How many pieces of wood in a cord?

[darkbyrd]

Not sure what difference the age of the tree makes except you can can usually find more branches on an older tree.

He just said 'mature', he didn't give an age. In my experience a red oak doesn't reach maturity until 1,950 months when grown in rocky soil. But there are a lot of variables in counting branches, and it is hard to account for them all in a nice table.

 

[Wood Doctor]

He just said 'mature', he didn't give an age. In my experience a red oak doesn't reach maturity until 1,950 months when grown in rocky soil. But there are a lot of variables in counting branches, and it is hard to account for them all in a nice table.

That's why you have to work with averages. There may be no two producers of firewood that cut and/or split logs the same size. I recall last year seeing another man's stack of wood that were, on the average, twice the size of what I deliver. He said, "That's the size of what I like to burn."

I could not even begin to sell logs that size to my customers. Starting the fire with logs that size would have been almost impossible for the average homeowner.

 

[darkbyrd]

I'm sorry, were you taking this thread seriously?

 

[travellinmike]

Hi, New member here. I was reading this thread with interest and am happy to find that it is current and not an old discussion.

I'm a Boy Scout leader and til now we've been getting by on wood that various parents have stacked in their yards. Recently the supply has dwindled and we've started to make due with smaller and smaller fires. While I'm not advocating a 36 hour raging bonfire once a month, I also don't like huddling around a fire so small it barely rises above the fire ring.

This thread is similar to the old "how long is a piece of rope?" question. Answer... It depends.

I'd like to actually stock up on some fire wood but need to give an estimate to the committee on how long a cord will last. I know there are variables that will cause that estimate to rise or fall. How big a fire, how long it burns, summer fire or winter fire, warmth and marshmallows or generating beds of cooking embers, etc, etc.

Before I go to the committee and ask for $225 - $250 bucks for wood I'd like to be able to say it would last for a year of campouts, or 2 years of campouts, or 6 months of campouts. Not terribly concerned about the precise length of time (it is what it is) but would like to give a somewhat accurate estimate .

Any rough guesses on how long a cord might last with moderation? We won't be stoking Saruman's "Fire of Industry".

thanks.
Mike

 

[Blazin]

Hi, New member here. I was reading this thread with interest and am happy to find that it is current and not an old discussion.

I'm a Boy Scout leader and til now we've been getting by on wood that various parents have stacked in their yards. Recently the supply has dwindled and we've started to make due with smaller and smaller fires. While I'm not advocating a 36 hour raging bonfire once a month, I also don't like huddling around a fire so small it barely rises above the fire ring.

This thread is similar to the old "how long is a piece of rope?" question. Answer... It depends.

I'd like to actually stock up on some fire wood but need to give an estimate to the committee on how long a cord will last. I know there are variables that will cause that estimate to rise or fall. How big a fire, how long it burns, summer fire or winter fire, warmth and marshmallows or generating beds of cooking embers, etc, etc.

Before I go to the committee and ask for $225 - $250 bucks for wood I'd like to be able to say it would last for a year of campouts, or 2 years of campouts, or 6 months of campouts. Not terribly concerned about the precise length of time (it is what it is) but would like to give a somewhat accurate estimate .

Any rough guesses on how long a cord might last with moderation? We won't be stoking Saruman's "Fire of Industry".

thanks.
Mike

Just a thought here, but how bout having the scouts gather up their own wood? Another fine lesson of how to keep yourself warm and have a fire to cook on, and not be dependent on buying wood could be a great plus on their side......call it a learning experience, maybe?

 

[darkbyrd]

Talk to a tree service company in your area. I bet they would be happy to deliver a load of pine to your church or wherever. Split it yourself, have the boys stack (or help split too if they are old enough) and you will have the freedom to learn how much wood you need for any given campout. You could get a homeowner chainsaw and a splitting maul for the price of a bought cord, and those would be useful tools for service projects, as well as free campfire wood for the troop.

Have no idea how long a cord would last for campfires. Way too many variables, from how big, to how long, and how often.

