I spent a summer selling campfire wood, here's what I learned
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- Опубліковано 7 жов 2024
- We set up a self-service roadside firewood stand. In this video we show how we source and process the wood, bundle it for sale, and tour the roadside wood wagon we use to offer it to passing customers.
I don't think most people realize how much is involved in getting your product out to the consumer. Sure the wood is free but there is money in equipment and all your labor. Looks like your well organized, and present a good product at a reasonable price.
Thanks!
Yeah like my neighbors... They claimed we spend more money on wood then electric.. his bill is $500 on a good day $700 in winter ... My bill for electric is only at Max I've seen maybe 122 and that's with Christmas lights going 24/7 .... Our wood is "free" but gas and labor is mother things I guess ... Still couldn't handle a $700 electric bill I didn't have that heart to tell him ...
You mean free?
You're* well organized
@@j87waldo: Isn’t natural gas or propane available in your area?
This man literally posted a how-to video to completely start your own business. Completely unlike any other content on UA-cam. A+!
Thanks!
And it's under five minutes long! A++!
yeah, if you own land with trees on it. lol
lol only if you live in maine
you think an entire wagon that you can hitch to a truck isn't going to disappear in any other state? maine is a high trust society.
@@minoxiothethird the hitch is locked and the trailer axel is chained to the utility pole. Trust but verify.
Making firewood is physical work. People need to get paid to do that, as well as finding the good trees. I’ve done plenty of firewood making over the years. I appreciate the fact that there is no plastic used too. Way to go!
"Making" firewood ? Really ? 😂
Most commercial produced you'd see at gas stations is way more automated than this.
Its more about the place, the limited market at small quantitities etc. That all combine to a pricepoint it can be a living.
Of course you can't really do trade just based on how much trouble it was for you to do/get something. Sure you can try but consumer will decide if its worth it ultimately.
@@willymaykit1482”no plastic used” made me laugh more.
@@willymaykit1482 You think it just grows on trees?
The only down side would be buyers who "forget" to pay since its self serve.
Thank you SO much for the twine! It irritates me to no end that a few of the states near me require their firewood vendors for the state parks to use shrink wrap and staple on plastic weave handles to bundle. It's an incredibly wasteful practice and makes it take a bit of time and effort to strip the bundles to where you can actually burn them. Natural fiber twine takes a few seconds with a knife to unbundle and makes a useful kindling.
I hate store bought firewood for this reason.
That plastic wrap makes for a great firestarter
@@nutsackmania Makes for a great carcinogen too! Mmm, cancer...
@@nutsackmaniaand lung cancer
Ok Karen
It's nice when you can do this in an area where people can be trusted and the honor system still exists.
A high-trust society is so very special, it's why we CAN have nice things.
We used to have a place that sold u-pick blueberries on the honor system. Just wrote them a check and left it in a box on the porch for what we picked.
@@ManDuderGuynow you have to live in a red state, small city for this system to work.
@@mtamech535 My blue city in a blue state has neighborhood book boxes that operate on an honor check-out system. People usually do return what they borrow... I've found that people are generally kind and honest, so long as they aren't desperate. It's the same reason my neighbors loan each other their tools.
Won't exist for much longer if smallhats have their way
I really liked your "Saw Horse." The many spaces, all at the proper length, was very smart, and the wood then fell away from the saw with little or no binding. I had done this years ago, but for strictly my own family use, so made my "Saw Horse" much shorter. I took a photograph of yours for my 54 year old son, and he will get a big smile on his face as he remembers cutting wood on our smaller version "Saw Horse." Thanks for a very nice, and informative video. Doctor George Whitehead
I like the 1990's look and sound of this video, very nostalgic!
I love those self service items/stuff. It shows trust, honesty
The state isn't very diverse, so it works.
If I find this stand I'll have a bunch of free firewood.
Enjoyed your video. Your speaking style and lo-fi microphone gives it a nostalgic style like an old retro movie from the fifties. Just missing the 8mm film effect. Thanks for posting!
