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Bagged kindling

Started by r.man, April 24, 2016, 07:10:43 AM

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r.man

I had two different small suppliers of bagged firewood tell me that they couldn't make money producing bagged kindling, too labour intensive. I am thinking that it might require a dedicated machine to cut down the time. Anybody do bagged kindling other than getting rid of small pieces or scraps?
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

svart ole

What they are telling you is from where they sit very true. It takes too long to make up the product and the customer will not pay enough for it to make it worth doing. Now as for a machine to produce it and package it..... sounds great! Thing is automation works real well with a product or raw material that is uniform in size and shape. Can be done but the process may give you a product that no longer looks like what the customer thinks of as kindling if so it wont sell well. Sometimes all it takes is some very basic "automation" of a hand process to make things work out. Something like a fixture to build your bundle and bag it or position and hold it for bagging, banding or a tie. What it gets right down to is how much money do you make on each bundle after ALL your costs and how many can you sell a day/week/month..........

Mechanization/automation comes with it's own set of required maintenance skills. Getting in over your head in that department will add to costs. You need to be a multi-faceted individual to pull this sort of thing off on a small scale. That is all part of the fun of trying to build a better mouse trap.
My wife said I collect junk, I told her I am a amateur industrial archaeologist just trying to save valuable artifacts.

Mooseherder

I took a picture of the Rounds of Birch that are selling for 9.99 each.  (and they are all selling)
Looks like they plunge cut each round with a chain mortise and put a wick in the center.
If I could sell my trees like this you could change my name to Rockafellah.  ;D



 

WV Sawmiller

Moose,

   I saw those in our stores and they looked to me like the Swedish candles/stoves where they split a dry pine log into quarters, stick them back together upright in the snow and start a fire in the middle and it burns down with the reflected heat from the opposite quarters. They can put a pot on top to make coffee or cook.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

thechknhwk


r.man

One of the fellows who says that he can't make money doing kindling also got asked to make " Swedish Stove " blocks. White birch of a narrow diameter range, don't remember the size but fairly big, with three cross cuts a certain depth, whole thing a specified dryness shrink wrapped on pallets for transit. Too labour intensive to be profitable, I expect there is a lot of markup.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

Corley5

  Kindling in the north is a very limited market.  People who burn wood in fireplaces for atmosphere or those who supplement other heat sources with wood may buy some.  Anyone who really heats with wood seldom has to start a fire from scratch.  I've got the same fire going in my OWB that was started in October  ;) ;D   I couldn't justify the time to make kindling for what little I could sell or could sell it for.  I have on request added a couple old white cedar fence posts split into kindling to a load of wood.  I put it in the front or back of the load, tell the client where it'll be in pile and they sort it when they stack.  Other clients sort the silvers and bark in the load for kindling.  Specialized kindling equipment would be hard to justify.     
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

delgra

I sell bagged,bundled and boxed kindling products at Loblaws. Over ten years I would be lucky to have made minimum wage. If you've got the wood and the time, Ok, but if you have to buy your material and then process, bag, and transport it, forget it. I sell all year long and the best months are July and August providing there is not a "Burning Ban". Camp fire wood for the Tourist business. Outdoors every day, keeps ya healthy!

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