Ruggedmade wood splitter. Beware, poor quality. Not so rugged.

[John_Mc]

Yep. Around here buying wood is more expensive than heating with propane.

Cutting firewood isn't cheap and absolutely isn't free heat.

If you are putting a cost on your labor, it's certainly not cheap. However, I do it because I enjoy it. It gets me out in the woods. It's also an opportunity to accomplish some management activity on my property - whether I'm managing for wildlife habitat, or for timber value, or to clear a trail, I'm almost always getting something out of my efforts beyond just firewood.

A any rate, in my area it's a moot point. Natural Gas is not available, and the other costs are all much higher than heating with my wood stove (other than putting in a Cold Climate Heat Pump, which probably gets close).

Some folks may find this heating cost calculator of interest: put in your fuel cost for various fuels, and your appliance efficiency, and you get the costs per MBTU. (NOTE that modern wood stoves often list efficiencies well about the default shown. However, those tend to be best efficiencies under very good conditions. Few people actually achieve the rated efficiency on a wood stove or boiler.) Of course, the big swing is what you put in for your cost of firewood. If you are buying, that's easy. If you are cutting your own, that's a matter of some debate.

Here's another heating cost calculator with more options for heating sources. Unfortunately, this one does not let you adjust for efficiency, nor do they tell you what efficiencies they are assuming.

 

[fruitcakesa]

If you are putting a cost on your labor, it's certainly not cheap. However, I do it because I enjoy it. It gets me out in the woods. It's also an opportunity to accomplish some management activity on my property - whether I'm managing for wildlife habitat, or for timber value, or to clear a trail, I'm almost always getting something out of my efforts beyond just firewood.

A any rate, in my area it's a moot point. Natural Gas is not available, and the other costs are all much higher than heating with my wood stove (other than putting in a Cold Climate Heat Pump, which probably gets close).

Some folks may find this heating cost calculator of interest: put in your fuel cost for various fuels, and your appliance efficiency, and you get the costs per MBTU. (NOTE that modern wood stoves often list efficiencies well about the default shown. However, those tend to be best efficiencies under very good conditions. Few people actually achieve the rated efficiency on a wood stove or boiler.) Of course, the big swing is what you put in for your cost of firewood. If you are buying, that's easy. If you are cutting your own, that's a matter of some debate.

Here's another heating cost calculator with more options for heating sources. Unfortunately, this one does not let you adjust for efficiency, nor do they tell you what efficiencies they are assuming.

I'm with you John, wood's work is my recreation and avocation.

 

[Diggin It]

I gone over this debate a few times. At least in my case with a gas forced air furnace whenever it's burning gas, it's also burning electric to run the blower. I can't just figure the cost of LP, I would have to add in the cost of electric. Does that still work out less than wood? Can't say as I've ever figured it out. But there is also a noise factor with the fairly loud blower motor.

As noted, I have the wood from various sources close by. Some of the trees fell in storms, others were taken down for other reasons. Once it's down, I can let it rot, burn it in open piles or make use of it in the stove. Yes, the tools, gas, oil, parts and repairs all have costs. And there is the risk of injury. But it gets me outside and doing things for exercise that I might not otherwise do.

Plus as other have noted, somehow wood just makes the house feel warmer. When the furnace is running, it's as warm or warmer on the T-stat, but it doesn't 'feel' the same.

 

[4570Man]

I burn wood for most of the reasons mentioned above, and having a high efficiency wood stove brings it closer to a winning proposition.

 

[ovrszd]

I think we are all in agreement about wood. We just have to be accurate in our statements when discussing cost. We might have a listener that is trying to decide which way to go.

Enjoyment, forest maintenance, access, warm feeling, etc., etc., have nothing to do with the cost of burning wood.

Wood heat is never, ever free. It is rarely cheaper which is highly debated based on a huge amount of variables.

 

[LD1]

I didn’t know that selling firewood was an act controlled by the board of weight and measures. My advice to anyone buying firewood would be first to not because by my calculations gas is cheaper. If you do buy firewood buy it in advanced because buying actually seasoned firewood is impossible and to stack it with the seller onsite to verify volume.

Advise to buyers isnt practical.

If you are paying for deliver AND stacking....then okay. But when I sell wood it is delivered and dumped. When the dump trailer comes back down....aint now way I am waiting around wasting my time for a "customer" to stack it out to verify.

Not sure what a forester has to do with whether a stacked amount is a cord or not. They generally work on the other end of the operation (overseeing a harvest).

Agree, no idea what a forester needs called for. If you are too stupid to know that L x W x H = Volume......dont waste a foresters time

 

[4570Man]

Advise to buyers isnt practical.

If you are paying for deliver AND stacking....then okay. But when I sell wood it is delivered and dumped. When the dump trailer comes back down....aint now way I am waiting around wasting my time for a "customer" to stack it out to verify.



Agree, no idea what a forester needs called for. If you are too stupid to know that L x W x H = Volume......dont waste a foresters time

Yea me neither. But they should really pay the seller to stack it or just deal with it. I really view firewood as a close enough act and not an accurate within a stick measurement. Anyone that thinks the average person is smart enough calculate volume and convert measurements hasn’t dealt with many people.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I have a Woods HLS27 (Speeco) splitter with 27 ton rating and Kohler engine. I paid $1000 for it, so I am not sure what these $3000 - $8000 splitters are all about or what makes them a value at that price? That thing better clean the house and give me a knob job after a hard days work for that kind of loot!

I guess that I am missing the draw of a $7000 splitter? Maybe it is a for those that are splitting wood like a drag race and it is all about speed? For me, I split wood because I want to split wood. I usually get so far ahead of myself and get enough split, stacked and covered that I am out of room on my pallets and don't want to split more because I get tired of burning rotted wood because it say for 3 or 4 years and the ground killed it with water/rot.

I just know that I do NOT miss swinging the Fiskar super splitting ax. That Woods splitter was a great $1000 and well spent!

 

[4570Man]

Those are commercial splitters. There’s nothing wrong with a $1000 horizontal/ vertical unit for homeowner use.

 

[Deere Dude]

Advise to buyers isnt practical.

If you are paying for deliver AND stacking....then okay. But when I sell wood it is delivered and dumped. When the dump trailer comes back down....aint now way I am waiting around wasting my time for a "customer" to stack it out to verify.

Agree, no idea what a forester needs called for. If you are too stupid to know that L x W x H = Volume......dont waste a foresters time

The capitalist system at work. If you dump a load and it is good wood and the amount is correct you will get the job again. If the customer feels shorted he won't call back.