Thanks! I should start shooting in a 4x3 aspect ratio!
Calvin, you said what I wanted to say, but with real class. I too, thought this was a video reposted from yesteryear. I love everything about the video. Makes me want to fire up my rechargeable chainsaw and go to Tractor Supply for some twine. 😅
The lo-fi audio makes this sound like a 50s travelogue. All you're missing is grandpa wearing a fedora and smoking a pipe. Very nice video.
Been cutting wood for 40 years. I love your whole setup.
Nice setup. I like that you are using Sisal instead of plastic. That’s great.
Thanks! 👍
It is so good to see someone making bundles with twine. I havn't done bundles because I don't want to put anymore plastic in the environment
I had never thought about how much labor goes into getting a bundle of firewood together. Great video, thanks for sharing.
Kudos for what you do and how you do it. I am a city dweller who loves camping. I can't enjoy a fire anywhere but camping so my campfire is really special to me. It's nice to see your generous bundles of good clean wood for sale, that's a real service to campers.
Thanks! Hopefully people are making great memories as a result of our labor. To that end, we’re grateful our little plot of land can provide so much value.
Hey city boy..... Wood is free.
@@willymaykit1482: No it’s not. In most areas it’s illegal to remove even deadwood from public forests and of course it’s theft to remove anything from private acreage. Granted you can get used skids for free but you need a pickup truck and a lot of time and energy to transport them and cut them up for firewood, plus they’re mostly softwoods which makes them pretty useless for campfires.
@@rayray8687 where do you live where it's illegal to pick up dead wood off the ground ? That's ridiculous. I think you are making it up. Whatever.
Cant just let a guy enjoy camping. A holes always have to have a stupid comment to let them know they are wrong and how smart they are. Pathetic people.
I love this video.
Probably not for the way you intended, but it hits the nostalgia button hard. The mix of the poor colour correction, slightly out of focus/lower resolution, the muffled and fuzzy voice over, the slightly shaky camera, just combines into this endearingly charming package that reminds me of the home made advertising videos of like, 2006.
But, it has that twist of the modern, as the voice over speaker, is clear, knows what they are talking about, and speaks with confidence. There's no stumbling over lines, no uncertainty in the voice.
It is great. I don't know if you this is exactly what you were aiming for (probably isn't), but I really like this little video.
Unfortunately, I live in B.C., Canada, and I don't know if I will ever make it out to Maine to buy some firewood from you guys, but I hope all of the best for you!
This is a fantastic UA-cam critique . I'd like to read more of your video reviews
Glad you enjoyed! We’re ok with the lo-fi vibe; after all it’s Pine Hollow not Hollywood. 😊 Stop by if you’re in the neighborhood. Thanks for watching!
The video was fine, better than a lot of UA-cam videos, I'll have a look at your videos, oh wait, you haven't posted any videos.
In that case this video is far better than anything you've done, oh armchair critic.
@@fins59 1: Chill out man. Nothing of what I said was meant to be taken in any way sarcastic, or mean spirited. I said what I meant, I love the video.
2: You don't have to make videos to understand what is "wrong" with a video (in the technical sense). You have no way of knowing this, but I have a minor background in photography as a hobby. I understand white balance, colour correction, focus, resolution, etc. You don't have to be a sound engineer to determine of a vocal track is not well recorded (again, in a technical sense).
3: And Finally, UA-cam did a really weird thing and split my account in two for some dumb reason. I have my normal account that has all of my subscriptions, and my actual videos called my "Brand Account" or some shit, and the "scottgoldmarble7509" account. I think that one holds ownership of like, two movies I have bought through UA-cam. Really weird shit I don't understand and cannot explain. But if you really want to snoop through my horrible videos? Go right ahead, I seriously have nothing to hide:
www.youtube.com/@dposcuro/featured
They are shit. I make no argument against that. I am just an average idiot who uploaded a couple of dumb videos to show some people I know, what I was doing. I don't even edit my videos, just record them on my phone and upload them.
