Cord of Wood Delivery for Cabin Winter Heating brings a New Job for the Little One

The first of 2 cords of wood have been delivered to get us through the winter in the cabin with the wood burning stove. We've already been burning daily for the past 2 weeks. The stove is usually fired up about 9AM, we let it burn out by 2PM, restart the fire around 5PM, then let the fire burn out at 9PM. The cabin is well insulated, the floors are not cold in the morning - even during the 2 weeks of -30*C temperatures we had last winter. Other than clearing snow, getting wood for the stove, bringing the little one to and from the school bus stop, and the odd trip to town, I try to hibernate as much as possible and enjoy the indoor time that winter brings.

What is a Cord of Wood?

A Full Cord of wood is a neatly stacked pile measuring 4 feet x 4 feet x 8 feet. A good way to visualize this is by thinking of the bed of a pickup truck - 2 feet x 4 feet x 8 feet. So a neatly stacked Half Cord of wood would fill to level the bed of the pickup truck. If it's not neatly stacked in the bed of the pickup truck, then it should be heaping. That would be a half cord, so a Full Cord would be times two.

Neatly Stacked Full Cord

= 4ft x 4ft x 8ft = 128 cubic feet = 4.74 cubic yards

Full Cord Delivery

The drive up to the cabin is very steep, I'm surprised driver was able to back up the hill as far as he did. If the trailer was on level ground the wood would have dumped in one place - instead we ended up with a new wood log driveway, and a new chore for the little one.

Hardwood Vs. Softwood

Hardwood is preferred for wood stove heating. Hardwood burns much longer and puts out more heat than softwood. Softwood burns much quicker and creates more ash as more wood is required for the same amount of heat as hardwood. Softwood coats the stove pipes with creosote quicker as well.

Hardwood Trees

• alder, balsa, beech, hickory, mahogany, maple, oak, teak, and walnut

Softwood Trees

• cedar, Douglas fir, juniper, pine, redwood, spruce, and yew

New Chore for the Little One

My son's always eager to have a task to work on to help out, so he claimed the carrying wood up the job as his own. We agreed to give him $30 for this cord of wood moved up the hill to the cabin and neatly stacked. It's money we would have spent on him anyways, but this way he feels the pride of earning the money and helping out the family.

Remaining Half Cord on Hill + One More on the Way

After all that stacking, you can see the remaining half cord in the first picture below. The little one's chore will be done after a couple more nights of wood moving and stacking - until the next cord arrives this week. He's already making a list of what he would like to purchase on our next trip to Toronto.

Last winter we hadn't ordered the cords of wood until after the snow had already arrived. With the wood neatly stacked by the cabin, and the new patio enclosure, we're much more prepared for a relaxing winter.

Previous post that may be of interest to you:

• Off-Grid: Wood Stove Top Boiler and Standard Garden Hose Connectors

Have a great day!