Proper Cord Measure...Im I getting burned?

[Dougp]

I wanted to throw this out there to people with more experience than I.
I usually forage for my wood and have gotten by just fine since Ive started heating my house with wood (3 years).

Well, this year, due to other large projects I had around the house, I didnt get out too much to collect wood and it finally came around to bite me in the a#$. I had to throw up the white flag and buy wood. I have really been averse to doing so because of the horror stories I have heard about people shorting you or selling you partially seasoned wood.

I found a dealer near me that has been around for quite a while, he says 35 years. I ordered a cord, which I paid $250 delivered. They brought it neatly stacked in a dump truck and dumped im my driveway. The wood is very good, mostly well seasoned oak with mixed ash and maple, all cut to proper length.
After the delivery I built myself a rack and stacked it up. My rack measures 9.5'X4'X32", which, Ill save you the math, comes out to 101cuft. I built it expecting to stack an extra foot above the side rails to make a full cord.
When all is said and done it fills the rack exactly with a small wheelbarrow of basically kindling left over.

I called the seller and told him what I have and he said that the state allows them to measure a cord as low as 100 cu ft at the customer sight due to differences in stacking technique. He says that due to the way I stacked it (two rows as opposed to one row) I am removing ALL air space and that I do in fact have a legal cord. said OK and hung up. I then looked up my weights and measures departments sight and they all tell me that I should have 128 cu ft with a TIGHTLY stacked rack. I called him back, said I was still sore and he told me he would deliver more and to next time buy from someone else, not in an angry way but to use as a comparison.

What do you guys think? Is he trying to pull one over on me? Over 20+% less wood than expected seems a little low to me. If it had been 115ish cu ft I dont think I would have called him back. Ill upload a pic for you to see. I want to make sure I am not being a jerk here. I feel that I paid good money and didnt receive what I paid for.

Thanks in advance,
Doug

 

[colophoto]

a cord is a cord is a cord, stacked in a square, doing complicated math and make it round, one long low row, a cord is 128cu feet. there is no definition by which a cord is something other than 128cu ft.

 

[Dougp]

Thats what I thought! He told me he could stack a cord and make it look like a half cord!

 

[colophoto]

I can fold a hundred dollar bill in half and fan it out a little to make it look like two bills, ask him if he wants to get paid like that

 

[nrford]

I can fold a hundred dollar bill in half and fan it out a little to make it look like two bills, ask him if he wants to get paid like that

I really like this!!

 

[Jags]

Stacked tightly to 128 cuft doesn't leave much to the imagination. Either it is or it ain't.

 

[Dougp]

Thanks for the feedback all. He said he going to drop some more off. I hope he follows through.

 

[tcassavaugh]

if he has good wood, and you are satisfied with the quality but not the amount, maybe you guys can come to terms on a happy medium. aks him to show you or tell you where to find, in writing, that the state says its ok to drop a 100 cu ft to make a cord. there may be something written about it, however i doubt it. sometimes its hard to find a good supplier but one would think they should be pretty plentiful in your neck of the woods.
I found this..... http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/dont-get-burned-on-firewood-sales.html it clearly states 128 cu ft and other guidelines....

Don't Get Burned On Firewood Sales
Advice from MA Consumer Affairs Office on Firewood Purchases
Homeowners with wood burning stoves or fireplaces may look to offset heating costs this winter by burning firewood instead of relying fully on their primary heating source. But availability, price, heating efficiency and the quantity of firewood promised are important factors to consider leading up to a consumer's order.
"If you order a cord of firewood, make sure the dealer understands that what you expect to get is what the law provides," said Massachusetts Consumer Affairs Director Beth Lindstrom. "A cord is not a truckload or a pile dumped in your driveway. It must measure 128 cubic feet and measure four feet by four feet by eight feet long when closely stacked," specified Lindstrom

 

[Dougp]

Im a dope. I didnt take into consideration that the wood hangs over the rack.....so, it you over estimate a bit and call each peice 18" you'll have 9.5*3*4=114+a little wheelbarrow call it +3. Gives me 117. Again this is an overestimation in his favor. Would you guys consider this close enough? He is still offering to deliver a little more but if this seems right Ill tell him not to come. Should I be expecting to measure 128 or am I stacking too tight and expecting too much? does anyone ever come out with 1 cu ft extra with these guys?

