Anything like that should be clarified at the time you make your agreement with the seller. Whether it's reasonable or not is irrelevant. However, if your seller is getting $100 per cord for mixed sizes, it's only reasonable for you to expect to pay more for him to sort it, and equally reasonable for him to charge more for sorting.
Yeah, uniform length is what I'm after. The shorter pieces are good for splitting into kindling, but when it is mixed with the
'standard' sized logs sorting and stacking is a major chore.
Firewood around here is a standard 16 inch length. Mixed sizes, diameter, has more wood than a load of just big pieces. Firewood dries way faster split than with bark on, so I prefer most wood split. In Michigan, most firewood is sold in Face Cord. This measurement is widely accepted, but has no legal standard. It is a stacked pile, 8 feet long, 4 feet tall and each piece 16 inches long. So, about three face cords would equal the legal standard of a full cord. Since most of the wood sold in 8 foot lengths is soft wood going into paper production, the term is Pulp Cord.
Prism seed did you order a "cord" or buy a stack or something ?
16" is the standard here most folks don't want anything much longer cause it won't fit their stove. Or much shorter cause you start to lose BTUs
I'd say 75% should fall between 14 and 16 inches and no more than another 10% shorter than that.
You would be amazed at how consistently between 15 and 16 some cutters can be.
last year we had wood delivered, and it was on the cheaper end for this area. We had a bunch that were too big, even though we discussed ahead of time, and luckily our stove is really big and can fit up to I think 18+ we still had some that were too big.
I'm thinking I got what I paid for? Got a deal so I get the weird and the long peices? It wasn't the majority by any means but I'll probably go with a different guy next time.
I bought a cord this time, but thinking about custom orders in the future. Didn't really know what I was doing. Not an actual cord but a more like a 'ballpark guess' Three tractor buckets equal about a cord so the guy says. Going to get an actual woodstack area to be certain I get a full cord, but haven't gotten to that project yet.
I was getting 3 or 4 cords of wood each season...One time I stacked one of the loads and it was short...so I told the guy and he came through with more wood. not sure the little guys do it on purpose, just split it and throw on their truck without really knowing if they are short or over. But my guy made good on it, and now loads them a little higher. And I tell him what length I can use in the stove.
Not knowing your supplier, I would just say to be as specific as you can about size, age and type of wood.
Had a neighbor years ago move from the city to a house with a wood stove. It was mid November. He had no wood cut on his property, actually he didn't even own a chainsaw at the time. So, he answered an ad for a local tree cutter selling wood and went to his place to order three cords of wood. That is how he phased it to them "I'd like three cords of wood." The guy he talked to was running a log splitter at the time. He shut the splitter off, went and got a loader and filled the guys trailer with piles of fresh split wood. No stacks, just piled according to the worker's guestimate. He came home and I offered to help unload. It was a mix of unseasoned oak, pine and pear tree wood in all sizes. Wet, sappy, green. The new homeowner should have known; the guy selling the wood should have known better.
Not knowing your supplier, I would just say to be as specific as you can about size, age and type of wood.
Had a neighbor years ago move from the city to a house with a wood stove. It was mid November. He had no wood cut on his property, actually he didn't even own a chainsaw at the time. So, he answered an ad for a local tree cutter selling wood and went to his place to order three cords of wood. That is how he phased it to them "I'd like three cords of wood." The guy he talked to was running a log splitter at the time. He shut the splitter off, went and got a loader and filled the guys trailer with piles of fresh split wood. No stacks, just piled according to the worker's guestimate. He came home and I offered to help unload. It was a mix of unseasoned oak, pine and pear tree wood in all sizes. Wet, sappy, green. The new homeowner should have known; the guy selling the wood should have known better.
There is definitely a learning curve. My mother in law did the same years and years ago when they moved out to the country when my hubby was in his teens.
So, we've made some city folk mistakes this year, but this particular one we were aware of.
Around here if you buy firewood, either by the face cord, full cord, or by the truck load all the wood is all cut to roughly 16-17 inches in length. Of course some of the pieces may only be 2 or less inches in diameter, but will be to length. Also those that sell it will tell you if it's seasoned or green...... As a side note most of the loads are of mixed hard wood - oak, maple, beech, ash, hickory, etc.
