Cord Wood

[Phantom]

There's nothing better than a crackling fire going in the fireplace on a Sunday afternoon and watching the football games .......

But at today's rates & a bit of "old age" creeping up... I have given up and find it hard to justify heating the house with wood these past few years!

Split & Stacking - back breaking
moving wood to house - constant back breaker & wife always pissed at the mess I always seem to create
Constant attention - damn stove has a bigger hunger for logs than feeding my (now grown) kidz

At the end of the day, if you turn all the man hours spent into "cost"....With the rates of Propane vs. Elec. vs Oil ...... sadly, it's just simply easier to turn up the thermostat !



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[magicrobotmonkey]

I usually get it green early in the spring too, but this year I had some mitigation factors. Just last weekend I was able to snag 4 cord of nice 2 year seasoned for $300/cord. I was happy with that price as I've seen it as high as $350 this year too. Unfortunately the guy I got it from only had 16 cord to sell and it's gone!

[BroadHopper]

I usually buy by the grapple load. I cut and split the wood during the winter. I love working in the cold! Stack up the wood, about 6, 7 cords and they will be ready for the following winter!

Grapple loads can be found at many lumber yards.

[Den65]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I usually buy by the grapple load. I cut and split the wood during the winter. I love working in the cold! Stack up the wood, about 6, 7 cords and they will be ready for the following winter!

Grapple loads can be found at many lumber yards.

Did the grapple load last year and thought (with a 3 way split) I'd get another cord out of it this year. Someone got a little gready and gave some away, I couldn't bitch i only paid $100. So now I'm looking around but the grapple load for next year is in the talking stage only this time I'm getting mine all up front to the house.

[mcdude]

Down here in the flatlands (Boston area) I just paid $285 for a generous cord of seasoned firewood. After seeing what you guys paid I think I got a decent deal. As far as the work involved, I'd rather lug and stack firewood than go to the gym. Gives me a chance to get outside and move around after sitting at a desk all week!

[MAXUM]

I didn't quite cut enough wood last fall for this season so I ended up having to buy a cord to augment what I already have on hand. $285 seasoned, cut, split and delivered. That's from Agway in Hooksett.

[Meredith AK]

96 Roxbury Rd, Meredith, NH 03253
(603) 279-4931

$300/cord for seasoned wood. Had 2 cords delivered within a week of the call, stacked the next day. Mike is an honest hard working man and delivered as promised.

[HellRaZoR004]

$275 p/cord of seasoned wood cut/split from Bradley Tree in Litchfield.

The supplier I usually go to wanted $350 p/cord of seasoned wood cut/split and $390 p/cord for kiln-dried wood cut/split.

[RLW]

Originally Posted by mcdude

Down here in the flatlands (Boston area) I just paid $285 for a generous cord of seasoned firewood. After seeing what you guys paid I think I got a decent deal. I'd rather lug and stack firewood than go to the gym. Gives me a chance to get outside and move around after sitting at a desk all week!

What location Mcdude as the son is looking for 3 cords.

[mcdude]

Hansen Tree out of Abington, MA ( http://www.hansentree.net/ )
Not sure though RLW that they'd deliver to Scott's town without an extra delivery fee.

[Winnisquamguy]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Grapple loads can be found at many lumber yards.

What places are you referring to? I have been looking for a while now and have not found anyone.

[jeffatsquam]

Originally Posted by Winnisquamguy

What places are you referring to? I have been looking for a while now and have not found anyone.

I have been in every lumber yard around the lakes, Probably more than any one else on this forum over the last 40 years and I have never seen a grapple load of cord wood for sale at any of them.

[KPW]

Originally Posted by jeffatsquam

I have been in every lumber yard around the lakes, Probably more than any one else on this forum over the last 40 years and I have never seen a grapple load of cord wood for sale at any of them.

They deliver the grapple load to you.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by jeffatsquam

I have been in every lumber yard around the lakes, Probably more than any one else on this forum over the last 40 years and I have never seen a grapple load of cord wood for sale at any of them.

What would be helpful is who by name? Broadhopper, can you help these guys out?

