Not in the state of Maine........there is only one legal term for a cord of wood and it is exactly as I described. It is formulated this way as it it the starting point for all wood measurement and legal scale. 4' X 4" X 8' round wood is the legal term for one cord of wood in the "Pine Tree Sate" as I stated early in my post other areas have different and sometimes dubious measruring units. Other than that you are dead wrong in everything else you said. Sorry no offense meant but wood does NOT "swell" when processed......if yours does the I'd be selling firewood for a living if I were you...cause you got some thing magical going on there.
Lad...while you were stacking your 300 cord of firewood over the last 30 yrs.....I have been operating a commercial sawmill business...as well as selectively harvesting and legally scaling saw, vineer, pulp and firewood in anywhere from tree length to fit and split...to the tune of over 200,000 BFT per yr... or measured in cords roughly 440,000 cords per year.......for the last 30 yrs......this wood is bought AND sold comercially and internationally....so when I tell you what cord amounts to I aint making it up or blowing smoke to suit my ideas of how to measure wood in a pile. As my dad used to say of the old lady fox talking to the pup "Don't try to tell your granny how to suck eggs, son"
But as I said earlier do it yourself.....accurately stack a cord of round wood cut to 4'...fit it 16"...split it the way you like your wood..restack it an a measurable pile...don't go nuts trying to puzzel it together, just stackit tight and normal and see for yourself if your processed pile does not measure between 96 and 98 cubic feet.....this is not my opinion or something I dreamed up while stacking my 10 cord of firewood each yr..not only is it the rule it is also the law here.
One of my favorite sayings tells of an old timer selling a cord of wood and when quizzed on it's true measure he sat down and filled his pipe and simply said "it a cord of wood I'd buy or sell"...now that's an honest reply...Oh... and just because many people discuss an issue....does not mean they all know what they are talking about...as we've seen......
I am having zero success finding the Maine definition of a cord. Do you have a cite for it...one from the weights and measures standards?
As to splitting stacking, you obvisouely have never made an accurate test of it. Here is simple one you can do while watching TV.
Takes a couple nicely tapered carrots and slice into rounds - you will have a nice assortment of sizes. now take a box top or any other container you care for and fill it up with a single laiy or those rounds. Dump any rounds you have left over.
Now dump out and cut each of the remaining rounds in half.
Try to get them all back in the container.
Be ready for a shock.
It ain't what you know that hurts, it's what you know that ain't so that bites you.
Found it. What fun trying that on a slow download (640k on a good day).
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As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings: [1973, c. 91, §1 (RPR).]
1. Cord;
A. A standard cord is a unit of measure of wood products 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long, or its equivalent, containing 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed. Any voids that will accommodate a stick, log or bolt of average dimensions to those in that pile shall be deducted from the measured volume. [1979, c. 659, §1 (RPR).]
Note the "or bolt" in above. Nothing in this section says "4 feet long rounds"
Also note that this is the official definition from the "definitions" section of the code, following items add a bit to it.
A-1. A cord when used in connection with sawdust, chips or shavings means the volume of material contained in 128 cubic feet at the time of sale. [1979, c. 659, §2 (NEW).]
A-2. Fuel wood, when sold loose and not ranked and well stowed, shall be sold by the cubic foot or loose cord, unless other arrangements are made between the buyer and seller. When sold by the loose cord, the wood in any cord shall average either 12 inches, 16 inches or 24 inches in length. When so sold, the volume of the cords shall be: A cord of 12 or 16 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 180 cubic feet; and a cord of wood 24 inches in length shall mean the amount of wood, bark and air contained in a space of 195 cubic feet. [1981, c. 219, (AMD).]
B. A face cord is a unit of measure 4 feet high and 8 feet long, or its equivalent, containing 32 square feet. The length of sticks shall be agreed upon by both parties; [1973, c. 91, §1 (RPR).]
10. Standard cord. A "standard cord" means the cubic foot measurement of 4 foot long wood, ranked and well stowed, and stacked 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long, or its equivalent, which stack measure contains 128 cubic feet of wood, bark and air space. A "standard cord" when used in connection with sawdust chips, bark or shavings means the volume contained in 128 cubic feet at the time of sale.
Note the "or its equivalent" and also nothing mentioned about "round"
1. Cubic measure and standard cord. In all wood transactions the volume of wood may be measured in cubic feet or by the standard cord as provided for by the state sealer.
[ 1983, c. 804, §6 (NEW) .]
Bottom line. It repeatedly defines a cord as being well ranked wood amounting t 128 cu ft.
At the end of the day, everyone knows the definition of a cord, "128 cu ft of well ranked wood"
Harry K
