Wood prices and weight vs volume

Pennsyltucky Chris said:

Oak is going to lose a ton of weight through seasoning. I took down an oak in August and I was getting moisture readings north of 50%.

This sounds like about 3 cords using my guesstimation. OP is going to pay AND do the work. I'd pass. He could always drop the logs off for free. There is almost no value in what he's trying to sell.

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No value in log loads delivered? I know at least 10 people local to me that would disagree. The going rate is $100/cord in log form, and has been for quite some time.

Pennsyltucky Chris said:

Oak is going to lose a ton of weight through seasoning. I took down an oak in August and I was getting moisture readings north of 50%.

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I have no idea how accurate the US Forestry numbers in the link I gave are but they sound about right. They give the weight of green cords. Any given cord will eventually lose water and weigh less but it will still be a cord. No need to do any further conversions to get the right amount in a weighed load.

Log loads are sold all the time for about $100 a cord. You still have to buck and split. Lot of work but that seem to be how its done in many places.

claydogg84 said:

No value in log loads delivered? I know at least 10 people local to me that would disagree. The going rate is $100/cord in log form, and has been for quite some time.

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I'm referring to the seller in this instance.It doesn't seem like it's going to be that much when it dries. Oak is basically dripping when fresh cut. Where is the value in paying $133 per cord to do all that work? Oak is so wet when fresh cut, the rounds can be almost unmanageable. I love the wood, I hate the processing. I guess if this is a form of exercise and resources are scarce, go for it. Me, I'm not touching it.

The last wood I paid for was what the guy claimed to be 2 cords of Red Oak. It was already cut into rounds. It also looked like every one of those estimated 256 cubic feet. We settled on $125. I got about 2.5 cords out of it. I've gotten about 6 cords of everything from Pine, to black locust, to cherry, to elm, for free since. He was a homeowner clearing his lot. The seller OP is talking about is a businessman. He won't be giving anything away except hernias.

We can agree to disagree, I just see virtually no value in logs. In my opinion, you have to figure the hours you'll be working to produce X volume, and what your time is worth. And adding a $100 charge to a cord? I'm out.

jatoxico said:

I have no idea how accurate the US Forestry numbers in the link I gave are but they sound about right. They give the weight of green cords. Any given cord will eventually lose water and weigh less but it will still be a cord. No need to do any further conversions to get the right amount in a weighed load.

Log loads are sold all the time for about $100 a cord. You still have to buck and split. Lot of work but that seem to be how its done in many places.

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Agreed. White oak @ 5,500 lbs per cord green, is still the same cord of firewood dry @ 4,200 lbs. If he's getting a 11 ton load of White Oak, it will be 4 cords on the nose. It's likely not all White Oak (basically the heaviest of the hardwoods) which would mean the load would be more than just 4 cord.

jatoxico said:

I have no idea how accurate the US Forestry numbers in the link I gave are but they sound about right. They give the weight of green cords. Any given cord will eventually lose water and weigh less but it will still be a cord. No need to do any further conversions to get the right amount in a weighed load.

Log loads are sold all the time for about $100 a cord. You still have to buck and split. Lot of work but that seem to be how its done in many places.

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We have 2 guys in my neck of the woods who will drop off what they claim to be 6 cords of logs for $550. I understand the math. It's still cheaper than paying $200 a cord that's already split. I'm just hesitant to pay to do work. The oak I took down in August was about 36" across, and half of it is still laying there. Some of the rounds weighed 200 pounds easy. A smaller diameter log load might make things a lot easier.

Maybe something for OP to consider.

claydogg84 said:

Agreed. White oak @ 5,500 lbs per cord green, is still the same cord of firewood dry @ 4,200 lbs. If he's getting a 11 ton load of White Oak, it will be 4 cords on the nose. It's likely not all White Oak (basically the heaviest of the hardwoods) which would mean the load would be more than just 4 cord.

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Good research.

Going to be a helluva workout.

Pennsyltucky Chris said:

I just see virtually no value in logs. In my opinion, you have to figure the hours you'll be working to produce X volume, and what your time is worth. And adding a $100 charge to a cord? I'm out.

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That's just about the most bizarre thing I ever done heard on this forum! No value in logs??? Lord luv a duck, I wouldn't buy my wood any other way! If I couldn't process my wood from log form down, I wouldn't bother burning wood... there wouldn't be any fun in it whatsoever...... But, to each his own.....
Cheers

Pennsyltucky Chris said:

still cheaper than paying $200 a cord that's already split. I'm just hesitant to pay to do work.

