In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Log Length Calculator

Discussion in 'The Wood Market' started by dylskee, Apr 10, 2015.

  1. dylskee

    dylskee

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    Hello all, been a LONG winter and I'm still burning! Now that most of the snow is gone and I've got my splitter I'm going to start processing right away. One of my neighbors is building a house across the street from me and he's cutting down some oak trees and wanted to know if I'd be interested in the log length wood for a fair market price. Of coarse I do!!! Is there a calculator out there I can use to figure out approximately how much cord wood in the logs? And would anyone like to make some recommendations as far as fair market price for log length green oak in the Central Mass area? I'm going to scour my local CL and see what people are getting but I figured I'd ask the people here considering you guys are pros!
    :D:D

    He's going to be cutting them into 8' lengths, and he has already started dropping them in the front yard! :thumbs:
     
  2. Gunn

    Gunn

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    Grab a tape measure. Once all the logs are piled up its easy to do the math because they are cut at 8ft already.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2015
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  3. Paul bunion

    Paul bunion

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    There is a quick and easy way. A stack of firewood has air in it so just add some in when you calculate the log volume. The area of a circle within a square is 78% of the square and it is really easy to use the diameter of a round within a square to calculate volume. So you think of the ends of the logs as being square instead of round and calculate the cubic feet. (Measure at both ends and split it for the average diameter). Divide by 128 and you have a good guesstimate of the cordage. It will probably be a little on the high side, 10% or so.
     
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  4. dylskee

    dylskee

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    Thanks for the replies! Is $125. a cord a reasonable price for green log length?
     
  5. Gasifier

    Gasifier

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    In 1000 bd ft I believe there is about two cord of firewood. If you google search 1/4" international rule calculator, you can quickly find out how many board feet in each log. (Make sure you hit 1/4" rule each time you fill in your information in the calculator. You can also search the same in a table form.) Then figure out how many total board feet you have. Then convert to cord.

    $125/cord is a little more than I would pay if in log length. $100/cord sounds better. You still have a lot of work to do to make it firewood.
     
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  6. Gunn

    Gunn

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    Depends, in my neck of the woods I think the going rate for delivered log length wood was right around 80-100 per cord.
     
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  7. Paul bunion

    Paul bunion

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    His price is high for delivered wood. You should be paying about 30-40% less than the delivered price for a log load in your area.
     
  8. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    I don't know about the rest of these fine folks, but I'd say a new neighbor should be giving you that wood.... for FREE. I know he's got his time in it, but you could barter some of your time, if at all possible. Just my 2 cents.
    Of course, if you've already agreed to the $, maybe consider putting yourself and your help-ability out there for him to see that you're nicer than the "typical" neighbor- what happens from there could be simply called "community" building.
    Because of the carpentry help I've made available to one of my neighbors, I now have a welder/mechanic/firewood helper a shout away. And we watch the race at his house, too!
     
  9. dylskee

    dylskee

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    I actually know his father, he owns a few properties in my neighborhood. His son is the one building a house and has offered the wood to me for a price that I thought was fair for both of us. He's a young guy just starting out with his first home and he has a small landscaping business that he started since he was 12 years old. I offered cash for the wood to be fair and to help him out and to start off our neighbor relationship on the right foot. He's a good kid and I'm sure we will be swapping favors for years to come. Thanks for all your replies! :cheers:
     
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  10. lknchoppers

    lknchoppers

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    Way, Way, Way, High. But that is just my opinion. I thought neighbors were supposed to help each other and give you a deal or for free. If he is dropping it off to you $50 a cord is fine. I wouldn't figure in any air gap allowance either, rotted, hollow or unusable stuff usually slides by. I buy a lot of wood to process more take my buying price than don't and the ones that want to sell it at a high price usually have it sit around so long they just give it to me to get it off their property. I know wood is more expensive up North but this time of year you can get processed wood at a discount through some firewood services.
     
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  11. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Hey lknchoppers, did you read the post above yours? I kinda felt the same way as you in my post above the post above u, but what dylskee said makes good sense to me... my .02
     
  12. dylskee

    dylskee

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    Here's what he's brought over so far, an there's more to come! :thumbs:

    Oak.jpg
     
  13. Paul bunion

    Paul bunion

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    Delivered is good. Watch out, there is metal in one of that logs with the blue spot.
     
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  14. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Nice, Paul bunion, good call out!
     
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  15. dylskee

    dylskee

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    Is there really? Is that what the stain is from? Thanks for the heads up, I will keep my eye out for it and hopefully my chain out of it! :)
     
  16. Paul bunion

    Paul bunion

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    Yes. Blue stain means there is metal somewhere in the log along the line of the stain. Not all kinds of wood show it though. Being that it is near the center you might not be able to find a scar on the bark. The size of the stain on both ends might give you a clue also.
     
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  17. HDRock

    HDRock

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    be aware that one piece of metal can stain the tree 10 to 20 feet away
     
  18. dylskee

    dylskee

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    So if I'm doing the math correct I will only get 14.128 CF out of an 18" diameter x 8' long log?

    .75 x .75 x 3.14= 1.766 x 8'= 14.128 cf
    Doesn't seem like much but math is math. :axe:
     
  19. Paul bunion

    Paul bunion

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    Cubic feet of solid wood and bark that is. You need to allocate yourself some airspace when it is split and stacked. Make it 1.5 x 1.5 x 8= 18. It'll be more like 18 cf with air or about 1/7 cord
     
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  20. dylskee

    dylskee

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    Man you couldn't have been more right Paul! Started cutting the wood today and totally screwed my chain hitting a group of spikes in the middle of the log! I tried sharpening it but it didn't work too well, it's in pretty rough shape so I'm going to need a new chain.

    20150509_164426.jpg
     
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