Fire wood

WFM

Well-known member
Premium Member

Equipment
L3800
Apr 5, 2013
1,360
706
113
Porter Maine
I know the fire wood issue has been kicked around here before. I'll admit. Math an't my thing. But knowing a cord of wood for us Yankees measures
4' x 4' x 8' . My first row of wood measures 16" wide x 35" high x 31' 6" long. SO all you MIT grads . The answer to how much wood in this row is ??

Thanks
 

lreops

Member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3400DT W/ LA463 FEL and L235DT W/ BF400 Loader
Dec 26, 2011
306
0
16
Rising Sun, Maryland
I roughly get a little over 122 cu. ft., or just shy of a full cord, by less than 6 cu. ft.

Ron

 

zerk

New member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
2013 B2320 Brand new
Dec 2, 2013
17
1
3
MOUNT CORY, OHIO
I know the fire wood issue has been kicked around here before. I'll admit. Math an't my thing. But knowing a cord of wood for us Yankees measures
4' x 4' x 8' . My first row of wood measures 16" wide x 35" high x 31' 6" long. SO all you MIT grads . The answer to how much wood in this row is ??

Thanks
You would be looking at 95.6% of a full cord stacked!
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,618
3,448
113
SW Pa
What happened did you run out of gas for the chain saw or out of tree,,lol:rolleyes:
 

Stubbyie

New member
Jul 1, 2010
879
7
0
Midcontinent
You are correct about the volume of a true cord of wood being 4x4x8=128-cubic feet, or two rows of 24-in logs x 4-ft x 8-ft..

In my area a "cord of wood" is most often sold as fitting your particular stove or fireplace, with 16-inches length being about standard.

So if you're not careful when buying wood you get a "cord" that measures 32in x 4-ft x 8-ft which comes from two rows 16-in long logs x 4-ft x 8-ft = 85.3-cubic feet, a "loss" of 128-85.3=42.7-cubic feet.

The honest sellers call the smaller size stack a "face cord" or "stove cord", but most just swear you're getting a full cord "just like everybody else around here".

I've also witnessed this in mtns of New Mexico ordering pinon pine, so it's a relatively common scam.

I say 'scam' because rarely is the wood presented as being anything other than a full "cord", and priced accordingly. I've even seen 12-in logs cut to fit a smaller stove presented as being a "cord" with no reduction in price.

If you really truly want to make a wood seller PO'd, have him stand by while you the buyer stack the wood yourself--tightly. I'll guarantee you'll get more in 'your' "cord" than he brought and presented as being a cord if he did the stacking.

I don't mind paying for what I get, but I damn sure want what I pay for.
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
13,884
5,688
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
If you really truly want to make a wood seller PO'd, have him stand by while you the buyer stack the wood yourself--tightly. I'll guarantee you'll get more in 'your' "cord" than he brought and presented as being a cord if he did the stacking.

I don't mind paying for what I get, but I damn sure want what I pay for.
Your statement says everyone who sell firewood is dishonest, with your "I'll guarantee..." comment! Little ridiculous, don't you think?
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,618
3,448
113
SW Pa
Cat to be honest with you I have yet to find anyone,,, around here at least ,,, that that sells a true cord of wood ,, I see then sell running cords rack cords and so on, and not one of them is a true cord of wood, but they charge full prices. I hack away at my own wood and have been for the last 40 years so I have a really good Idea what a cord of wood is,, And it pisses them off to no end to tell these guys they are ripping people off. I have no problem with a guy makin a buck just be up front about it and price accordingly
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
13,884
5,688
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
skeets, maybe the folks selling wood (at least in your area) are like the original poster, they know the dimensions of a cord of wood but don't know how to figure how much is in a row of wood! It should not take a MIT graduate to find an answer.

It may not be an issue with honesty or integrity. It may be lacking the math.

I've cut enough wood to heat my house and shop for 40 years also. When I get a need for some good, hot burning hedge for January I have a guy who brings what he calls a half cord. It's his 8' PU bed stacked neatly in rows and why up over the side and average over 2' high. I try to pay him extra and he won't take it, but keeps brings the same size load!

So not all wood sellers are crooks, lighten up.
 

