Trying to Get Ahead
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Yep, nice work. Keep at it... FWIW, to get ahead 3 years' worth, we had to BUY three cord loads a couple of times but it was worth it. Even when you're ahead, the only
thing you can do is to keep scrounging wood always to KEEP ahead. Good stacking technique there, seasons faster like that.
thing you can do is to keep scrounging wood always to KEEP ahead. Good stacking technique there, seasons faster like that.
I learned last year the value of being ahead. I thought I had enough to get me through the year but was going to work all winter to get ahead for 2011-2012. But... life is what happens when you're making other plans. I broke my leg in mid October and that set me back quite a bit. Then I had two eye surgeries in the winter. So I got very little done until late winter- early Spring but now I have close to three cords split and stacked and well under 20% MC so that will get me through the upcoming winter. I have close to three cords in rounds ready to be split and probably four cords in down and dead and waiting for some cooler weather to be processed for 2012-13.
I have 25 large standing dead oaks on a friends ranch that are mine for the taking plus neighbors who are beginning to know me as the 'wood Guy,' so, barring unforeseen circumstances, I plan to put my new splitter into overdrive this winter and be at least five years ahead before summer starts.
And this is all with scrounged wood. Probably 95% oak and a wee bit of hickory. I haven't bought anything yet and don't anticipate ever having to.
I have 25 large standing dead oaks on a friends ranch that are mine for the taking plus neighbors who are beginning to know me as the 'wood Guy,' so, barring unforeseen circumstances, I plan to put my new splitter into overdrive this winter and be at least five years ahead before summer starts.
And this is all with scrounged wood. Probably 95% oak and a wee bit of hickory. I haven't bought anything yet and don't anticipate ever having to.
Ya, Ken had quite a time last year and learned the value of being ahead. You are doing fine Stax.
Just a heads up. Even the fact that they are dead standing, oak will still retain a lot of MC.
KC
iskiatomic said:
Roger that, KC. All I have to work with around here is Oak. I know, it's a curse. So I'm pretty familiar with it. That's why I was saying I had all those standing Oaks I wanted to add to the two years worth I've already got and that would take me up to being five years ahead. I won't need any of the aforementioned standing deads for at least three years.
That's a huge supply Kenster. I'm working with peanuts compared to that. It's funny, cause when guests come over and spot the woodstacks for the first time, they think I'm nuts. They assume my supply will last years.
Kenster said:
Good job Ken, ahead is always a good feeling. My problem is that to be 5 yrs. ahead I'd need about 60 cord. I'll be happy when I'm full 3 years ahead. A C
When you stack all of your wood criss-cross like the OP, does anyone know how much wood you actually have when it measures 128. I'm not trying to be a smart A$$. I stack my wood with either a post at the end or criss-cross just the ends then stack everything in the middle not criss-cross. I read someplace in here that if you measured just the wood, a cord of stacked wood is really 80 to 85 cu ft of solid wood. When you stack it a the OP does, what is a good estimation of how much solid wood is in that stack.
I'm mostly curious because I have seen some CL ads where they are showing all of their wood stacked criss-cross with a tape measure showing that you are getting a full cord. I would be willing to be that if I stacked it my way, I would end up with a lot less that 1 full cord.
Inquiring minds want to know
p.s. Good job on getting ahead. Once I get my splitter, I'm hoping to be at least a year and a half ahead. Last year was my first year and I ran out after 2.5 cords. I now have 4 cords of hard wood and 1 cord of pine for 2011-2012 and then about 7 cords for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.
I'm mostly curious because I have seen some CL ads where they are showing all of their wood stacked criss-cross with a tape measure showing that you are getting a full cord. I would be willing to be that if I stacked it my way, I would end up with a lot less that 1 full cord.
Inquiring minds want to know
p.s. Good job on getting ahead. Once I get my splitter, I'm hoping to be at least a year and a half ahead. Last year was my first year and I ran out after 2.5 cords. I now have 4 cords of hard wood and 1 cord of pine for 2011-2012 and then about 7 cords for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.