But again, don't need to do the thing, to be able to critique it.
I hope you have a great day, or night. Take care bud!
Bringing back a lot of childhood memories.
I love the way you make the bundles, measuring and tying it. Super!
Great efficient set up you have there.
I always appreciate the roadside bundles when I'm camping. Great work.
I liked the design of his bundling stand.
You need to keep making these, but for other aspects of business ownership too. Marketing, taxes, managing a simple payroll, etc. You have a really good knack for keeping it simple and hitting every point on the subject.
Keep making videos.
The way you narrate and the quality of the audio makes this feel like an old timey video. Definitely had me more invested! I also appreciate the attention to detail you have with your work. Keep it up, and give us more honest and informative videos about how real men work.
Thanks!
Great thing you're doing guys,it makes the circle of waste not,want not comp!ete. KEEP IT UP, YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING. From tg in the West Indies.
I really like the narration. Something about it.
Thanks for this.
At the end of the growing season, there are many of these "self serve" booths where i live. People here are generally honest, and don't rip them off.
Best 1978 firewood documentary winner.
Your process is rock solid. Really nice video.
I think most people are honest. And if a few cant pay well God will shine on you for helping out.
I know people that have been doing this for years and have never had any trouble with people taking wood or the money, nice to see the old dead wood being used it opens up the woodland floor allows light in and makes everything grow much nicer.
I was surprised that the OP didn't mention if he had a problem with theft.
Here's something to consider: standing dead trees don't block much light from reaching the forest floor because they have no foliage. Also, they are good habitat for woodpeckers and all the other birds that nest in woodpecker holes after woodpeckers abandon them.
@@MartinMMeiss-mj6li large standing dead wood is indeed important as are fallen logs on the ground but a general thinning is a good idea,I know forests around here that are just a huge pick up sticks mess of 10 foot deep trees just waiting for a forest fire to clear them out, to my mind better to use some of the wood for something useful but never take it all thats for sure.
Wow! I'm amazed at that amount of dead wood. I've only seen that after a very severe storm, such as happened some years back when a plow wind tore a swath through part of the Adirondacks. Here in central New York we have a lot of dead ash, standing and fallen, caused by the emerald ash borer. For several years now it has been very abundant on the market, both for firewood and for sawn lumber.@@davebloggs
@@MartinMMeiss-mj6li some of the forest here are just about impossible to walk through due to dead fall, I do lots of back country camping so its a great source of dry down wood all i have to do is cut it up . a few years back we also has what is locally known as the big November blow down, wow did that do a number on the forests,.one of the local trail organizations had 2500 trees down on their trails alone, I have been clearing deadfall off trails here for the best part of 30 years and that was the worst i have seen.
I have a LOT of firewood that could be made on my farm. I wanted to do a firewood 'stand' like you have, but my longtime back injury came back to haunt me. I'm hoping I can get one of the local farm kids to give it a try. The sisal bailing twine is something that gets used for nearly everything on my farm. First, it wraps the bales of hay and straw, then, when they're used, we cut it right next to the knot so that we have a 6-foot length or so. From there, the 'bailer twine' gets used for quick ties of anything that needs to be tied up. For heaver duty stronger stuff, we either double, triple or more the number of strands. Sometimes, I even 'quick braid' a number of strands when I need to tie up a broken stall or fence gate, and sometimes I'll even braid it a bit more nicely to make a hanging planter or a lead line for the horses. It's not ready to 'die' until it becomes so torn or rotted that hit no longer has any strength. That's when I throw it on the compost pile and it goes back to being part of the Earth again. I do the same with bits of metal, broken springs, etc. They go to my blacksmith shop until some job comes along that gets them heated up and reforged into something else needed here on the farm or made into some wrought iron object I sell. Not much gets wasted around here!
Seriously, try cannabis oil...
Changed my life. This body is so seriously damaged I can't tell you.. But 40 years of horses, cattle, fencing ? Not to mention thinking I'm immortal and bullet proof..