 

[GeeVee]

Talk to a tree service company in your area. I bet they would be happy to deliver a load of pine to your church or wherever. Split it yourself, have the boys stack (or help split too if they are old enough) and you will have the freedom to learn how much wood you need for any given campout. You could get a homeowner chainsaw and a splitting maul for the price of a bought cord, and those would be useful tools for service projects, as well as free campfire wood for the troop.

Have no idea how long a cord would last for campfires. Way too many variables, from how big, to how long, and how often.

I'm sorry, were you taking his post seriously?

J/K....

Would have been my advice too. Go to the firewood wanted thread, Traveler....

I think the idea is supposed to be self sufficiency, not drain mom and pops wallet.

 

[travellinmike]

Wow. Tough crowd. I knew it was a long shot but I wasn't expecting a smack down regarding the character of our scouts.

I had a few free minutes at work and I started thinking. I know... a dangerous thing. "Hmmm... If we are taking about 30 or so pieces of wood on a campout how long might a cord of wood last...."

So I Googled "How many pieces of wood in a cord". This thread was at the top of the result list. On reading the thread I realized that it is a silly question and has no real answer. Just as the concept of this entire thread is flawed, my original contribution was flawed as well. A better question would have been... "about how many wheelbarrow loads per cord?" And to eliminate snarky "depends on the size of your wheelbarrow" comments, my wheelbarrow is a Jackson contractor size (7 cu ft?).

now for the rebuttals...

Just a thought here, but how bout having the scouts gather up their own wood? Another fine lesson of how to keep yourself warm and have a fire to cook on, and not be dependent on buying wood could be a great plus on their side......call it a learning experience, maybe?

For the record they are not dependent on bought wood. The boys gather their own wood at our camping week-ends. Sometimes on their wood hunt they hit the mother-load but sometimes it's slim pickin's. It is for those times that we bring some extra wood along. Typically about a wheelbarrow load goes into the trailer just in case. Most times we bring a lot of it back. Sometimes I wish we'd brought more.

The boys in our troop are not spoiled or lazy and have not asked for anything. They work hard for what they get and do several service projects for the community each year. This was just me trying to get some info for a question that I admitted in my reply was virtually impossible to answer.

Talk to a tree service company in your area. I bet they would be happy to deliver a load of pine to your church or wherever. Split it yourself, have the boys stack (or help split too if they are old enough).... snip ...You could get a homeowner chainsaw and a splitting maul for the price of a bought cord, and those would be useful tools for service projects, as well as free campfire wood for the troop.

Thanks that is a good idea. I do have two chainsaws (Homelite 16" & Stihl 20"), and an ax and maul. While I'd love to spend an afternoon felling a tree, cutting to logs, splitting it, throwing it in my F250, coming home and stacking it in a neat pile by the fence i don't have time for all that. I should however be able round up a few scouts and find time to split and stack a delivered load of logs.

Have no idea how long a cord would last for campfires. Way too many variables, from how big, to how long, and how often.

Yes those are the same variables that I admitted in my original posting would make any answer a guess.

I'm sorry, were you taking his post seriously?

yes I am serious. The question may have been poorly stated or vague but a real question none the less. I always thought there were no stupid questions.

Go to the firewood wanted thread,

I didn't know there was a "firewood wanted" thread I'll check it. Thanks. I looked on Craig's list last night and saw a few "Free wood" ads. So there are other options to buying wood. In fact I'd rather not buy any wood. I've never bought firewood in my life.

...call it a learning experience, maybe?

Yes this has been a learning experience so I guess even with a poorly thought out question some knowledge can be gained. Until yesterday I didn't even know how much wood was in a cord. I now know it is 4'x4'x8'.
I still have no idea how many wheelbarrow loads are in a 4x4x8 stack but I'm sure I'll find out this week-end when I fill up the wheelbarrow with wood then stack it, measure it, and do the required math.

I also learned that a cord of high quality good burning wood would be in the $200-$250 price range. Good to know if we do resort to buying a load of wood,

think the idea is supposed to be self sufficiency, not drain mom and pops wallet.

