If you really want money from Woodcutting I'd chop Yews. :P But like others said, you're better off getting the experience quickly then getting money in other ways.
If you have 30 Mining, 30 Smithing and 43 Magic you can buy Coal, mine Iron Ore and Superheat into Steel Bars. Then once you get to 55 Mining and 50 Smithing you buy Mithril Ore, and mine Coal. Pretty slow but you won't lose money. ;) If you just want experience, just power mine the Iron Ore.
If they're barely populated then why didn't you swap when the level 138 arrived? Like you said, you asked him twice. If he wasn't going to listen to you then you should have left.