Personally if and when I buy wood I buy logs and cut it to what I want. Yes, I do end up with odd lengths of end pieces, but I split them up and use them during the day to keep the fire going. But then I get the same cutting wood in my own forest.....
Paying an 'idiot tax' as I should have done this back in spring. This year just going to have the baseboard heat bleed our wallets and stack wood to dry for next year. The supposed 'seasoned' isn't or it's sold out already. Finding any idiot with a chainsaw and a log splitter can sell firewood, doesn't mean it is good firewood.
I buy cords of wood. I order what length I want, no pitch, and nothing over 8 inches in diameter. My guy comes thru.
I would learn quick what a full cords looks like in a pile. There was a guy locally that would have these pretty loads of wood all stacked on his truck ready to sell. What great until he delivered. He stacked it so was mostly hollow in the center.
Once I called someone to say that he hadn’t delivered a full cord. He brought more but I had made sure I could eyeball a load and have a good guess. My woodshed sides are 4x8 sheets of plywood. When stacked should come close to 4x4x8. Full cord measuring. 128sq feet if I remember correctly.
A cheap $15 moisture checking tool can help newbies know when wood is ready for indoor burning.
To follow up, the neighbor actually tried burning that wood the week he brought it home. Difficult to light, difficult to stay lit, smoke, more smoke, creosote and he could never get his stove temps above 400 degrees no matter what he did.
Lol no way !
At one point when I suggested firewood could more accurately be sold by weight everybody pointed out the moisture problem. When I said moisture testers were cheap and inexpensive and available I was told no way !
I hope they treat you better.
I bought a couple of cords one winter. The guy showed up with a plywood box that was 4' wide and 4' high and 8' long. The wood was stacked in the box. There was no question that it was a full cord.
If fresh cut green wood is cheaper and you can afford it I would buy it green the year or years ahead. In a way it's like earning interest on your money.
When I am blocking my firewood I make each the length of my 18 inch chainsaw bar. This way I have a convenient measuring tool handy. My stove takes lengths up to 22 inches so I don't worry about the odd amount left over at the end of the log.
OP, any reason you can't invest in a small chain saw and cut the larger pieces down when they show up?
I have a small stove. I get my wood from the stuff the village cuts down around town during the year. They saw some up for village residents to take from their DPW office, the rest gets dragged to a near-by quarry where it eventually gets bulldozed under. I don't bother with the cut stuff at the DPW, but go for the quarry stuff before its disposed of.
I also have FFL customers who will swap a transfer for a load of wood now and then, and they sometimes bring in stuff that's too long for my tiny stove. I just zip it once and throw it into the cast-offs pile of odd-sized stuff that wont stack well.
Realize that anyone with a chainsaw & a pickup truck can sell firewood. While most people are honest, it doesn't mean everybody is honest. Also, your buying something that is unregulated. Definitions of "well seasoned firewood" are all over the map. Also ask what species of wood it is, rather than the generic term "hardwood". Some hardwoods (basswood, aspen, etc) are complete junk for heating. Basically, its buyer beware.
I've been selling firewood for well over 20 years.
If your purchasing wood with a new firewood supplier, you may want to do these things.
Tell the supplier your situation, the preferred length and the type of stove/fireplace you have. Ask when it was cut/split? In Wisconsin, fresh cut red oak takes 2 summers of seasoning before its sufficiently dry enough.
Build a rack for storing the wood 4' high x 8' long. This will fit a "face cord". If you build it where your seller can back up right next to for easy unloading, there will be a minimal or possibly even no charge for stacking the wood.
Be around when the wood gets delivered. Eyeball the wood and assist in unloading.
In this area, someone on Craigslist posted about someone ripping them off badly on a firewood sale, and posted the name/phone# of the ripoff. The ripoff saw the post & replied to it. In a strange twist, the ripoff, being not that smart, basically dug a deeper hole, leaving little doubt as to his dubious character.
20% should be a "good to burn" number. You can burn wood with higher moisture content but you will really notice the difference vs well seasoned stuff when the outside temps go single digit.
What would be a 'don't risk the creosote and burning your house down' number?
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