I don't think anyone's wallet will be "drained" if we are talking about $10 worth of wood each month (with alot coming back most months). Works out to about $1 a boy added to the camping budget to ensure plenty of reserve wood just in case for the next several years. The real draining of the wallet comes from $75 sleeping bags, $125 backpacks, $50 performance undies (what happened to old fashioned cotton thermals), $75 insulated hiking boots that are outgrown every 6 months. etc. Camping isn't cheap unless you are only camping in the summer. But luckily alot of it is given at Christmas or Birthday so not too bad.

Really over the course of several years I'm sure there will be more branches brought down by storm, another dead tree by the stream, and so on. No real fear of ever running out of wood.

I will now unsubscribe from this forum.

Mike

 

[darkbyrd]

Wow. Tough crowd. I knew it was a long shot but I wasn't expecting a smack down regarding the character of our scouts.
...
I don't think anyone's wallet will be "drained" if we are talking about $10 worth of wood each month (with alot coming back most months). Works out to about $1 a boy added to the camping budget to ensure plenty of reserve wood just in case for the next several years. The real draining of the wallet comes from $75 sleeping bags, $125 backpacks, $50 performance undies (what happened to old fashioned cotton thermals), $75 insulated hiking boots that are outgrown every 6 months. etc. Camping isn't cheap unless you are only camping in the summer. But luckily alot of it is given at Christmas or Birthday so not too bad.

It can be a tough crowd, but you'll always get an honest answer, and more.

I didn't mean to impinge on the character of you or your scouts, so I hope you didn't see my comment that way.

Camping is expensive, I'm just starting to figure that out for myself. Have you thought of hammock camping? Probably no cheaper, but maybe more comfortable and lighter, especially if you DIY.

I will now unsubscribe from this forum.

That would be a shame

 

[Blazin]

Wow. Tough crowd. I knew it was a long shot but I wasn't expecting a smack down regarding the character of our scouts.

I had a few free minutes at work and I started thinking. I know... a dangerous thing. "Hmmm... If we are taking about 30 or so pieces of wood on a campout how long might a cord of wood last...."

So I Googled "How many pieces of wood in a cord". This thread was at the top of the result list. On reading the thread I realized that it is a silly question and has no real answer. Just as the concept of this entire thread is flawed, my original contribution was flawed as well. A better question would have been... "about how many wheelbarrow loads per cord?" And to eliminate snarky "depends on the size of your wheelbarrow" comments, my wheelbarrow is a Jackson contractor size (7 cu ft?).

now for the rebuttals...



For the record they are not dependent on bought wood. The boys gather their own wood at our camping week-ends. Sometimes on their wood hunt they hit the mother-load but sometimes it's slim pickin's. It is for those times that we bring some extra wood along. Typically about a wheelbarrow load goes into the trailer just in case. Most times we bring a lot of it back. Sometimes I wish we'd brought more.

The boys in our troop are not spoiled or lazy and have not asked for anything. They work hard for what they get and do several service projects for the community each year. This was just me trying to get some info for a question that I admitted in my reply was virtually impossible to answer.


Thanks that is a good idea. I do have two chainsaws (Homelite 16" & Stihl 20"), and an ax and maul. While I'd love to spend an afternoon felling a tree, cutting to logs, splitting it, throwing it in my F250, coming home and stacking it in a neat pile by the fence i don't have time for all that. I should however be able round up a few scouts and find time to split and stack a delivered load of logs.


Yes those are the same variables that I admitted in my original posting would make any answer a guess.

yes I am serious. The question may have been poorly stated or vague but a real question none the less. I always thought there were no stupid questions.

I didn't know there was a "firewood wanted" thread I'll check it. Thanks. I looked on Craig's list last night and saw a few "Free wood" ads. So there are other options to buying wood. In fact I'd rather not buy any wood. I've never bought firewood in my life.


Yes this has been a learning experience so I guess even with a poorly thought out question some knowledge can be gained. Until yesterday I didn't even know how much wood was in a cord. I now know it is 4'x4'x8'.
I still have no idea how many wheelbarrow loads are in a 4x4x8 stack but I'm sure I'll find out this week-end when I fill up the wheelbarrow with wood then stack it, measure it, and do the required math.

