I'm realizing quickly that my regular wood man is pretty darn good. He delivers about 7/8th of a cord for $200. In Asheville, NC, that isn't cheap. But the wood is all consistent length and split - no burls, no bugs, mostly straight, clean pieces. His wood isn't always seasoned, so I buy in March for the next Winter. I've got plenty of hardwood racked and seasoning.
I decided this week to look for some Maple and Poplar. I wanted some wood for those days that start off cool and then warm up. I like softer woods for cool, early-season mornings, because the fire burns down quickly when you want to stop the heating process. I knew my regular wood man would be buried about now, and most of his wood would be green, so I shopped around on Craigslist.
The first guys brought maple, and advertised it as 1/2 a cord. It was a truckload - not quite half a cord. But the splits were huge with many big branch collars, and I will have to split it down smaller myself. For $80, a fair to middlin' deal, considering I still have to work the wood a little more.
The second "load" I purchased was from a Michigan transplant, so I was hopeful. What a mess. He advertised a seasoned cord of wood in 16" lengths for $100, which sounded like a great deal - except he meant "face cord". (If someone says cord, I think 4'x4'x8' - not a face cord! That seems disingenuous to me.) He showed up late, in the dark. The lengths varied from 4" to 24", including a wheelbarrow load of tiny pieces. Some was seasoned, some wasn't. Very disappointing.
I appreciate my regular wood guy even more after these experiences. Though I wish I had a few more options in my area, which is why I was shopping to try other sources. If you live in the Asheville area, and you have a truly great wood man or woman, please let me know!
I decided this week to look for some Maple and Poplar. I wanted some wood for those days that start off cool and then warm up. I like softer woods for cool, early-season mornings, because the fire burns down quickly when you want to stop the heating process. I knew my regular wood man would be buried about now, and most of his wood would be green, so I shopped around on Craigslist.
The first guys brought maple, and advertised it as 1/2 a cord. It was a truckload - not quite half a cord. But the splits were huge with many big branch collars, and I will have to split it down smaller myself. For $80, a fair to middlin' deal, considering I still have to work the wood a little more.
The second "load" I purchased was from a Michigan transplant, so I was hopeful. What a mess. He advertised a seasoned cord of wood in 16" lengths for $100, which sounded like a great deal - except he meant "face cord". (If someone says cord, I think 4'x4'x8' - not a face cord! That seems disingenuous to me.) He showed up late, in the dark. The lengths varied from 4" to 24", including a wheelbarrow load of tiny pieces. Some was seasoned, some wasn't. Very disappointing.
I appreciate my regular wood guy even more after these experiences. Though I wish I had a few more options in my area, which is why I was shopping to try other sources. If you live in the Asheville area, and you have a truly great wood man or woman, please let me know!
