Got my FIRST wood delivery..... BUT....

Well I received my first wood delivery of 2 cords today! BUT.... I'm really not sure if its seasoned as long as my dealer said it was. :-( Isn't the wood supposed to be greyish is color? I would say maybe half the pile seems greyish in color and dry and the rest looks like its been cut about 4 months ago. I'm afraid to by a moisture meter to see what the actual readings are. It will probably make me sick to my stomach.

I'm a total newbie at this so I probably got screwed. I paid $190 per cord which was a little higher than some other quotes I received but I went with this dealer because he seemed like an honest guy on the phone. Told me that this is the wood he is burning and his parents are burning this year. Plus, I told him I bought a Woodstock Fireview and it holds pieces up to 18" in length. He said no problem, I'll have my guys pick out smaller pieces for you. Well.... I found some pieces that are 21" or more Guess I have to break out the miter saw.

Here are a few pics of my wood. Can you tell if its any good by looking at the pictures?

Get it stacked where it gets plenty of sun and wind. You'll probably be fine. Do the ends of the wood show some small cracks? Does the wood make a hollow sound when knocked on, or does it make a dull thud?

"Seasoned" can have different meanings to different people. Get it stacked. You'll probably be fine.

Wood looks good, quantity doesn't look like two cords (256 Cubic Feet) to me. Hard to tell until you get it stacked, that's how a cord is measured, volume of neatly stacked wood. The $190 a cord would be low price around here in NJ.

If it`s softwood, there is hope for you this year.. However, if it is hardwood, oh, oh, so sad, that will be for 2009-2010. tsk, tsk.

get it stacked.it dont look like the two cord pile i have in back.

I can't tell from your pics if that's on pile or multiples....but that aint two cords. That "maybe" two face cords if you stack it loose.

from past threads i have read recently i think you need to get a bottle of wine and pour your self a glass.

doesn' t look like 2 cds but you need to stack it
if 2cds split it smaller will season better
if not 2cds call back complain when he brings you more split that real small then split the rest

When I first got home and looked at the pile, I said to myself that it does not look like two cords either. BUT... I did stack one face cord tonight and it looks like there is probably three more in that pile.

This is all hardwoods. The ends are grey and split on most pieces but quit a few looked like they were freshly cut! I knocked them together and it does sound like a baseball bat. But others have a thump sound which indicates that its still wet.

Oh well.... You live and learn. That's why I only ordered two cords from him. I plan on purchasing two more cords from two different dealers. Hopefully I can stumble upon someone honest! I doubt it though.

Well then the question is what do you consider a "face cord". If it is 18" x 8' x 4', four of these do not make two cords. Here I assume the wood length isn't 2'. Now if your agreement with the wood guy was that 18" cut length in a stack 8 feet wide and 4 feet high is a face (1/2) cord, then that's that. But, again that aint a cords, 128 cubic feet.

To my eye the wood looks seasoned, but I agree it shouldn't "thump" ... that is either green to so seasoned it is rotten.

See.... told you I was a newbie I thought4 face cords equal 2 full cords. All I know is that we agreed on delivery of 2 full cords that were supposed to be cut 18" or less. But... I found many that are well over 18". You can see from the pictures how the sizes vary.

I really wanted this whole process to go smoothly. Dishonest people should not do business. I'm going to try getting this stacked by Sunday. I'll take some measurements and post them on here. You guys can then tell me if I need to call the dealer back and complain.

At $190 a cord, I'd accept less than 128 cubic feet per cord, but not a lot less.

The "face cord" game is just that. It isn't defined other than my agreement. A "Cord" is defined and it is 128 cubic feet when neatly stacked, doesn't matter what the length is. Of course if the length varies much it will be difficult to measure. I generally give the wood guy the benefit of the doubt, i.e., if we agree on 18" length, the maximum my Insert can handle, and some of the pieces are closer to 16" say, I just stack and call the row's depth to be 18".

My last delivery was $175 for two pick-up loads. Both the wood guy and I guessed the pick up load (a Ford F250 standard bed) was more like 0.4 cords each. That's about what I got when stacked, so at $175 for 0.8 cords I paid close to $220 per (full) cord. That's a competitive price in these parts.

