Good size for firewood

[Yellowdog]

Got two questions: What's a good size for firewood that I plan on selling commercially?

Is it okay to mix red oak and live oak in same cord?

Thanks!

 

[Husky137]

Most common in New England is 16". This length will fit in all but the tiniest woodstoves. I mix hardwood species all the time, just advertise as mixed hardwoods. Anybody who wants a cord of one specific species is gonna pay a premium for sorting.

 

[computeruser]

16" is standard, but some guys around here have been marketing 18"-20" lately. Depends what the common size for woodstoves is in your area. I burn in a fairly wide fireplace and try to cut my wood 18" to 23" (I can fit 26" wide on my log grate), with a few shorter pieces for front-to-back stacking, too.

As for species mix, I wouldn't go to any particular effort to mix it up unless that is what your local market prefers. Otherwise, do whatever is most convenient and market it as "mixed hardwoods".

 

[Gologit]

If you keep it at 16" you might find it easier to keep your cord amounts straight...not too much...not too little.

 

[Freakingstang]

If you keep it at 16" you might find it easier to keep your cord amounts straight...not too much...not too little.

Yep, good advice...When you get up to the 20" and 22" sizes, you are giving wood away....or selling 22" as 24" pieces..you are shorting the customer.

16-18 is most common aroun here, although for my use I like 20-22" pieces. You'll probably find that most people that like the longer lengths will cut their own...

 

[ericjeeper]

I prefer 18-22 inches.

That way I can shove as many btus as possible into my boiler. If I end up with short pieces I feel like I am wasting potential burn time. 24 inches will fit, but 2 16s wont go in end to end.
If I end up with some shoties. I will toss some in forward crossways, then shove some in buttways against it.