Was thinking of getting into the firewood business next r small time just a way to get some exercise, be outdoors, and make a little cash. Anyone here do firewood for profit or buy any? Just trying to learn more about it.
Derek
To do it reasonably IMO you need some heavy machinery for lifting etc… I helped an ex’s Dad section and split a shit load of wood last summer…it was hard work and a good workout for sure. We used his excavator to grab the trees from a pile and section them in the air, then carry the sections to the splitter. Given the price of fuel for the splitter, saw, chains and Diesel I was curious how much it cost him. This was his personal stash of wood though…he didn’t do this for profit. I guess you could do without the excavator but you’d have to lift the logs onto something so as not to cut into the ground with the chainsaw? In for other peoples thoughts as well. 
A guy I know in Columbus Ohio does it for a living. He clears land for new developments, and keeps the wood. It is very good money, and the guy is built like an OX.
Some of the equipment he has is very very expensive.
alot of the wood I think I can get for free whether it be cutting down a friend/neighbor/small job etc. there is an ad on CL selling big logs but wont deliver to G.I. Looks like you can average approx. 100 a cord if you deliver. a nice log splitter will cost you about 1500 and should last for yrs. I have a uhaul truck that should be able to move 4+cord easily. also since I have access to literally unlimited amounts of 4x4 pallets I could break them up and give.for kindling wood for a bonus.
my neighbor and i knocked down about 6 30-40 ft trees about 2 years back. if youre used to doing alot of work, its no big deal. the time consuming part is splitting though. we used his homemade splitter. that works awesome, has a 5hp motor, an i beam, hydraulic ram and pump from a truck, and had a bunch of old ax heads welded together for the splitter part. much easier then splitting by hand lol. keep in mind youre gonna need to let it sit and dry tarped up for the better part of a year before its useable.
We cut find all our wood outback usually don’t have to cut anything down unless I find a dead tree. We split everything by hand. Its hard work and probably why my shoulder is effed.
i would highly recommend getting a cant hook or a peavey. That way, you can cut logs on the ground with the chainsaw maybe 75% through, about 18" apart or so, then roll it 180* with the cant hook or peavey, and cut the logs the rest of the way through. Keeps the chain out of the dirt, the dirt absolutely kills chains and bars, worse than anything else I can think of.
Also remember that due to the Emerald Ash Borer, you now need a self issued certificate of transport for firewood or firewood logs and they can’t be transported more than 50 miles. If you’re going to get into this, you’ll need “real” equipment. A $200 saw and a $1200 splitter aren’t going to hack it. Spend the extra cash on good stuff, you’ll thank yourself later, and you’ll be much more efficient. So where are you going to get the logs from?