# Unsplit wood vs Split wood



## bsig31r (Jul 15, 2010)

I just ran into a good deal on craigslist for 3 cords of hardwood unsplit for $100. It is already bucked in to 18" pieces. 
How much space does 1 cord unsplit wood take up compared to wood that has already been split?


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## smokinj (Jul 15, 2010)

It going to be close enough for horse shoes....16ft long x 4 high x 18 inchs wide.....


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## Got Wood (Jul 15, 2010)

3 cords of bucked hardwood for $100 is a good deal, even if you have to pick it up yourself. One word of caution is the size of those rounds - could be they are huge and tough to move.
I'd figure pretty close to the same space (I think J gave numbers reflecting approx 1 cord worth) - maybe a bigger footprint because stacking rounds usually you wont go as high.


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## bsig31r (Jul 15, 2010)

Thanks Jay for the quick assist. With this load coming I will hopefully have two years built up. I might have to line it up along the fence, but it was too good of a deal to pass up.


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## smokinj (Jul 15, 2010)

bsig31r said:
			
		

> Thanks Jay for the quick assist. With this load coming I will hopefully have two years built up. I might have to line it up along the fence, but it was too good of a deal to pass up.



I would be a buyer at 33 a cord!


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 15, 2010)

Sounds like a good deal. What kind of wood is it?


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Jul 15, 2010)

Whenever something sounds too good to be true . . .


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## TMonter (Jul 15, 2010)

Unsplit can take up less space actually, especially if tightly stacked.


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## btuser (Jul 15, 2010)

$100 delivered sounds like a good deal.  That's  a lot of work unless you've got a dump and can drive point to point.


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## rdust (Jul 15, 2010)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:
			
		

> Whenever something sounds too good to be true . . .



I have a sneaking suspicion it's 3 "face" cords for 100 bucks.  If it's 3 real life 128 cu' cords that's a great deal!


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## rdust (Jul 15, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> It going to be close enough for horse shoes....16ft long x 4 high x 18 inchs wide.....



That's only 96 cu' I don't think you're going to pick up 32 cu' by splitting it.


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## smokinj (Jul 16, 2010)

rdust said:
			
		

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horse shoes and hand grenades It gives him a good understanding but isnt that 112 cubic feet? Most of any wood piles really depends on who is stacking, how it was split even the part of the tree it came from will change the stack. No 2 people stack a like.........


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## bsig31r (Jul 16, 2010)

rdust said:
			
		

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I had the same thoughts when I called the guy selling the wood. He claimed that it was a full cord. I made sure to ask him if it was a full cord, but you know how that goes. He said that he had to much wood and had to get rid of some of it. He said that the wood would come in a dump truck. If it turns out to be 3 face cords then it will end up being standard price before splitting the wood. The price around here for split wood runs from $120-$130 a cord(split).


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## SolarAndWood (Jul 16, 2010)

At $33/cd delivered, I would take all I could split/store and be selling cords this fall for $130.  Then, when the party is over, go back to scrounging which still probably costs me $10/cd for the rounds plus equipment wear and tear.  I would order that first load before it is too late.


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## bsig31r (Jul 16, 2010)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> At $33/cd delivered, I would take all I could split/store and be selling cords this fall for $130.  Then, when the party is over, go back to scrounging which still probably costs me $10/cd for the rounds plus equipment wear and tear.  I would order that first load before it is too late.



Selling the wood crossed my mind, but that is a lot of splitting for a newbie. Plus striped bass season is right around the corner. The fish are calling.


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## SolarAndWood (Jul 16, 2010)

Now that I am set up, I get through a cord in an hour, hour and a half.  Lets say you burn 5 cord a year and want to get three years ahead.  That new splitter just paid for itself with $33 cords.


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## maplewood (Jul 16, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Sounds like a good deal. What kind of wood is it?



Did we hear the answer to this?
$33/cord is a great deal.  I don't have to buy any softwood - I have 12 acres of it between my sister and myself.  But if you don't have access to any, even for softwood it's a deal.
But it would be sweeter if it was hardwood!
Happy burning!


