just an insulated box with a heat source and fans to move the air. I've got a neighbor that made his own small kiln to dry sawmill lumber. It's just a crude shed that is insulated and made fairly air tight. He has a wood stove to produce heat, some small box fans to curculate the air, and a small dehumidifier to remove the moisture.
Then do it
Have you looked into building a solar kiln. They are easy to make, take a little longer to dry the wood but can get the moisture content down to around 6% in about two to three weeks with good sun. We use them in Louisiana and east Texas for our off grid building projects when away from modern convinces. I have a friend that used one to dry the wood he cut from his own land over in east Texas. He had an Alaskan sawmill, twenty acres of good pine and about a year later had a beautiful home for him, his wife and three kids. You can build the solar kiln in just about any size and they work great. I don't see why they couldn't be used to dry firewood. I wouldn't use them for commercial use but for personnel use I think they would be a good way to dry your wood to cut costs for areas with higher cost for dried firewood.
You talking about a Cajun microwave?
Awsome video ! Any idea where to het food grade tanks for rainwater storage
You might want to look into a solar kiln. Then with just a fan or two you would be all set. I use one to dry down lumber so I can build with it. Good luck
I would love to get a hold of some of that off cut slabs he is using to burn in the kiln!
Great video, lots of ideas went into that whole set up but every urban center needs two or three feeding products into it.
What would you think about a twenty foot shipping container as a kiln?
Add some fans for circulation and a chimney throughout to get all the heat available? Build the fire at one end, load and unload at the other.
Totes are handy to have for many purposes.
SC for clean looking ones most people use for rain water collection are about $100-$150 each. Ones with mulch dye etc are $75-$100 each
the answer will suprise you because it comes at 19:10 at the earliest and 20:08 at the latest
Henry Farmers CO-OP in far western KY sells those baskets for $ 20-25 each. Used by area farmers for liquid chemicals, so plenty available.
Good job; interesting video, & interesting use for firewood.
I think I've hit the jackpot for 330 gallon totes around my area. I paid $50/ea, and they're food grade, although that doesn't really matter since they'll be firewood baskets. The contained fruit juice that a local winery buys for distilling (or whatever it's called in the winery biz). I plan to pick up 4 more this week, and that should hold me for a while. I'm in north Georgia, and between pandemic pricing driving the cost of these up and less use of them, they're harder to find up here. Closer to Atlanta, they're more readily available, but still averaging around $100 for 275 gallon food grade and $150 for 330 gallon food grade.
I heard you mention the other day in a recent video you have a secret plan to get wood ready for this winter. I think I just figured out you're buying a kiln :)
No secret Adam your bundles I would guess weigh 2-3 times what the other bundles weigh. I imagine that slab would is fine starter, but fire wood, naugh I ain’t thinking so. But people up to the lake for a weekend buy what they can get. Me I’m thinking one bundle of starter and four bundles of cord wood makes a great evening, Great operation, having all that acreage makes a world of difference.
Yes it’s nice being able to source the material from your own property. Thanks for watching
Thank you for the info. That is 5 hrs from me one way. Need to find them in the Allentown Area
I work at a farm co-op , we give them away, however,ours have had chemicals in them and you have to deal with the plastic liner.
the tour was awesome. I'm interested to know if he receives a dumping fee from the haulers. Here in Bucks county the tree guys are happy to drop off logs for people because it reduces their dumping fees. A friend of mine has a farm where a lot of small stuff is dumped and they turn it into compost. most of the other stuff is brought in to sell.
What a wonderful treat and great video.
Northeast Arkansas, found one food grade tote for $75.00. I think that I've seen totes used for chemicals for $35.00. Firewood is selling for $50.00 plus or minus a Rick (3 rick is a cord) mostly mixed word cut and split, delivery extra. Enjoy your channel
I just commented before I saw yours. I’ve got property in Northeast Arkansas and my cousin is a cotton gin manager in Monette. He has some there. I think farm chemicals come in his or maybe something used during the ginning process. Not sure. People use them for their trash cans too.
Great operation, and well laid out.. The tote cages are available locally for $35 each.
Where?
I ALMOST skipped the latter half of the video because you didn't mention the totes.. But the tour was VERY interesting. I suggested something similar to this to a local hardwood sawmill about 20 years ago. I even suggested a partnership on the separate slab drying/ firewood side of the operation that I would run. No telling how much money they threw away. Dyed mulch wasn''t a thing around here back then. Now I have to go find a mulch dying operation near me.....