Try it....talk to a doctor or tele-health....find it..
You can also 1/4 the bailing twine by strands to tie up veggie garden plants 🪴 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Tell the kid that if he does the work, you'll sell him the bundles at deep wholesale and give him so many bundles for free after he loads up your reserve of firewood. That way, the kid can sell firewood for whatever price he'd like and you don't have to worry about paying him a wage. He might learn something and learn something about business too.
good man. live long
Nice, glad you made the effort to avoid plastic.
I am a big fan of firewood mills. Safer, less labor, higher profit!
Shout out to Dad for doing what dads do, trying to make sure no one gets hurt. 👍👍
I have no idea why UA-cam suggested this to me, but I enjoyed watching it anyway.
My wife and I just visited the Maine coast for the first time last month. I saw these types of stands all over the place on main roads, back roads. I was wondering why there was such a need for these and your explanation of the law answered that. And yes, it looks like your bundles are larger than most that I saw on our trip.
common in the Midwest in some areas as well - indeed, my local gas station sells bundles of firewood right next to the bags of water softener salt (kept outside near the gas pumps). Just toss a few in your trunk and make sure to tell the clerk inside (no need to bring them in) to pay for them.
There are signs on most roads entering Maine (two lane country roads as well as interstates) about the rule excluding out of state firewood. Maine is by far the mostly heavily forested state in the country and they have an industry to product against tree diseases.
Honestly that's such a good deal. In Australia you'd never find it at that price.
I really enjoyed the perspective of small business idea! Super cute wood wagon and not using plastic but the biodegradable rope. Wish more people thought like this!
After watching Im glad this was recommended to me.
Only ran into one operation like that, and it was a blessing, 5 bucks a bundle, toss a twenty in grab four, only thing that took time was turning around and coming back to it.
I love the straightfoward simplicity of your system. Reminds me of the forest service for some reason.
It is the narration. Old school
While volunteering at Arches nat'l park 2 decades ago (for 5 seasons) we sold fire wood; leaving it in $5 bundles for the campground users. A local Moab resident supplied the wood from his ranch; and he also did this for several Forest Service campgrounds in the immediate area. I learned that he discontinued his firewood business because the campground users were stealing too much of his firewood. Sign of the times...
You're also required to have a concessions permit from the National Park Service and pay taxes to run a firewood business on federal property. That could be the real reason he discontinued.
Sign of the times indeed
I worked for A State Park onetime. The firewood vendor tired the honer system , They stole a lot of firewood and found his trail camera that was hidden and took that.
I like how you tie up the bundles. The place i go to had a pile of wood, and you just grab a blue box recycling bin they provide and fill for $10. I off load into a tray bin in my vehicle.
After a doing this 2x, i just went and bought a 1/2 cord face from him for $50. Great dealnin my opinion. He was going to give it to me for $40, but his sign said $50, so i gabe him his full price. People need to make a living.
Hard work and good times. I remember cutting wood with my family for the winter
Very well done and easy to replicate.
Holy moly! This is a more authentic recreation of a 50s educational film than most movie studios could pull off, & I’m absolutely here for it!! How do you stop the whole trailer from being carted off? Or did I miss that while I was focusing on the atmosphere? 👍👍
Hitch has a paddle lock on it,,,,,,,,,,,,,
And the whole thing is chained to the utility kicker pole.
Yes. Voice over straight from US Army training films of 1940's. Great stuff. Hollywood might come a knocking.
@@jadamec Ah, thanks, yes I did miss that. Obviously I don’t know anything about trailers! 😆
@@PineHollowLumber Thanks, I have no idea what those three words means together! I don’t know why the UA-cam gods offered me your video, being a city chick in Australia, but I watched it through again for more than the 50s vibes. I love how even your setup is low tech but highly functional. Especially love the cutting & tying stations. Congrats on your very first video blowing up! So ironic that you only need the most local of local customers for your product! Cheers : )
I love the audio on this, feels like I'm watching educational films from 70s grade school.