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## bsig31r (Jul 17, 2010)

maplewood said:
			
		

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it was for all hardwood.


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## the_dude (Jul 17, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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112? 16 x 4 x 1.5 = 96 cubic feet.


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## smokinj (Jul 17, 2010)

the_dude said:
			
		

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I suck at Math! The 1.5 # I always want to plug 1.75


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 17, 2010)

bsig31r said:
			
		

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That is a pretty vague answer (I hope that doesn't sound rude as it is not meant to be). Poplar and willow are hardwoods technically, but they are pretty poor woods compared to oak, hickory, etc. So it really does matter what type of wood it is. Personally I would not buy poplar or willow or even cottonwood even at that price but I certainly would for the better burning woods.


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## smokinj (Jul 17, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

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Never herd willow or cottonwood called a hardwood before, Now cabinet guys love the "tulip poplar" for pie safe's and draws and they say its a hardwood bit of a stretch.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 17, 2010)

Jay, while most of us do refer to those as softwoods, they are still hardwoods. Any tree that drops its leaf is a hardwood. And yes, tulip poplar is still hardwood.


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## smokinj (Jul 17, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Jay, while most of us do refer to those as softwoods, they are still hardwoods. Any tree that drops its leaf is a hardwood. And yes, tulip poplar is still hardwood.




Ok question why is silver maple refer to as soft maple?


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## TMonter (Jul 17, 2010)

> Ok question why is silver maple refer to as soft maple?



Hence why the term "hardwood" or "softwood" is misleading.


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## smokinj (Jul 17, 2010)

TMonter said:
			
		

> > Ok question why is silver maple refer to as soft maple?
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lol yep I know even the cabinet makers look at it different than we do!


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 17, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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For the same reason that red maple is referred to as soft maple. It is still a hardwood though.

Actually this is important for those new wood burners as they most times do not have knowledge of the different woods and how they burn. They might buy what the wood seller says is hardwood and assume they have the best wood available when in truth, it might indeed be poplar or something similar. The wood seller was not wrong...but this can certainly be misleading to people. Therefore, to know the true difference between hardwood and softwood is important.


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## smokinj (Jul 17, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

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Yep, I have split some silver maple rounds and look at MMAUL and say now there some softwood for you! lol sounds like a shot gun going off and breaking and twisting metal on the spliter, all you want to do is get as far from the spliter as possiable and that arm length. (helmets and chaps on!)


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## fossil (Jul 17, 2010)

We (lay woodburners) tend to use the terms hardwood and softwood rather sloppily, but quite literally.  In fact, the terms are scientifically defined based on two distinct types of internal structure of trees.  A botanist knows, for example, that Balsa is a hardwood.  A botanist also knows that the old "leaves = hardwood, cones = softwood", or Deciduous = hardwood, Evergreen = softwood" don't always work in the real world of plant classification.  Rick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardwood


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## firefighterjake (Jul 19, 2010)

I've always used hardwoods to mean hardwoods (deciduous). . . and softwoods to mean softwoods (evergreens) . . . which applies for most trees most of the time. That said, when necessary I will describe trees such as poplar or basswood as soft hardwoods.


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## CJRages (Jul 19, 2010)

Here's one for you:

Some softwoods are harder (more dense) than some hardwoods and vice-versa.


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## midwestcoast (Jul 19, 2010)

Growing up, we always used the Birch Scale to classify hardwoods vs soft; ie harder than Birch = hardwood. softer = softwood.  ;-)      
I actually thought that was how they were classified, and have since learned that the actual defenition is such that it's a virtually useless term for woodburning purposes (as noted by fossil & CJR) kinda like Rick & Face Cord. 
 The reason for the Birch scale was just that we had a 15 acre bush full of Sugar Maple (~75%), Ash, Hickory, Beech, Black Cherry, Red Oak, Shagbark Hickory, Birch & Basswood, so we had no need to burn anything softer than Birch.  We rarely burned anything from the Fencerows (mainly Manitoba Maple), the 20 acre red pine plantation or the 5 acre cedar wetland.
If anyone tried to sell me Basswood or similar as hardwood I'd be pretty pissed even if it's technically correct.


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