I also learned that a cord of high quality good burning wood would be in the $200-$250 price range. Good to know if we do resort to buying a load of wood,

I don't think anyone's wallet will be "drained" if we are talking about $10 worth of wood each month (with alot coming back most months). Works out to about $1 a boy added to the camping budget to ensure plenty of reserve wood just in case for the next several years. The real draining of the wallet comes from $75 sleeping bags, $125 backpacks, $50 performance undies (what happened to old fashioned cotton thermals), $75 insulated hiking boots that are outgrown every 6 months. etc. Camping isn't cheap unless you are only camping in the summer. But luckily alot of it is given at Christmas or Birthday so not too bad.

Really over the course of several years I'm sure there will be more branches brought down by storm, another dead tree by the stream, and so on. No real fear of ever running out of wood.

I will now unsubscribe from this forum.

Mike

Ask a question, and get a few feasible answers, then call it a smackdown??......You got some severely thin skin there my friend. Sounds like you had it figured out before you asked the question. Your best bet is to buy the wood, save your time and sweat, that way you can teach these boys about real life. :msp_rolleyes:

 

[thomas1]

Wow. Tough crowd. I knew it was a long shot but I wasn't expecting a smack down regarding the character of our scouts.

I had a few free minutes at work and I started thinking. I know... a dangerous thing. "Hmmm... If we are taking about 30 or so pieces of wood on a campout how long might a cord of wood last...."

So I Googled "How many pieces of wood in a cord". This thread was at the top of the result list. On reading the thread I realized that it is a silly question and has no real answer. Just as the concept of this entire thread is flawed, my original contribution was flawed as well. A better question would have been... "about how many wheelbarrow loads per cord?" And to eliminate snarky "depends on the size of your wheelbarrow" comments, my wheelbarrow is a Jackson contractor size (7 cu ft?).

now for the rebuttals...



For the record they are not dependent on bought wood. The boys gather their own wood at our camping week-ends. Sometimes on their wood hunt they hit the mother-load but sometimes it's slim pickin's. It is for those times that we bring some extra wood along. Typically about a wheelbarrow load goes into the trailer just in case. Most times we bring a lot of it back. Sometimes I wish we'd brought more.

The boys in our troop are not spoiled or lazy and have not asked for anything. They work hard for what they get and do several service projects for the community each year. This was just me trying to get some info for a question that I admitted in my reply was virtually impossible to answer.


Thanks that is a good idea. I do have two chainsaws (Homelite 16" & Stihl 20"), and an ax and maul. While I'd love to spend an afternoon felling a tree, cutting to logs, splitting it, throwing it in my F250, coming home and stacking it in a neat pile by the fence i don't have time for all that. I should however be able round up a few scouts and find time to split and stack a delivered load of logs.


Yes those are the same variables that I admitted in my original posting would make any answer a guess.

yes I am serious. The question may have been poorly stated or vague but a real question none the less. I always thought there were no stupid questions.

I didn't know there was a "firewood wanted" thread I'll check it. Thanks. I looked on Craig's list last night and saw a few "Free wood" ads. So there are other options to buying wood. In fact I'd rather not buy any wood. I've never bought firewood in my life.


Yes this has been a learning experience so I guess even with a poorly thought out question some knowledge can be gained. Until yesterday I didn't even know how much wood was in a cord. I now know it is 4'x4'x8'.
I still have no idea how many wheelbarrow loads are in a 4x4x8 stack but I'm sure I'll find out this week-end when I fill up the wheelbarrow with wood then stack it, measure it, and do the required math.

I also learned that a cord of high quality good burning wood would be in the $200-$250 price range. Good to know if we do resort to buying a load of wood,

I don't think anyone's wallet will be "drained" if we are talking about $10 worth of wood each month (with alot coming back most months). Works out to about $1 a boy added to the camping budget to ensure plenty of reserve wood just in case for the next several years. The real draining of the wallet comes from $75 sleeping bags, $125 backpacks, $50 performance undies (what happened to old fashioned cotton thermals), $75 insulated hiking boots that are outgrown every 6 months. etc. Camping isn't cheap unless you are only camping in the summer. But luckily alot of it is given at Christmas or Birthday so not too bad.

Really over the course of several years I'm sure there will be more branches brought down by storm, another dead tree by the stream, and so on. No real fear of ever running out of wood.

