Here is a dumb question...

[PeteD]

How do wood suppliers measure their cords?

I am sure they do not neatly stack each cord they sell in an 8x4x4 box and then say "Alright, here is one cord, now lets get it on the truck!"

Do they estimate from the size of their loose stack?

Do they know how much their truck holds by filling it one time and then unloading and stacking neatly (which they would only have to once for each truck if their splits were generally all similar)?

Is there a rule of thumb for converting loose stack volumes (a pile of splits) into tight stack volumes?

Just curious...

Pete

 

[savageactor7]

Well I suppose the easy way would be if your 1st customer was a kindly old lady that said "I want 20 cords CSDed and STACKED"...

...so you keep track of your bucket loads into the dump truck, then when you stack it you know pretty close how many buckets equal a cord. I know we never stacked word when I worked pt on this cutting gang but the boss always knew how much wood was being loaded.

 

[RedRanger]

Stack it yourself in a long row, then measure. simple math. 128cu.ft = a cord.

 

[SteveT]

One local guy I spoke with says he uses his front end loader. He knows that so many loader buckets of cordwood will stack to a full cord. I'd guess most guys have the same kind of knowledge -- they probably have had to calibrate their eye to the truck, or know the number of buckets or something so that they only did the stack ONCE.

 

[PeteD]

Sonny, you are missing my point. I know how to measure it (I am an engineer), but I am curious how suppliers actually do it. I can't see them taking them to stack neatly, so they are obviously estimating somehow (IMO).

Pete

 

[PeteD]

One local guy I spoke with says he uses his front end loader. He knows that so many loader buckets of cordwood will stack to a full cord. I'd guess most guys have the same kind of knowledge -- they probably have had to calibrate their eye to the truck, or know the number of buckets or something so that they only did the stack ONCE.

I suspect this is the case, but I wasn't sure.

Pete

 

[SteveT]

Here is a thread on the same topic:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=1031857

Notice one guys says 190 cubic feet loose will stack to a cord. To me that sounds logical.

 

[savageactor7]

Pete I doubt the pro deliverers stack it either..imo stacking is harder than C&Sing;the wood...way to labor intensive to do it for each load...they just know how much the bucket holds.

 

[PeteD]

Cool link EngineRep, makes sense.

 

[RedRanger]

Sonny, you are missing my point. I know how to measure it (I am an engineer), but I am curious how suppliers actually do it. I can't see them taking them to stack neatly, so they are obviously estimating somehow (IMO).

Pete

Exactly-- so how happy are you with what you`ve got.?? Take my word for it -- your wood suppliers are not engineer`s. eg- bought a cord from a braggart that delivered so called oversized cords "ready to burn"- well, about 35% of it actually was ready to burn, and the rest only took 30 more days to season, but his oversized cords worked out to be about 0.85& of a real cord.

others say seasoned, not quite ready, and they are mostly honest.

Measure, okay, first guy = 18ft long by 4ft high, by 18" length. Now, you do the math, and tell me that it is a full cord.?? Not!!

But nice sweet dry stuff for the most part. But a full or even worse-(like he advertised) an oversized cord. laugh, and laugh some more. but best of all, when I questioned him about wood-burning, well, he does`nt even burn wood himself :smirk: So I am not at all angry bought this crap. no matter .. wood is still the most economical way to go.

They don`t measure, they just guestimate, some are good at it, and others are not so good at it.

Were you expecting engineers to be bringing you firewood??

 

[PeteD]

Sonny, you are missing my point. I know how to measure it (I am an engineer), but I am curious how suppliers actually do it. I can't see them taking them to stack neatly, so they are obviously estimating somehow (IMO).

Pete

Exactly-- so how happy are you with what you`ve got.?? Take my word for it -- your wood suppliers are not engineer`s. eg- bought a cord from a braggart that delivered so called oversized cords "ready to burn"- well, about 35% of it actually was ready to burn, and the rest only took 30 more days to season, but his oversized cords worked out to be about 0.85& of a real cord.

others say seasoned, not quite ready, and they are mostly honest.

Measure, okay, first guy = 18ft long by 4ft high, by 18" length. Now, you do the math, and tell me that it is a full cord.?? Not!!

But nice sweet dry stuff for the most part. But a full or even worse-(like he advertised) an oversized cord. laugh, and laugh some more. but best of all, when I questioned him about wood-burning, well, he does`nt even burn wood himself :smirk: So I am not at all angry bought this crap. no matter .. wood is still the most economical way to go.

They don`t measure, they just guestimate, some are good at it, and others are not so good at it.

Were you expecting engineers to be bringing you firewood??

Of course I wasn't expecting an engineer to bring me firewood. Although I would love it if they would. They would estimate how much was a cord, then multiply by 5 for a factor of safety and I would get a great deal.

BTW, I said up front it was a dumb question, I was just curious.

Pete

 

[crazy_dan]

oh my gosh Pete seams you have hit the proverbial hornets nest with the proverbial stick

I think most of them think a Pick up load is a cord well guess what it is only about 1/2 a cord.

 

[JPapiPE]

Pete D , being an engineer on this forum definitely counts against you
My advice to you as an Engineer is: Admit Nothing
Deny Everything
Make Counter Accusations

But yes a wood seller will measure out his first load on the ground, then throw it into his dump truck and see how far up the sides it comes and then use that as a bench mark for further sales. Most people get shorted in my opinon. But you can do as i did stack it up and call the seller and tell him you are short. He did come back and provided the extra to amount to a full cord and all his subsequent cords were dead nuts on the money. However if you have some front end loader jockey from the docks of Ny or NJ, who is unionized, and you get shorted . Find another seller...It's not worth the hassle.
Joe

 

[JPapiPE]

2 big pick-up loads with an 8' bed is about a cord

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Pete, being an engineer, you no doubt understand that it is simply a SWAG.

 

[PeteD]

First of all, I am not sure why being a train driver should count against me. Second, who do you all think is going to develop the alternative fuels we all want.........yep, you guessed it..........train drivers.

I do like SWAG.

Pete