# Do whole logs take up more room than split wood



## bsa0021 (Jul 10, 2009)

I have about 150 ft. of wood unsplit and someone told me that once it's split I would need more racks. I thought I would end up with less wood once split. What do you think?













BTW this was all free from CL.


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## BrotherBart (Jul 10, 2009)

Split it will take up significantly more space is my vote.


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## LLigetfa (Jul 10, 2009)

You will need to stack it higher or longer.  Split wood takes up a little more space than in the round.  Wood also shrinks as it dries so depending on how much shrinkage you have to look forward to, you will gain back some space.


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## fsk2 (Jul 10, 2009)

Wow. Is that from one cl find? What the deal me jealous

What type of wood?


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## rdust (Jul 10, 2009)

Put me down for the it'll take up more space group, especially if they're stacked loose.


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## bsa0021 (Jul 10, 2009)

woodhog said:
			
		

> Wow. Is that from one cl find? What the deal me jealous
> 
> What type of wood?



All from one house 10 miles away. Nice couple just bought a house and wanted the back yard cleaned out. I did the cutting, he loaded the truck.  About 60% various maples, 20% cherry, and 10% apple and oak. It's stacked about 5.5' high.
Funny thing.....before this I sent a letter out to a property owner next to some woods that had been partially cleared then I found this on CL. The next day I got a call concerning my letter with the ok to clear out anything dead. I'm not sure if I'll get any of that wood now but there's some oak I'd like to have. 
I think I'm turning into a wood hog.


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## bsa0021 (Jul 10, 2009)

I should mention the split wood on the far left is from a couple years ago not from this find.


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## Dune (Jul 10, 2009)

Your pile will grow when you split it.


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## DaveBP (Jul 10, 2009)

> Your pile will grow when you split it.



It will also dry before it rots if you split it.


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## firefighterjake (Jul 10, 2009)

Split = more space


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## billb3 (Jul 10, 2009)

More space.
I only do small batches at a time (and not always stacking rounds ) so how much more is hard to say. But certainly more space.


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## drdoct (Jul 10, 2009)

Are those cut to length?  They look too long to use but too short to cut in half.


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## wldm09 (Jul 10, 2009)

I'm just salivating at that wood.  Nice score!


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## gzecc (Jul 10, 2009)

About 10-15% more space. Primarily because stacked wood should be stacked loosely.


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## bsa0021 (Jul 10, 2009)

drdoct said:
			
		

> Are those cut to length?  They look too long to use but too short to cut in half.



I cut them to fit my stove 16-18". There are a few longer pieces to use for stacking on the end of the rows.


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## Wood Duck (Jul 13, 2009)

I think it will take more space once split. I figure if I split a round into, for example, four pieces and stack the pieces, unless the four pieces are put back together like a puzzle, then I have introduced a bunch of open space into the round and it takes more space. On the other hand, when I have a bunch of splits, it is possible that if I stack really carefully they fit together more tightly than the original rounds, potentially reducing the empty space in my wood pile and making it smaller. In the end, I am pretty sure splitting makes my pile larger, since I stack the splits as loosly as I can without making the pile seem unstable. Perhaps if you stack the splits really tightly, you might not increase the volume of the pile, but I think you'd mess up the drying process by stacking that tightly.


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## madrone (Jul 15, 2009)

More. I predict about 12 cords. Maybe 30.


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## hammerdavid (Jul 15, 2009)

So then if I am looking to buy wood and don't mind splitting it, does it follow that the more economical way to buy wood is buy it in rounds? If it's going to 'grow' when you split it, it would be more economical to buy it in rounds right?


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## stejus (Jul 15, 2009)

PyroWannabe said:
			
		

> So then if I am looking to buy wood and don't mind splitting it, does it follow that the more economical way to buy wood is buy it in rounds? If it's going to 'grow' when you split it, it would be more economical to buy it in rounds right?



I'm not sure what you are paying for cut/split/delivered vs cut/delivered.   If the cost is marginal between the two, i would opt for the cut/split/delivered, especially this time of the year.   If you have a spliter, it's a no brainer.  If you don't, it's up to you.


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