I think actual volume of wood withing the 4x4x8 parameter will vary depending on the size of the splits. Smaller splits can be more tightly packed so you might actually get more wood in a cord (with the trade off that the small splits will burn faster than large ones.) I don't know how much wood you would lose if your whole 4x4x8 stack was ALL criss-crossed but I think it would be significant and any seller that stacks that way all the time is intentionally trying to mislead an unsuspecting buyer, even though he is obvious reciting measurements of a "dictionary" cord.
Without restacking in standard stacking formation using end poles but no cribbed ends, it would be hard to determine exactly what you are getting.
It would be fun for a News Camera Crew to show up at some guys wood lot and have them restack their cribbed stacks into standard formation and see exactly how much they are short changing the consumer.
Without restacking in standard stacking formation using end poles but no cribbed ends, it would be hard to determine exactly what you are getting.
It would be fun for a News Camera Crew to show up at some guys wood lot and have them restack their cribbed stacks into standard formation and see exactly how much they are short changing the consumer.
wannabegreener said:
I highly doubt anyone would measure a stack like that at 128 and call it a cord. It would be the same as stacking in a row and leaving big holes and trying to pass it off as a cord of wood. There has to be some tolerances but not that much.
"I have 3 stacks of wood over there and they all are 128 cu. ft. One sells for $100. The second one sells for $150 and the other sells for $250." So what is the difference? "Well, the first one, if a rabbit comes along being chased by a dog, the rabbit runs though the stack and the dog can follow. In that second stack, the rabbit can get through but the dog has to go around. In that third stack, neither the rabbit nor the dog can pass through it and it is barely passable for a mouse."
Yes, all the same outside measurements but not the same amount of wood in them.
I agree that it is not the right thing to do, I just commented because I continuously see the same ad in CL with the wood stacked like that and a tape measure showing the size. I wouldn't buy it, but I would expect some unsuspecting person would. Just curious if anyone in here did any experiment like this.
wannabegreener said:
When I see garbage like that in a CL listing I respond to it and give them a little education. Probably doesn't do any good but it might make the reconsider their marketing strategies.
amateur cutter said:
I saw your other post where you said you had cut 40 cords and thought you were selling this stuff. You actually go through 20 cords a year for heat? Me, I will pay for natural gas if I need 20 cords a year. I am hoping to make it through the year with 3 cords, maybe 4. I should have looked at your profile to see if you live in the arctic. Where do you live and what size house are you heating?
Fabsroman, what post was that? If I posted that I had 40 cords it must have been a typo.
Or I may have been estimating all the wood that is available to me on Friend's ranches.
I burn maybe a cord and a half a year here in Texas about an hour and a half WNW of Houston.
Or I may have been estimating all the wood that is available to me on Friend's ranches.
I burn maybe a cord and a half a year here in Texas about an hour and a half WNW of Houston.
Kenster said:
My mistake. I quoted you when I should have quoted Amateur Cutter. Maybe I saw his post quoted by you and replied to your post by accident. Who knows. Too much time spent building firewood racks and hauling and stacking wood today. A lot more of it in store for tomorrow too, so I will probably be brain dead at midnight tomorrow too. Sorry about that.
I just cannot fathom having 40 cords of wood on hand. I already have 3 cords and would love to have about 10 cords on hand. However, I am sitting here wondering where I am going to store all this wood and I have a 2 acre lot that is pretty flat.
fabsroman said:
Location has a big impact on heat load. I had 40 on hand at the beginning of last heating season. Burned somewhere between 9 and 10 as it was cold and windy last year, sold 5 this summer and haven't been gathering because of other projects. I got knocked down from about 5 years ahead to 3 in a matter of 9 months. 40 may seem like a lot but its not if you have a decent heat load and sell a little here and there.
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