I will now unsubscribe from this forum.

Mike

tl;dr

While your location of USA is very patriotic, it does very little for people that are trying to help you. One of these guys could be your neighbor and they may have tons of wood for the taking. Pull your performance undies out of your woowoo.

 

[PA Dan]

Local hardware store sells 1 cubic foot bundles and there are 4 or 5 pieces per bundle. So 4.5x128=576. They are however a little on the small side. So I would say between 450-500.

Sent from my DROID X2

 

[Blazin]

opcorn:

 

[stihl sawing]

It's hard to answer your question cause of how long and how many times a year will you use it. I haven't seen anything that was said to ridicule you. just stay and post how much you plan on using it. We can give a more accurate answer if we know the usage amount and frequency you use it. Don't quit on us now, I'm sure you teach the scouts not to give up on anything so fast.

 

[travellinmike]

No performance undies here. I can't afford them for myself.

Thanks for the helpful reminder not to take myself too seriously. I asked a silly question that left out major details like that the pre-cut wood was really just in case reserve stash. Then I guess i got offended at the implication that we are some sort of country club scout troop where the boys need lessons in hard work or self sufficiency. Then I got annoyed that I really don't have time to chop some wood, or ride my motorcycle, or play my guitar, etc. :msp_mad: Lots of time however to sit at piano lessons and soccer games though. priorities right.

I didn't have the answer when I asked yesterday. Hell yesterday I didn't even know how to ask the question. :confused2:
I thought it through this morning as I was composing one of my legendary verbose postings.

Price Chopper sells little bundles of wood for 5 bucks each. if they are 1 cubic foot bundles somebody is making a killing.

Before I unsubscribe I'll stick around and check out some of the other threads.

 

[stihl sawing]

No performance undies here. I can't afford them for myself.

Thanks for the helpful reminder not to take myself too seriously. I asked a silly question that left out major details like that the pre-cut wood was really just in case reserve stash. Then I guess i got offended at the implication that we are some sort of country club scout troop where the boys need lessons in hard work or self sufficiency. Then I got annoyed that I really don't have time to chop some wood, or ride my motorcycle, or play my guitar, etc. :msp_mad: Lots of time however to sit at piano lessons and soccer games though. priorities right.

I didn't have the answer when I asked yesterday. Hell yesterday I didn't even know how to ask the question. :confused2:
I thought it through this morning as I was composing one of my legendary verbose postings.

Price Chopper sells little bundles of wood for 5 bucks each. if they are 1 cubic foot bundles somebody is making a killing.
Before I unsubscribe I'll stick around and check out some of the other threads.

Yes they are, You can buy it a lot cheaper from a guy that sells it. Just have to look in your area.

 

[thomas1]

Check the telephone pole thread. Best info this forum has to offer.

 

[darkbyrd]

Check the telephone pole thread. Best info this forum has to offer.

So nice I like it twice

 

[Trx250r180]

im starting to think $5 a bundle is a good deal,with all the money i have into saws chain bars grinders............

 

[travellinmike]

It's hard to answer your question cause of how long and how many times a year will you use it. I haven't seen anything that was said to ridicule you. just stay and post how much you plan on using it. We can give a more accurate answer if we know the usage amount and frequency you use it. Don't quit on us now, I'm sure you teach the scouts not to give up on anything so fast.

thanks. we try to camp 2 nights a month. darn chilly last month when it got to 17. I guess I was just testy yesterday. I'm sure nobody meant to hurt my pwecious wittle feelwings.

I did figure out a way to approximate how long a cord would last based on our past usage and the capacity of a wheelbarrow.
I just gotta go into Jethro Bodine mode and do me some cipherin'. I hope I remember my gazinta's.

128 cuft and a 7 cuft wheelbarrow. but I'm sure that is to the top edge of the barrow. So allowing for air spaces below the top edge and the amount of wood piled above the top edge. Maybe 9-10 cuft in a wheelbarrow load. :msp_confused:

for the next few months I'll keep track of how much wood goes out and how much comes back. I'm sure all of this falls under the duties of the quartermaster.

just gotta use real wood and make a real pile and use a real measuring tape to get a real answer.