Odd sized cords

[fox9988]

For those of you that deal in full cords only, if your wood length does not divide into an even cord(anything other than 48",24",16",12")how do you count, figure,or buy wood using only full cords? I use 16" wood so it's easy for me.

 

[weatherguy]

Just convert feet to inches and figure it out that way, thats what I do

 

[pen]

I've always rounded. If it's 18 inch wood, a cord to me would still be 3 rows of 4 foot high by 8 foot long. If I am planning on putting 3 pieces of wood into the stove, I won't change my mind about how much to put in if the wood is 16 inches in length versus 18.

Doing it that way also makes it easier when selling so that folks don't believe you are ripping them off (that is if their stove can handle a bit of extra length).

 

[LLigetfa]

Just use one of several online cord calculators if you don't want to do the math.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/cord-calculators.53294/

 

[fox9988]

I don't have a problem with the math. Here we use ricks(face cords), but most of you seem to use cords(full,true,legal,etc.), so if buying/selling a cord of 18" wood, I wondered if you specified 1.125 cord to keep it "legal".The way I hear it a "rick" here used to be 2x4x8, now it's what ever you want x4x8.

 

[PapaDave]

Weatherguy +1.
4x8x1.333= close enough for me. If there are a few 18-20 inchers in there, no biggie. If they're all 18-20", then over the course of several, dare I say, "face cords", it can make a bigger difference.
I've been cutting my stuff pretty close to 16" for the last couple years just to make it easy to keep track of what I have, how much I use, and because that fits in the stove well.
I guess it wouldn't be any different if I cut larger or smaller once I got accustomed to that calc.

 

[Waulie]

I have to disagree a bit with the folks who say the length doesn't matter much. I cut and process my own wood, so I just figure at 18" long splits stacked at 4 feet high, 22 feet of stack is equal to one cord. If I was buying (or certainly if I was selling) wood, I would definately consider the total volume and not just the length X height assuming 16" splits. If I was selling wood, I would definately not give away 13% of product just because it was 18" lengths just like if I was buying I wouldn't want to be shorted 13%. Just me.

 

[Gark]

A cord 4x4x8 in feet is 221,184 cubic inches. I measure all dimensions and convert 'em to inches. Divide your volume in cubic inches by 221,184.

 

[ScotO]

I stack my wood up 12' x 5 1/2' x 60'........I know that will get me through several winters AND several summer cookouts, spring maple seasons, and the occasional campout.....

 

[woodsmaster]

I cut mine 24" No way would I sell 3 -2' x 4' x 8' rows as a cord. Now if I were buying......

 

[tymbee]

Here we use ricks(face cords),

IMO, stick to face cords and let them do the math if they want. It's amazing to me how many sellers will load up two 4x8 rows of pieces considerably shorter than 24" and call it a "cord". Yeah, right... Buyers can envision a 4x8 foot pile of wood cut the length they want. They can't relate to a mass of 128 cubic feet. I've always found it much easier to just explain, if they ask, that a 16" face cord = 1/3 full cord, 24" - 1/2 cord, and 48" = one full cord. "Ohhhhh... now I get it!" Never had a complaint...

 

[LLigetfa]

Who delivers a cord or less of ready split firewood all ranked up on the back of the truck? Most times they are just loose tossed and in that case, the 128 cu ft measure no longer applies. Maine describes a cord of loose tossed firewood between 12 and 16 inches in length as 180 cu ft.

 

[tymbee]

Who delivers a cord or less of ready split firewood all ranked up on the back of the truck?

Well, if you have a larger truck-- the 16' flatbed I used for example, and you're making multiple deliveries, that's the only efficient way to deliver. Not that unusual either.

Of course creative stacking is another issue altogether. I used to cut/split/deliver tractor trailer loads of firewood. Given the wood was cut to 16" lengths each row was tightly stacked and amounted to 1/3 of a cord. However when the reseller re-stacked it at their end, they typically "invented" at least a full cord over what I counted by figluring in a lot of air-- cross stacking the ends as well as loose stacking the rows.