I would be more concerned about the quantity. I recently had two cords delivered and my pile seems bigger. If it is significantly short, call him back...it can't hurt. As far as seasoning, it has been a wet summer so take that into account. Stack it off of the ground ASAP, covering the top. You still have 2 to 2-1/2 months before you'll be burning for real.

If you only get 4 face you got really shorted I personally would definately speak up. Hope it all works out for you.

Always ask how it was seasoned. Sounds like possibly yours was "seasoned" by being dumped in a big pile. So the stuff that was on top is actually pretty good, the stuff that was in the middle not so much. Been there myself, done that.

Almost NOBODY "seasons" wood by splitting and stacking it, so it's always a misnomer. If they really do, you're going to pay a lot more for it, and it wouldn't be available this time of year anyway.

Strong word of advice-- first find another supplier because there's no way that's 2 full cords of wood. But get anoher couple cords, at least, in NOW to stack and season on your own property for next year. Buying CDS "seasoned" wood is pretty much a fool's game, IMHO, and I say that as a full-fledged former fool.

He and his parents probably have big old cast-iron monster stoves, which will burn dirt, so to them, it's plenty seasoned. At least that's the way it generally goes around here. But EPA stoves are more finicky.

At 18", you need 6 face cords to equal 2 cords. I would say you have somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 1/3 cords there. Get a couple of 4' pallets and lay them sideways and then stack three rows on them. Maybe use the side of the garage to hold oneside and some temporary stakes for the other. When you get all three rows to 4', you have a cord. Then see how much wood you have left on the ground.

In case he tells you bought 2 cords by weight- I used to consider 5,000lbs+/- per cord. Also if you have xtra room to stack, seperate your seasoned from your green. Or put your green in behind you seasoned.

16"

Actually... that is what I planned on doing tonight and tomorrow. I have pallets on the side of my shed already laid out. I'll let you guys know what I come up with.

This whole ordeal has got me so aggravated. The wife says don't worry about it but that's just not me. I don't like when people take advantage of my inexperience and that's exactly what this guy did.

If it is really short, how do I approach my dealer? Pissed off? Make accusations? Or just say I think you made a mistake on the amount of wood that was supposed to be delivered? I think the last one is most appropriate. ;-)

the last one. good luck.

18" 5.33 face cords to equal 2 full cords
16" 6 face cords to equal 2 full cords
Some firewood dealers cut the tree and let the rounds sit for 6 months to a year then split and sell it as seasoned wood. Most times it was not split then seasoned. If he is a little short, I don't know if I would push it. If you only get like 1.3 cords, call him and tell him you stacked it and the numbers are not working out for the two cords you paid for. Tell him he can come look at it.

Go on and start getting your wood for next year. It is good to be ahead and then if you buy your wood, you can pay less and get the green wood since it will sit for 2 years.

It's easy to remember - a face cord is 2 @$$ cord. You need at least a frinkle to get you through the winter.

that cant be 2 cords iam with you on that

16", that's 2 cords. 18", where some of the splits are actually longer, and you're probably looking at 5 face cords = 2 cords.

I wonder if the guy normally delivers 24" wood or something. I thought 16-18" was a pretty standard length.

Anyway, once you stack it, measure it out exactly. You'll have stacks that are 8' x 3.7' x 3' or whatever it is. Then you'll know your total volume. It should be 256 cuft. If it's above 240 cuft, complaining won't really get you anything. Hard to know from the pictures, especially since it's hard to tell if those are three separate piles, or multiple pictures of one pile

I doubt the guy was intentionally screwing you. "Seasoned" wood usually isn't seasoned more than 6 months anyway, unless the seller is being *very* specific about when it was split.

I wouldn't get wound too tight over this....yet.
Process: Billy Bob goes to big-ol-pile of wood. The stuff on top that has seen sunlight is grey in color, the stuff just under the surface is not, but still "seasoned", at least to the degree of piled wood.
Billy Bob starts loading truck. Truck gets full. Billy Bob drives to customer and dumps. Billy Bob grunts "hunert and niny dollars".

If you stack this up and find that you have been shorted by any "sizeable" amount, simply call Billy Bob up and kindly relay the info that the dumped amount was short by xxx amount. "Could you please bring the balance when you are in the neighbor hood next?"

He is owed the ability to make things right. Now...if he doesn't make things right.....thats a different approach.