grapple load ordered - how to attack it

[Backwoods Savage]

Backwoods Savage,

That looks like a lot more than 5 cords. I think I night be in trouble with my 7. Not sure if I have the room.

I got the load today. I'll upload a picture cause I know the saying - It didn't happen if there is no picture.

Perhaps you missed it but in the picture there are 9 cord but that 9 is now down to 5. That is, we've burned some and sold some. Maybe with all the new insulation we're putting in that will be enough for 2 years! That would be nice.

 

[wannabegreener]

Backwoods Savage,

That looks like a lot more than 5 cords. I think I night be in trouble with my 7. Not sure if I have the room.

I got the load today. I'll upload a picture cause I know the saying - It didn't happen if there is no picture.

Perhaps you missed it but in the picture there are 9 cord but that 9 is now down to 5. That is, we've burned some and sold some. Maybe with all the new insulation we're putting in that will be enough for 2 years! That would be nice.

Yup - I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that you had 9 cords in that area and the picture is only showing 5. I may be ok for my 7 cords.

Here is a picture of the wood - just to prove that it did happen

 

[Wood Duck]

I've always heard it called a truckload of wood or more likely folks call up and order X number of cords . . .

If you just order x cords, how do you distinguish between in log form vs split? Trying to learn the terminology - that all.

If you are talking about a cord, then you're normally talking about cut, split and tightly stacked wood, and it should equal 128 cubic feet. A cord in log form would be the amount of wood needed to make a cord of stacked firewood. I have read that there are about 85 or 90 cubic feet of solid wood in a cord of firewood, the rest being air space, so you should be able to figure out how many cords of stacked firewood you'd get from a log based on the volume of the log. When I hear that a truck of logs is x cords of wood, I think it should mean that once the wood is cut, split, and stacked it will be x times 128 cubic feet of volume. I don't think it really matters what amount of space the logs take up on the truck.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

A "grapple load", what interesting nomenclature you east coast Americans have.

Agreed

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Hi,

I just ordered a grapple load and it should be delivered Tuesday. I'm looking for any advice on how to attack it. I already have 2011-2012 wood c/s/s so this is for the future. The grapple load should be 7 cords. It will be only me doing the cutting, splitting (by fiskars) and stacking. I have a couple of questions:

1 - should I cut it all first and stack the rounds for splitting later?
- I think I mostly want to clean up the grapple pile and have neater rows of rounds.
2 - once cut and split, should I try to separate the wood in the final stacks by species? (oak in one stack , ash in one stack , cherry, etc.)
- this wood should not be needed until 2012-2013 season and later
3 - Since this will be sitting/seasoning until at least fall of 2012, if I stack it 2 rows deep, how much room should I leave between the 2 rows that are close to the next set of 2 rows

Here is a diagram in case my wording is not clear

if below is 2 rows how much distance to the next set of 2 rows

row1 row2 some distance row3 row4
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
etc etc

Thanks - looking forward to a lot of hard wood and hard work.

If my woodshed was full and I had 7 more cords I'd build another woodshed and fill it too. If I lacked the will, space, or means for an additional woodshed I'd get it cut up and on pallets.

 

[SKIN052]

Must be the picture but that does not seem to be 7 cord to me? Not much to referance the size of it with. I just moved 5 1/2 cord and it seemed like much more wood than that.

Anyway, the way I handled it was to cut all all into rounds first, then split it all and final

 

[mayhem]

Looking at other items in that photo, those are some big logs. That big one on the right for example is probably well in excess of 20" diameter.

 

[wannabegreener]

Some are certainly big. I have a farm boss with an 18" bar and I think I may have to cut from both sides to get through some of them. The pile is about 17' wide and mostly just under 17' long (some shorter ones in the pile). The max height in the middle is about 5.5 ft, so my calculations are:

17 * 17 * 5.5 / 2 = 794 cu ft

794/ 128 = 6.2

I know you can't measure cords this way, but it looks to be in the ballpark.

My next dilemma is that I have access to as much free pine as I want, but I need to go get it. It is all cut but not split. It is about 5 miles form my house. Do I get the pine now since it is free or do I work on this. I currently have a place for the pine, and the area where this is going to end up needs some flattening with a front end loader. I'm taking the advice of a lot of people here and don't want to move this wood more than I have to, so getting that area setup will need to be done before cutting into this pile. So, do I get the pine now and wait on this, or forget the pine and work in this. :grrr:

 

[mayhem]

I'd say prep your storage area first and foremost, make it as big as you can. Since you're set for this coming winter I'd say process what you've got now and then go after extra wood when you're done. This assumes the free pine is not under a deadline and you cna go whenever you want and take however much you want. If there is a deadline on the pine, go get as much as you can now.