Thanks for you and Matt to take the time to show us around. Not sure if i like the dyed mulch.
Great video! Extremely interesting! Thanks I did a quick research on craigslist. The totes are going for $50-$75 each. That is from the St Louis Mo. Craigslist!
Thank you for the information and I love every one of your videos keep up the good work bless you
now that you have your mill, build yourself 1 or more of the Virginia Tech Plan based Solar Lumber Kiln. They would work for firewood and I think that the standard sized kiln would probably hold up to 4 cords..and you can use one to dry your lumber as well.
Watch the auctions for a vacuum kiln. High efficiency. Kilning firewood in the west is pretty much unheard of. Wet winters but dry hot summers
Check out the Virginia Tech Solar Kiln plans. I'm a woodworker and have considered this. I'm sure it would be great for firewood also. The kiln may be able to do 2 cords at a time.
sbio.vt.edu/content/dam/sbio_vt_edu/documents/Solar%20Kiln%20Plans%20420-030_pdf.pdf
Found some here in SE Michigan for $20 in the smaller of the two sizes but that was just one seller. Most of the 275 gallon totes were in the $50 or above range. So your buddy has got a pretty smoking deal going.
Very informative! I enjoy watch all of your videos.
Thanks for this video. I found totes for $35 and $30 on facebook market. It's a 2 hour drive, but well worth it.
that was very interesting thanks for the tour of the mill your buddy has his ducks in a row smart young man thanks for sharing Happy New Year's to you and your family
If you are looking for cheap totes, check with your local ag pilots (crop dusters). Most of the dusting services around here will give these totes away to get rid of them. Since you are tossing the plastic liners, it doesn't really mater if they had herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides in them previously.
I live in Montana there is an airport near us they also use those totes for deicing fluid I bought a couple totes from the airport
That’s not a bad idea. How much were they?
@@HometownAcres they were $25, what a coincidence. Hang on for 20 minutes, pull up a chair, and I’ll tell you the tall tale that has me interviewing Betty at the transfer station about how she manages the scale and she uses numbers subtraction to calculate the weight of garbage
Great idea. Here in California we have an abundance of steel and wood and plastic picking bins cheap, been using them for years. Lot of totes here too but 30 to 50$ and up.
Large scale liquid fertilizer use the IBC container to fill their tucks so that could be another source for those. Awesome video.
Around Portland, Oregon, they vary widely from $75 to $300 (each). There are companies which specialize in selling bulk containers of all sorts from 55 gallon drums to 5000 gallon stainless steel bulk processing containers. Check craigslist.
That was a really cool operation to see.. wish I could do that as a career. Great video Adam!
Do you use the water valves on the tote?? I've been looking for months to replace my broken valve and cant find one anywhere?
Loved the video
in Finland every home and buisness has a hot and cold water line supplied to the by each city, they have no land fills at all, the goverment tells you when you have to cut your land of all the under brush and dead falls, they send in a machine that cutsa and bales it all, and it is trucked off to the closesed city boiler. and the city pays you by the ton for it, witch more then covers paying tor the company that cut your under brush, what cant be recycled or composted from trash is burned in these half mile long boilers that heat your home and demestic hot water, avarage cost a month for your city hot water for heating and domestic is 20Eu, all your glass an all plastics, you take to a shopping mall were they have a wall lined up with machines that look like huge ATM'S you put your glass and plastic in and the machine kicks out cash for you, same with tin cans in another unit, these huge city boiler burn so clean, there is no smelll or smoke, hot water lines under streets and side walks melts snow and ice
Thank you for sharing that, very instructive!
That’s really cool! I really wonder who thought of that, it’s not only useful but helps with the waste issue.
Yeah thats the way to do it! That's what I call ORGANISATION.. every place on the planet should do that.
Ppl
That is unbelievably fantastic! You must be so proud of your country. It could never happen here in the US. We can't get our government officials to agree on anything! So sad!
We have a 20’ shipping container insulated and double barrel wood stove. 2 fans working good . But trying to figure out dehumidifier I keep burning them up looking for a better way. Like the container
I’d love to build a kiln like you have described. I’m just not sure I’m ready for that type of investment.
What kind of insualtion did you use?
I made a half cord kiln out of a walk in freezer. Worked good for proof of concept. But did get it a little to hot and some of the insulation expanded. Used a little house heater wood stove. To much heat for that small of a space.
@@davehawkins9279 Try Roxsul insulation on the outside of the container so it doesn't absorb moisture. Then attach Hardie plank siding 4x8 panels with an airflow gap as a rain shield for the insulation. Both the Rosul and the Hardie siding panels are fire proof. You can add 2,4 or 6 inches of insulation.