I once put money in a self serve like this before, but needed change. So I left a note with my address asking for my change to be mailed back to me, minus postage and reasonable handling, and they did! I wish I knew who those people were but I buy from stands like this all the time. I even bring a bunch of small cash bills just for this purpose. Thanks @pine hollow lumber!
Nice to see the honour system still in action in some remote pockets of the Western world.
AWESOME SOUND QUALITY.
Very nice! I hope the people are honest about paying.
Millennial's would stand there and look at that and say, " That looks like too much work". Nice job fellers!
Thanks for helping the spread of the emerald ash borer
I think you missed the point. Thanks for watching.
Kudos from Michigan! Lots of people are selling firewood at the roadside wherever I go in my state. As a consumer, I would definitely be drawn to your wagon, as it looks like your product is more attractive than most. I hate the plastic wrap, and your price per log is definitely competitive, at least compared to the (north of Detroit) Michigan market. Good job!
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Love the audio is sounds so old school.
Nice video. Covered the whole process, didn’t waste time.
Hey mate, great video and great setup you got there.
I like the idea . Cutting & Splitting Fire Wood is very hard work . Your prices are fair to have a nice evening under the Stars @ the Fire Pit !
There's this magic in warm fireplace since we started using thousands of years ago.
Add the word organic/ BTW, love the idea. Well done.
Nice setup, i like all the jigs you have for cutting and bundling. Looks like it's a fun and satisfying way to earn a few extra bucks!
Thanks! It really is as long as the weather holds up.
I enjoyed your video very much! Only thing missing was a customer stopping by to get a couple of bundles! Ha ha.
Those bundles are huge!
This really are the USA "old style"! After seeing so many videos of thousands of drug addicts crowding the roads of Philadelphia and San Francisco, I was relieved to see this. And it looks like you even have honest customers, since you didn't mention money missing in your box? Great! Greetings from France, Manfred
Great video. The naration reminds me of the old Fred Bear archery films from the 1950's. A national treasure.
Keep up the good work.
My mom grew up in Waterville, Me.
Great video. As someone that loves a fire when camping I really appreciate this. That's a nice bundle of wood too. Way better than anything you'd find outside at a gas station our at a box store.
Just came across your video an wanted to stop by ck ya out an subscribe are you guys over by Buxton we were headed out that way the other day to pick up a load of wood an I’m perdy sure we saw that stand , it cought my eye because it was on a trailer . Good to see another Mainer on UA-cam
Howdy neighbor, thanks for stoppin by!
Love the tools! Thanks for the show. Seems well thought out. Welcome to youtube!
Bless you and your neighbors!
That sort of set-up around here would be thieved, burgled, vandalized and crushed in one weekend.
Big up for using the sisal rope rather than plastic!! :)
I think you are doing a fine job AND you are taking the time to deliver a good product at a reasonable price. Being from the real world, I have to ask if you ever have theft of your money or if people just take wood without paying?
That's a good bundle for $8.00... I've paid that for half as many logs... thanks!
Neat operation and good use of the natural resource of your property for forest management.
Standing dead trees have the driest, cleanest firewood. I warmed my house for five years in the center of a forest. Standing dry is the best.
good job and good luck
Nice job all the way around. Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Watching you on the hydraulic splitter brought back memories of working for a firewood business. Yes, there is a lot of work involved in this business. Good video 👍🔥🔥
WIN-WIN idea, thanks for sharing!
Like the setup don't know if I exactly trust people a whole lot any more good luck
in this new chaos world biden brought in? no way
Pretty cool. Id' buy some.
Great job on the signs
its cool how the trust system just works in those areas
Thanks for sharing your ideas and how you do things. Makes great content! mp
I appreciate that!