I remember reading an old, but wise adage about stacking firewood which read something like: "The wood should be stacked loosely enough to allow a mouse to run through the pile, but not the cat chasing it.".

 

[LLigetfa]

Of course creative stacking is another issue altogether...

A common trick is to rank up one row at the back of the truck so that when you open the tailgate, it looks to be tightly stacked (128 cu ft/cord) but then bulk load (180 cu ft/cord) the rest in front of that. The buyer then assumes the entire load is 128 cu ft/cord.

If/when the monger gets called out on it, the excuse is that the ranked row is just to keep pressure off the tailgate so that it can be opened to dump the load.

 

[PapaDave]

The guy I get my log loads from delivers what he says are 20 cord loads. He hasn't been wrong yet after I get 'em all c/s/s.
I've had 2 guys deliver c/s and they both gave me what I paid for. Both are local and have been here and doing that firewood thing for years, so are reliable.
Actually, both of them gave me splits that were somewhat longer than 16", yet the stacks were 4Hx8L.
I got a good deal. I didn't like the fact that around here they don't like to deliver before August, so started getting the loads and processing myself. Now that I'm 2.5-3 years ahead, I could get it that way and still be fine.

 

[tymbee]

The guy I get my log loads from delivers what he says are 20 cord loads. He hasn't been wrong yet after I get 'em all c/s/s

Twenty cords per load? Wow. The tri-axle rig that delivered some red oak here (below) was packed solid and that comes out to around 8-9 full cords. I've also loaded many tractor trailer flatbeds with stacked 16-18" pieces and you're hard pressed to get 10 full cords per load. What kind of a vehicle can deliver 20 full cords??

 

[LLigetfa]

What kind of a vehicle can deliver 20 full cords??

Most of the fifth wheel pulp trucks here carry 18 to 22 cord. My supplier delivers 12 cord on a straight truck and has a pup trailer that can carry 6 cord, for a total of 18 cord.

 

[PapaDave]

This was the first 20 cord load. Half to me, half to my brother. I think I got the bigger half.

This guy probably could have picked up a dime off the driveway with that thing.

 

[tymbee]

View attachment 64923
This was the first 20 cord load. Half to me, half to my brother. I think I got the bigger half.

This guy probably could have picked up a dime off the driveway with that thing.

Very cool. Thanks for the pic!

 

[fox9988]

View attachment 64923
This was the first 20 cord load. Half to me, half to my brother. I think I got the bigger half.

This guy probably could have picked up a dime off the driveway with that thing.

I bet he didn't cross any DOT scales 115,000 lbs?

 

[Flatbedford]

I cut at bout 18". My stacks are on pallets three rows deep and about 5' high when green. I multiply length of the stack by 20 (4'X5') to get total cubic footage, then divide by 128 for the number of cords. Do I have 12 or 13.12853027543214 cords at the house? Who the hell cares? I know its at least 3 winter's worth.6
If I were selling I would call each linear foot off stack 22.5 (4'6"x60") cubic feet or 5.68' per cord.

As long as the wood is stacked uniformly, its easy to come up with the number of cords you have.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I bet he didn't cross any DOT scales 115,000 lbs?

Worry not. Where Dave lives you won't find many DOT scales. I'll also bet that wood was not hauled very far either.

 

[Dune]

IMO, stick to face cords and let them do the math if they want. It's amazing to me how many sellers will load up two 4x8 rows of pieces considerably shorter than 24" and call it a "cord". Yeah, right... Buyers can envision a 4x8 foot pile of wood cut the length they want. They can't relate to a mass of 128 cubic feet. I've always found it much easier to just explain, if they ask, that a 16" face cord = 1/3 full cord, 24" - 1/2 cord, and 48" = one full cord. "Ohhhhh... now I get it!" Never had a complaint...

Most states legaly define a cord as well as specify that a cord or or a fraction of a true cord be used as sales increment.