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Oh yeah absolutely! There is a ton of work left to work up a cord from logs. Except for the fact that I enjoy the work it makes zero sense not to buy split cord wood. I scrounge all my wood but if I'm paying, it's coming already split.

P.S. Don't tell the OP but split cords are going for $150 and two for $260 around here. Almost wish I needed some.

Chuck the Canuck said:

That's just about the most bizarre thing I ever done heard on this forum! No value in logs??? Lord luv a duck, I wouldn't buy my wood any other way! If I couldn't process my wood from log form down, I wouldn't bother burning wood... there wouldn't be any fun in it whatsoever...... But, to each his own.....
Cheers

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I don't buy wood. I'm not alone on the forum. I believe I have clarified that it is "my opinion". And I'm not saying I won't buy the right wood at the right price. But again, in my opinion, the value is in the processing. Firewood comes from a tree. but a tree isn't firewood.

It's all a matter of perspective. I live in the woods. I have 5 acres. State game lands are a half a mile away. If you live in a more suburban area, log loads could help you. To me, and this is my opinion, I'm not paying to buck a load when I can go drop an Ash for free.

Pennsyltucky Chris said:

I don't buy wood. I'm not alone on the forum. I believe I have clarified that it is "my opinion". And I'm not saying I won't buy the right wood at the right price. But again, in my opinion, the value is in the processing. Firewood comes from a tree. but a tree isn't firewood.

It's all a matter of perspective. I live in the woods. I have 5 acres. State game lands are a half a mile away. If you live in a more suburban area, log loads could help you. To me, and this is my opinion, I'm not paying to buck a load when I can go drop an Ash for free.

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Point taken.

Chuck the Canuck said:

Point taken.

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It has also been a major help to me that they are clearing lots about a half mile away. The guys bulldozing told me to help myself. They stacked em in a pile. It was Ash, Hickory and soft maple. I was filling my trailer daily. What kind of hardwoods do you get in New Brunswick? I guess the same as Maine?

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Pennsyltucky Chris said:

It has also been a major help to me that they are clearing lots about a half mile away. The guys bulldozing told me to help myself. They stacked em in a pile. It was Ash, Hickory and soft maple. I was filling my trailer daily. What kind of hardwoods do you get in New Brunswick? I guess the same as Maine?

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What's the saw? 460?

Montanalocal said:

I went and found some sites that listed the weight per chord of the different species. Averaging your species together I get about 5,200 lb. per green chord. Dividing this into your 11 T. load we get about 4.25 chords. Then we have to further reduce that because there is about a 20 percent reduction going from rounds to splits. So taking 80 percent of this we are down to about 3.4 chords. Dividing this into the $400, we get about $120 per chord. This is just approximate. There is probably an additional shrinkage because of the moisture loss.

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It is CORD do know what a Chord is

Firefighter938 said:

What's the saw? 460?

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Bingo. My other is the Stihl MS250. I wanted some more power, but I'm finding that the Stihl chains are so much better, that it really doesn't matter which saw I use. I've actually put the 460 up on CL. I'm either gonna get a 441 or a 660 Magnum. The wife will love that. I've just got her bucking rounds this summer. She's getting pretty good, but she will only use the Stihl. The Husq scares her.

blades said:

It is CORD do know what a Chord is

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There are three knots in a chord.

blades said:

It is CORD do know what a Chord is

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Chord is that straight line you draw to join any two points on a curve right?

Oldman47 said:

Chord is that straight line you draw to join any two points on a curve right?

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yes that is one definition-

Cored........an apple with the center removed.

bob

Pennsyltucky Chris said:

What kind of hardwoods do you get in New Brunswick? I guess the same as Maine?

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Yep, pretty much the same as the Mainers.... most of my tandem loads lately are mostly sugar maple (always get a few red maple thrown in as well), yellow birch, beech, and lately I'm seeing more ash... I don't know if that's got anything to do with EAB or just the luck of the draw... I don't complain, I just chunk it all up and split and stack it with the rest..... Here's a picture of the most recent 2 tandem loads that I got from my supplier (wood)...... Maple Maple Maple... and a few shots of my ever-growing wood stacks as well as a brand new attempt at a Holz-Hausen....
Cheers

Pennsyltucky Chris said:

Bingo. My other is the Stihl MS250. I wanted some more power, but I'm finding that the Stihl chains are so much better, that it really doesn't matter which saw I use. I've actually put the 460 up on CL. I'm either gonna get a 441 or a 660 Magnum. The wife will love that. I've just got her bucking rounds this summer. She's getting pretty good, but she will only use the Stihl. The Husq scares her.

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What are you aski ng for the 460? Ship to Indiana?