Captain Dirty
Platinum Member
To keep adding variables to a "cord" of wood
The Mass. Div. of Standards says:
When buying wood, avoid buying from a seller using terms such as “truckload,” “face cord,” or “pile” because these terms have no legally defined meaning.
To ensure you have received the correct quantity , the wood must be closely stacked and aligned in the same parallel direction, not cross-stacked. To determine the exact quantity of the wood after stacking, multiply the length times the width times the height of the stack to get the cubic foot content of the delivery.
BUT, who stacks the wood makes a difference. A woodcutter who was paid by the cord claimed he could stack a cord of cordwood "so a dog could run through it." An old New Englander told me a cord stacked outdoors for seasoning should be stacked " so a squirrel could run through it but the cat chasing the squirrel could not." My grandfather, who wanted as much split, seasoned stove wood (12" long by 3" x 4" max) as possible inside his woodshed, wanted it stacked "so a mouse can't get through it."
The Mass. Div. of Standards says:
Generally speaking, you can buy cordwood or firewood. Cordwood offered for sale must be four feet in length. The term “firewood” means wood cut to any length of less than four feet and more than eight inches. Wood can only be advertised and sold in terms of cubic feet or cubic meters (for instance 128 cubic feet of wood).When buying wood, avoid buying from a seller using terms such as “truckload,” “face cord,” or “pile” because these terms have no legally defined meaning.
To ensure you have received the correct quantity , the wood must be closely stacked and aligned in the same parallel direction, not cross-stacked. To determine the exact quantity of the wood after stacking, multiply the length times the width times the height of the stack to get the cubic foot content of the delivery.
BUT, who stacks the wood makes a difference. A woodcutter who was paid by the cord claimed he could stack a cord of cordwood "so a dog could run through it." An old New Englander told me a cord stacked outdoors for seasoning should be stacked " so a squirrel could run through it but the cat chasing the squirrel could not." My grandfather, who wanted as much split, seasoned stove wood (12" long by 3" x 4" max) as possible inside his woodshed, wanted it stacked "so a mouse can't get through it."