Eric McCarthy

New member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Kubota B6100E
Dec 21, 2009
5,223
7
0
43
Richmond Va
It takes a fire wood processor to get a true cord of wood. The tree guys who cut down, split, stack, season and sell "fire wood" have no clue what a true cord is. And from the tree guys I think its bullshit the prices they charge. They keep wood after charging YOU for taking down a tree then resell it as firewood, making double money off of it.

A professional fire wood processor will split, stack, season and bundle fire wood and give you a 100% true cord wood. Those guys typically get paid for dumping logs on their property, then they'll do their thing to make it into fire wood.

Here's a link to a local fire wood processor.

http://hannemanforestproducts.com/
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,618
3,448
113
SW Pa
Eric now that's some one that has to be spot on as it is their lively hood and screwing people around would be cutting their own throat. Cat I wasn't implying that all these guys were not on the level, you have folks out there that are stand up guys and I don't mind paying a little more to them. Though I think a big problem is that so many people today really have no idea about what a cord of wood is, or how to figure it out, not because they are not smart enough but because they have not been subjected to it before. And thusly are taken advantage or those that are somewhat less than truthful. Like I said before I don't mind paying a little bit more to someone that is on the up and up, but the tree trimmers and tree removers are another matter all together. I have a friend that had a great big old oak tree in the yard, and his wife was frightened that it might crash into the house in a big storm. They had it removed and it cost them an arm and leg, but they cleaned everything and ground the stump out. Later that year in the fall a friend called and asked if they had that big oak tree removed, Torrey said yes and she asked why. Reason was that the friend bought a load of fire wood and her name was carved in the bark that her hubbie did when they first got married. Point is that these people charged an arm and leg to remove it then charged an arm and leg to someone buying it, I know that's the way it works but getting paid twice for the same thing is not cool to me, Just MHO
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
13,884
5,688
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
Point is that these people charged an arm and leg to remove it then charged an arm and leg to someone buying it, I know that's the way it works but getting paid twice for the same thing is not cool to me, Just MHO
skeets, when I read this I thought of myself. I've got a couple of horses my wife and I take out on trail rides once in a while. That means I have to provide shelter, hoof trimming, hay, etc. for them.

When I was working in Kansas City the people in the office would pay me $5 for every feed sack of horse apples I brought in. They though it made for bigger, better tomatoes! So I was getting the benefit of the horses and making money on their cr*p!!! Isn't that double dipping to?
 

Tooljunkie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L1501,home built carry all, mini plow blade.
May 13, 2014
4,150
33
48
60
Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba,Canada
I buy my wood in 8 foot lengths. Pretty easy to
figure a cord from that. Plus two cords
Is all my trailer is willing to carry.
Made a bench to hold a chainsaw for blocking
It up, now i have a sweet little tractor i pkan
on building a splitter. Three point pto.
Man- that l1501 is amazing on fuel.

Up here the wood cutters are few and
Far between. Its a tough way to make a living,
Paying for permits and fuel is bad enough

As far as honest- some good guys, some crooks.
Crooked wood sellers dont stay in business long.
 
Last edited:

North Idaho Wolfman

Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Jun 9, 2013
30,552
6,600
113
Sandpoint, ID
I just walk in the back yard and cut as much as I need for a year or two.
I think next year I might start having a semi drop a load and I'll let a few more trees on the property get bigger before I cut them down.
Every meth head and their cousin cut and sell fire wood up here, they get about $150 a cord.
 

olthumpa

Active member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L275
May 25, 2011
1,501
3
38
Maine
A cord of wood =
4' x 4' x 8 '= 128 cubic feet
12" x 12" x 12" = 1728 cubic inches = 1 cubic foot
48" x 48" x 96" = 221184 cubic inches = 1 cord
221184 divided by 1728 cubic inches = 128 cubic feet = 1 cord

Using your measurements:
" My first row of wood measures 16" wide x 35" high x 31' 6" long"
It is easier to covert to inches then back to feet to see how much wood you have.
16" wide x 35" high x 31' 6" long ( 31' x12" = 372" + 6 = 378")
16" x 35" x 378" = 208320 cubic inches

Remember that 221184 cubic inches = 1 cord.

so, 208320 cubic inches divided by 221184 cubic inches = 0.942 cord