 

[Jags]

At 117 cuft, I personally would call it good enough. That can easily be attributed to a little "honest" mistake.

 

[tcassavaugh]

yup, let it go....however, i'd admit my measure wrong and work on that relationship, especially if its good wood. i'd also point out that you were curious and found on firewood sales standards that sellers are bound to sell a cord of 128 cu ft, not close at 100 as he suggested.

 

[bigbarf48]

I would be okay with 117. But you gotta wonder where he came up with the 100 cu ft excuse

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I wanted to throw this out there to people with more experience than I.
I usually forage for my wood and have gotten by just fine since Ive started heating my house with wood (3 years).

Well, this year, due to other large projects I had around the house, I didnt get out too much to collect wood and it finally came around to bite me in the a#$. I had to throw up the white flag and buy wood. I have really been averse to doing so because of the horror stories I have heard about people shorting you or selling you partially seasoned wood.

I found a dealer near me that has been around for quite a while, he says 35 years. I ordered a cord, which I paid $250 delivered. They brought it neatly stacked in a dump truck and dumped im my driveway. The wood is very good, mostly well seasoned oak with mixed ash and maple, all cut to proper length.
After the delivery I built myself a rack and stacked it up. My rack measures 9.5'X4'X32", which, Ill save you the math, comes out to 101cuft. I built it expecting to stack an extra foot above the side rails to make a full cord.
When all is said and done it fills the rack exactly with a small wheelbarrow of basically kindling left over.

I called the seller and told him what I have and he said that the state allows them to measure a cord as low as 100 cu ft at the customer sight due to differences in stacking technique. He says that due to the way I stacked it (two rows as opposed to one row) I am removing ALL air space and that I do in fact have a legal cord. said OK and hung up. I then looked up my weights and measures departments sight and they all tell me that I should have 128 cu ft with a TIGHTLY stacked rack. I called him back, said I was still sore and he told me he would deliver more and to next time buy from someone else, not in an angry way but to use as a comparison.

What do you guys think? Is he trying to pull one over on me? Over 20+% less wood than expected seems a little low to me. If it had been 115ish cu ft I dont think I would have called him back. Ill upload a pic for you to see. I want to make sure I am not being a jerk here. I feel that I paid good money and didnt receive what I paid for.

Thanks in advance,
Doug

Doug, rather than commenting on what you got or didn't get, I'd like to hone in on something else. This: "Well, this year, due to other large projects I had around the house, I didnt get out too much to collect wood and it finally came around to bite me in the a#$. I had to throw up the white flag and buy wood."

It seems to me that this is a normal thing for you. That is, cutting this year's wood this year. If you ever get hold of some really good dry wood that has been split and stacked for a few years, you'll never go back to the old way. The benefits of the 3 year plan are enormous and I could number some if you need it. But let's just say there are numerous folks on this forum and also many others who are no longer here that have tried the 3 year plan and everyone has been super surprised and will never go back to the old way. This is especially so with wood like oak. Around our place we would not consider burning oak before it has dried outdoors in the wind for 3 years. Although all wood does not need the 3 years, it will still benefit from the extra time and it also gives you a good cushion, just in case one of these type years happen to befall you.

Give it a try; you'll never go back.

Good luck.

 

[Valhalla]

There is an old farmers saying that firewood should be stacked with enough room for a mouse to get through the splits. The 128 cubic foot specification of a proper cord should always include a few field mice.

 

[bmblank]

A mouse can get through a hole the size of a dime I've heard. Stack it tight, there'll still be room.

 

[ErikR]

There is an old farmers saying that firewood should be stacked with enough room for a mouse to get through the splits. The 128 cubic foot specification of a proper cord should always include a few field mice.

I always heard it as "enough room for the mouse, but not enough room for the cat chasing it"