[Slickcraft]

My experience has been that a local logger sells grapple loads that he has harvested and loaded at the source and trucks to you. I have never heard of a lumber yard being a middle man. But I suppose that it could happen.

I would ask at the local hardware stores, they know who is doing what locally. Also every timber harvester needs to file an "intent to cut" with the town selectman, normally handled by the accessor as a tax is due. They should have a list of who is harvesting timber in town.

[polarisman14]

My brother in law tells me that you can get a permit to take felled trees out of the white mountain national forest for cheap money--I believe you can take 4 cords per season and the price of the permit is $20, $40, something like that? If you have the manpower and trailer capacity to make a few trips that's easily worth your while.

Another option for those of you getting up in age or just looking for something more convenient and easier to handle than cordwood are bio bricks (or any of the alternative heating sources). They're compressed hardwood and don't use any glue or artificial binders, and go for about $300/ton which is equivalent in BTUs to a cord of hardwood or a tank of oil.

I had good success with these last winter--I use a bunch of different heating sources to keep my costs down and not rely on one over the other and my heating bill throughout the year is about $100/month when you break it down that way. Last winter I wen through 1.5-2 cords of wood, a pallet of bio bricks, 3/4 tank of oil, and used a ceramic electric heater on occasion to take the chill out of some of the rooms that aren't close enough to the wood stove to be effectively heated by that. Over the last several years it was the coldest winter and in normal circumstances each one of those heat sources would be 10-15% lower in use. It's also important to note that the bio bricks have a much lower ash and moisture content when burned which translates to fewer times emptying the ashes and a LOT less creosote. Even when burning the bricks and wood simultaneously it seems to help the wood burn more efficiently and after a full season my chimney is so clean you could eat off of it.

Either that or just find a friend with a bunch of wood on the back of his property and go to town

[upthesaukee]

I contacted my stove manufacturer (Hearthstone) and they emphatically said not to use them in a Hearthstone (soapstone and cast iron) stove.

Reason: They generate too much heat too quickly and can cause the soapstone to crack. I thought I had saved the email from them, but can't find it.

They did not offer any comment on straight cast iron, or cast iron with a glass front. But then again, I only asked about my soapstone stove, and they answered that inquiry directly.

For what it is worth.

[mcdude]

[QUOTE=polarisman14;233634 Either that or just find a friend with a bunch of wood on the back of his property and go to town [/QUOTE]

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by Phantom

There's nothing better than a crackling fire going in the fireplace on a Sunday afternoon and watching the football games .......

But at today's rates & a bit of "old age" creeping up... I have given up and find it hard to justify heating the house with wood these past few years!

Split & Stacking - back breaking
moving wood to house - constant back breaker & wife always pissed at the mess I always seem to create
Constant attention - damn stove has a bigger hunger for logs than feeding my (now grown) kidz

At the end of the day, if you turn all the man hours spent into "cost"....With the rates of Propane vs. Elec. vs Oil ...... sadly, it's just simply easier to turn up the thermostat !



.

I get my wood cut to length (16") and split. Stacking this year was obviously pretty easy (thanks kids). Depending on how cold and windy it is outside depends on whether we are putting logs in the woodstove 2 times a day or 3. Our primary heat source is the wood stove, and our oil (#2 fuel oil - outside tank) is secondary.

$1200 for 6 cords of green wood cut and split. Oil is over $4.00 per gallon, and when we could not use the woodstove due to health issues back in the late 90's, we were getting filled about every 3-4 weeks. At least 6 fills during the winter, and today's prices would be over $4000 per season. One tank of oil lasts us all winter long, with the exception of last year, where we got a fill in March.

While it is more convenient to turn up the thermostat, it certainly would be extremely expensive to heat with oil. A load of wood comes into the mud room once a day, canvas sling carries the logs to the wood stove, and a carpet sweeper cleans up the little dirt on the rugs. A dustpan and brush takes care of the mess at the wood stove, and in the mudroom.

Wife sits 8 feet from the hearthstone stove...happy wife is a happy life.