Dave Hawkins I used 2 layers of 1/2” foiled face foam board next to and above burner I didn’t insulate
Your video was awesome & very informative. Thank you for sharing.
I just bought couple for $20/tote. I live in Indiana. But I have seen them go for as much as $75. This guy only had a few, less than a dozen. He gets them from a factory for free. I wanted to try a couple before I got too many. Live in a small town, small lot, so don't have a lot of space. Might work until price of lumber comes down so I can build a firewood shed.
Found a construction equipment tire shop that sell some ag tire he buy the fluid that he fill tires with in IBC tanks. He let me have 4 and I gave him $15 each he said I didn't have to give him anything.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Similar here.
I found IBC Totes that had a black dye in them. I'm using the frame for firewood. How do I get rid of the plastic bottle? I saw where one person cut a portion off of the bottle to make a cover for the firewood.
Where I live IBC International Bulk Container, totes sell for 145 dollars rinced. So I am not buying any. They could become excellent compost bins with the bottle out and 1/4" hardware cloth inside of the cage. They could also be used to make hay feeders and easily drainable water toughs. What I need is an inexpensive source for plastic pallets to put underneath the IBC totes so they don't rot out. Any suggestions? Thanks, Tom.
this was a super fun video - that dude is super smart
What do you do with or how do you get rid of the plastic bladders from the totes?
Check your local refuse/recycling transfer station, especially if they service a large agriculture area. I'm a trash truck mechanic and the buy back has dozens stacked up.
Wonder if you used a metal shipping container to make a kiln. Seems one container would make two.
Hey Adam, just an FYI.....went by a place yesterday that uses totes for firewood. Instead of removing the whole bladder they left the top of it in to keep the wood dry.....pretty smart idea so I thought I'd share!!
The other place to look is concrete works companies. They get concrete dye in those same totes. So companies that build on site concrete pools, stamped concrete patio, make their own landscaping blocks. That's where I've found them between $20-30 each. I'm in central PA above Harrisburg.
Thanks for sharing. Always good to have multiple places to look
suggestion on doing the kiln dry . why not build a double barrel wood burner with a heater exchanger tube setup in the top barrel so you can the force the air the the wood to dry ? that way like him you could use your scrap wood to heat it it to dry . just an idea :)
Wow!! Very interesting video and great content, too! Thanks 👍
i assume you can't use those for drinking water correct? looking for something to store water at our camp and he not far from were our camp is
I think the bark mulch dye is eco friendly. If you cleaned them out really well you might be able to. I’m not sure
Food grade tanks are available. You just have to do some hunting to find them.
Find a food grade tank
I used to work at a ready mix concrete plant. They got their chemicals used as admixtures for their concrete in these totes. So try your local concrete plant.
Great video, Adam. Thanks Matt!
What an informational video... I feel smarter just watching this... Thanks for sharing...and I was just looking for a place to get some IBC totes.
275 gal totes are $100 each out here in S Oregon. Food safe ones are $175
You might want to look at OTW here on RUclips for kiln ideas. He is a small saw mill in E. Tennessee who kiln dry and sterilizes wood slabs from his sawmill, but those types of kilns should work for your needs, maybe just a bit slower. The one kiln he has for a while is a system installed in a self contructed building so you could size to fit your totes. His new one he is getting is a pre built unit by a company near him. At least it would be worth a look. Good luck and thanks for the tip on used totes.
Love seeing the small guys use the old sawmill equipment! Such a small chipper but perfect for what he's using!
Very interesting video. I am an HVAC mechanic that specializes in hydronics just outside Reading PA. This year I was ask to pipe in 2 outside wood boilers. One is gasification and the other just forced draft but also does coal. I have taken quite an interest in wood and some of the new wood burning boilers that are available. Some of the wood chip boilers coming from Europe are really cutting edge and fully automatic. The question I have is how do you dry those wood chips? I have watched several videos on this and was led to believe wood chip piles can spontaneously combust if not dried properly. Does the school district dry these chips before use? Do they burn them green? Very informative video!
have you thought about cutting the tanks on an angle to make roofs to cover the baskets.
How are you using the bladders? Great video.
Cutting them up for rain roofs for the baskets once i fill them with wood
U should make DIY hottubs out of them ;)
Trim around out of wood , and hook a small woodstove made of propane tanks.
Water cycle itself , no need for pumps !
Really interesting set up. You should look up woodmizer solar kiln plans.