From my father, I learned the art of “Count the number of times you handle a piece of firewood”. Using your method:
1. Fall the tree.
2. Cut the tree into six foot lengths.
3. Load the six foot logs onto the tractor.
4. Drive the tractor to your cutting area and dump the logs.
5. Pick up a log and put it on the cutting platform.
6. Cut the log to size.
7. Put the smaller logs in a pile.
8. Carry the smaller logs from the pile to the splitter, and split them.
9. Toss the split pieces into a pile.
10. Pick up the pieces, put into the hopper, and make a bundle.
11. Put the bundles into a stack.
12. Move the bundle to pickup truck.
13. Drive the truck to the stand, and move the bundle to the stand.
Your customers then, at a minimum,
14. Pick up the wood and put it in their vehicle.
15. Drive the vehicle to the destination, and unload the wood.
They might well take more steps, particularly if they stack it. If they burn the wood in a fireplace, the last steps are to remove the ash, and dispose it.
It is great exercise!!
Nice set up
Thanks!
Good business model. Its not like firewood grows on trees.
In rural Canada, you see a lot of these unattended retail sites. I often wonder how many people don't pay. Alternately, how many people leave a $10 bill because they don't have $8.
This is a really cool video. Thanks for sharing your process.
Great video. I like behind the scenes content like this. My wife and I also cut and split our firewood, so we know how much labor goes into it.
Great video and presentation!
The audio reminds me of old-school documentaries.
A great enterprise and very smart looking trailer!
Best of luck!
I love this idea, what a great way to make a few extra bucks and help some people out!
You could put a QR code on the drop box and let people pay by app, too. That might be enough to catch the couple of people that stop but don't have cash or that might lift a bundle without paying at all (hopefully no dirtbags like that, but you never know).
Sad state of America when half of people commenting think you should not make money by working and others ask how much gets stolen.
Smart idea to leave some room around the bundles so people can see there's more wood than usual.
Great idea
I've been thinking about firewood bundles off our five acres. But in the Pacific Northwest, one 6 foot section of spruce tends to weigh a ton or so. Alder and Birch -- fine to move by hand. But those big blowdowns need to be split on-site. LOVE -- and will be using -- your bundling system.
That is a great deal, in Canada our million dollar wood bundles are twice the price and half the size. There are some exceptions, some sellers include kindling and a fire starter and a decent size bundle for a fair price. They are very convenient for camping before you start to forage for wood to have a fire going right away.
Y'all should branch out a bit and make Swedish Torches. You just stand a round on a block, then, using your chainsaw, make four cuts almost to the bottom. Next, you mix some sawdust with a bit of wax to make a thin 'sausage' that will fit into the gap in the center. (Some twine sticking out the end will make it easier to light.) They not only make for _dead_ simple fire starting, but you can place a pot on top and cook your dinner with ease. (I would include a quarter-page sheet of instructions and tips.) You can also make them by binding up split pieces of wood, as long as you include bits of wood in-between the pieces for airflow.
Cheers!
I like how you acquired some vintage audio equipment that was formerly used to produce 1960s filmstrip narration 😅
I live in Calif. That money box would be gone in 5 minutes,45 minutes for the firewood,maybe 2 hours max. for the trailer. Enjoy what you have there.
Not everywhere in California is cesspit.
@@VitaKet just the areas run by liberals
That's why our motto is, "Maine. The way life should be."
Nice bundles.. for real
Wicked Awesome!!! Hopefully you have another big lot somewhere to get more supply.. I'm sure folks appreciate your product!!Take Care!👍🙏🙋♀️ hello from Iowa ( ex Mainer)
Just spent a week, cutting logs, splitting rounds and stacking four cord of firewood for winter 2023. Thankfully I have a BX25 with forks and a backhoe with thumb. Used a Husqvarna 445 chainsaw. Splitting done with a generator and a cheap (Harbour Freight) 110 volt splitter. Alder, maple, cherry, fir and pine. Heat pumps are on order.
If you sell a bigger bundle than the competition, you should def advertise this. It's your edge. BIGGER BUNDLES on your sign.
Try it out and let me know how it works.
haha it's been tried out for 200 years. Have an edge on the competition? Let your customer know about it. But maybe your biz is different from all other businesses in history.@@PineHollowLumber