# Round wood vs, Split wood



## henfruit (Jan 13, 2010)

HI i use mostly all round wood in my greenwood boiler. my question is in the size area that i store my rounds about 500 cubic feet, how much more wood wood i get if i had all split wood in the same size area due to the less air space and being able to pack it tighter. thanks  patrick


----------



## smokinj (Jan 13, 2010)

Thats a whole new can of woop @ss right there...
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/42293/


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Jan 13, 2010)

It seems there is a conversion chart somewhere on this. Perhaps someone could chime in on this.


----------



## EatenByLimestone (Jan 13, 2010)

I think it would depend on the size of the rounds.  Larger rounds would have more air space around them.   If the rounds are 3" you should be able to pack them pretty tight.  

Matt


----------



## henfruit (Jan 13, 2010)

My rounds are 6" to 12" in dia.


----------



## Battenkiller (Jan 13, 2010)

Size of logs doesn't matter. A stack of perfectly straight round logs of identical diameters will have about 79% of the volume of wood that square lumber the same width would have if they are stacked directly on top, center-to-center.  If they are stacked in an alternating fashion, they would have about 92% of the volume that square timbers would take up. Any cylindrical objects can be packed even tighter by using a mix of sizes and putting smaller rounds in the spaces. 

Problem is, logs are never straight, so a lot more volume is lost than is predicted mathematically.


----------



## Wood Duck (Jan 14, 2010)

Right, the size of the rounds doesn't matter, but it does matter if they are all the same size or not. If you have different sizes, so the small ones can fill the gaps, you can fit more wood in the space. Same goes for splits, i guess, but splits might fit tighter than rounds due to their variable shapes.


----------



## Birdman1 (Jan 16, 2010)

Anybody want some popcorn :cheese:


----------



## bogydave (Jan 16, 2010)

The wood I split will grow in size (area speaking). A cord of rounds will become bigger when split. 
Maybe it's that some birch is twisted &  I don't get perfect wedges but once you split a round, without some serious clamping, you'll not get it together near as small it was.
 If I cut it into 4 pieces, I've have created 4 times more air spaces than when stacked in rounds.


With that in mind: Couple of  "inquiring minds want to know" questions to ask your wood supplier:
Why is a cord of split fire wood cost more $$ than a cord of rounds?
Maybe the work to split it, & handle it 3 or 4 more times.  but it is less wood ??
Should be a wash?? Yes/no

Why is seasoned fire wood cost more than green wood? 
Seasoned is lighter by weight so easier to handle & haul, Mother Nature seasoned it,
Storage fees?
Maybe it's like wine, better with time 

LOL  :lol:   this could go on a long time, & be fun

All is  IMHO & no facts, tests or data to back any of it up 

Birdman1: bring on the popcorn


----------



## Birdman1 (Jan 16, 2010)

bogydave said:
			
		

> The wood I split will grow in size (area speaking). A cord of rounds will become bigger when split.
> Maybe it's that some birch is twisted &  I don't get perfect wedges but once you split a round, without some serious clamping, you'll not get it together near as small it was.
> If I cut it into 4 pieces, I've have created 4 times more air spaces than when stacked in rounds.
> 
> ...



Bogydave- Gonna go to B.J.'s tomorrow and get a case of that Orville Rickenreddenbachen
in Movie Theater Butter  :cheese: 
I will check the post before I go as to take any special orders just in case any yall want some 
other flavors.


----------



## henfruit (Jan 16, 2010)

Well i must be getting more wood in the round than split as iw ill explain. I bought a trailer load of log length mostly oak. my friend is is the fire wood business and agreed to cut it to the length i need and deliver it to me in her 2 cord truck. well she cut the first load and filled her truck as full with my rounds as she would with a split load. when she came to my yard to deliver it today , the truck would not dump the load. to heavy. we had to take some off by hand till it would dump. she said this had only happened once to her and since then had the pressure in the pump raised up. so guess a load of rounds weighs more than a load of split wood. it also could be that it was all oak. i guess i got 10,000 lbs of wood today on that load.  Five more loads to come. i think i will leave it out in the weather till this fall before i stack it, as to get it started drying.


----------



## ohio woodburner (Jan 16, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Thats a whole new can of woop @ss right there...
> https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/42293/




Jay i read that thread you had linked and i think you popped the tab on that can  :lol:


----------



## ohio woodburner (Jan 16, 2010)

I'm not a wood expert by any means but in my experience when i fill my trailer with rounds then take it home and split it i would not be able to get all that split wood back on the trailer


----------



## CiscoKid (Jan 16, 2010)

henfruit said:
			
		

> HI i use mostly all round wood in my greenwood boiler. my question is in the size area that i store my rounds about 500 cubic feet, how much more wood wood i get if i had all split wood in the same size area due to the less air space and being able to pack it tighter. thanks  patrick



Ok, I read the other thread - interesting. I think that rounds will contain more wood, but I'm surprised no one appeared to do a full scale experiment. Anyway, Henfruit, why can't you just leave 90-95% of your wood as rounds, split 5-10% of them, and then use the splits to fill in the airspace - I think that should give you the best of both worlds.


----------



## henfruit (Jan 17, 2010)

I do split the big ones. they become the bottom layer of the fire box when the coal bed is almost burnt out.


----------



## Wood Duck (Jan 17, 2010)

henfruit said:
			
		

> Well i must be getting more wood in the round than split as iw ill explain. I bought a trailer load of log length mostly oak. my friend is is the fire wood business and agreed to cut it to the length i need and deliver it to me in her 2 cord truck. well she cut the first load and filled her truck as full with my rounds as she would with a split load. when she came to my yard to deliver it today , the truck would not dump the load. to heavy. we had to take some off by hand till it would dump. she said this had only happened once to her and since then had the pressure in the pump raised up. so guess a load of rounds weighs more than a load of split wood. it also could be that it was all oak. i guess i got 10,000 lbs of wood today on that load.  Five more loads to come. i think i will leave it out in the weather till this fall before i stack it, as to get it started drying.



You're getting more weight of wood, but that doesn't necessarily mean more volume of wood. I think it is likely that rounds contain more water than splits, because splits dry out faster than rounds, so unless they were split yesterday, the splits have had time to drop water weight. Also, I bet you are on the right track regarding the oak. Oak is a lot more dense than some other woods, and perhaps you got more of the oak because the dealer is a friend.


----------



## henfruit (Jan 17, 2010)

She doesnt like all oak for her regular customers. I bought the trailer load for 1100.00 last summer and had requested all oak a little beech. it should yield me 12 to 13 cords. iwill pay her something for cutting and delivery to me.


----------



## Battenkiller (Jan 17, 2010)

henfruit said:
			
		

> She doesnt like all oak for her regular customers. I bought the trailer load for 1100.00 last summer and had requested all oak a little beech.



Well, there ya go.... That beech would save some weight in the load. LOL


----------

