Got some white oak yesterday...

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GAMMA RAY

Minister of Fire
Jan 16, 2011
1,970
PA.
I was doing testing on one of my regular patients last week and he overheard me talking about ordering wood. He said I sell seasoned wood. I was surprised and asked the price etc. He said I don't sell by the cord but by bundles, but not bundles the size like those at lowe's and other stores. He said for 7 large pcs $2.50. Well me being a newbie I did not know if that was a rip off, so I blew him off.

Well yesterday I decided to go to his place and pick up a few bundles for the hell of it, just to see how white oak burns. Well, I told him I would take 4 bundles. He brought the wood out, put it in my trunk and he said I'll be back for the rest. I could not believe it because there were 2 bundles in the trunk and I thought there is no way I could fit any more in there. The trunk was full!! The pieces are freakin huge!!!

So I have been burning it and wow, I am liking it. It burns hot and very well. Being a newbie I don't know a lot about wood so I like to experiment with different types so I can learn. Does anyone burn white oak??? Well, I spent 5 bucks for a trunk load of seasoned oak. Some may say rip off but I now know how white oak burns.
 
Somewhere on this forum you can find threads about how much people are paying per split. If you got 7 large splits, and each one was 16 inches long and 6 in x 6 inches on the end (the 'face) then you got 1/2 ft x 1/2 ft = 1/4 square ft x 7 splits = 7/4 ~2 square feet. A 'face cord' is 4ft x 8ft = 32 square feet. There are three face cords in a full cord if the wood is 16 inches long., which means there are 96 square feet of split faces. If you paid $2.50 for 2 square feet, it would take 96/2 =48 bundles x $2.50 = $120 per cord. That is a pretty good price for dry oak in most places.
 
Wood Duck said:
Somewhere on this forum you can find threads about how much people are paying per split. If you got 7 large splits, and each one was 16 inches long and 6 in x 6 inches on the end (the 'face) then you got 1/2 ft x 1/2 ft = 1/4 square ft x 7 splits = 7/4 ~2 square feet. A 'face cord' is 4ft x 8ft = 32 square feet. There are three face cords in a full cord if the wood is 16 inches long., which means there are 96 square feet of split faces. If you paid $2.50 for 2 square feet, it would take 96/2 =48 bundles x $2.50 = $120 per cord. That is a pretty good price for dry oak in most places.
I didn't follow all your math there, WD, but at $120 a cord that would be a good price for even green water oak...very good price for seasoned white oak, especially this time of the year!

Ed
 
If nothing else, it was worth the price just for you to see the value of oak. If it is dry, it is hard to beat. If it is not dry, people will curse it.
 
I should have made allowance for the air space in stacked wood, but I didn't. I'll guess that about 20% of the space occupied by a cord of wood is air space, so the amount of wood in a cord in about 20% less than I used in the calculation. This means the price you are paying per cord is about 20% less, or close to $100 a cord. Of course I made lot of assumptions so my calculations could be off, but I think the deal you got is pretty good. Anywhere close to $100 per cord is a good deal for seasoned oak in february
 
I would go back again and again until he had no more left to sell. That's a fantastic deal on seasoned white oak. It doesn't get much better than that when it comes to feeding your stove. Large splits of well-seasoned white oak burn very hot for a long time.
 
GAMMA RAY said:
I was doing testing on one of my regular patients last week and he overheard me talking about ordering wood. He said I sell seasoned wood. I was surprised and asked the price etc. He said I don't sell by the cord but by bundles, but not bundles the size like those at lowe's and other stores. He said for 7 large pcs $2.50. Well me being a newbie I did not know if that was a rip off, so I blew him off.

Well yesterday I decided to go to his place and pick up a few bundles for the hell of it, just to see how white oak burns. Well, I told him I would take 4 bundles. He brought the wood out, put it in my trunk and he said I'll be back for the rest. I could not believe it because there were 2 bundles in the trunk and I thought there is no way I could fit any more in there. The trunk was full!! The pieces are freakin huge!!!

So I have been burning it and wow, I am liking it. It burns hot and very well. Being a newbie I don't know a lot about wood so I like to experiment with different types so I can learn. Does anyone burn white oak??? Well, I spent 5 bucks for a trunk load of seasoned oak. Some may say rip off but I now know how white oak burns.

White oak is excellent firewood! I would have done the same thing if I were in your situation.. Here is a link with wood ranked by BTU and also alphabetically,
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm ... Bundled wood is always more expensive but requires time to bundle etc.. If I could buy a bundle of orange osage I would spend a few bucks for curiousity.. Oak is a fantastic firewood it just requires 2-3 yrs. to properly season but it is worth the wait.. The heavier the wood the longer the burn.. Also consider coaling qualities as some wood like Ash and Pine leave light fluffy ash while Oak leaves some serious dense coals and can be less messy to clean from the stove..

Ray
 
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