A cord is about 130 cubic feet of wood, enough to last most consumers a couple of months if they burn wood for three or four hours every night. But because most people don't use their fireplaces that often, the standard delivery for Gehringer is a face cord, one-third the size of a full cord, a pile that measures 4 feet high and 8 long when the wood is stacked. Most firewood companies don't include stacking in the basic cost. We used to do the stacking for an extra fee, but it always turned out they wanted it stacked around back, under the eaves up on the second floor. He cuts and splits them himself with a machine that works like a hydraulic guillotine and turns an 8-foot log into a bundle of firewood in less than two minutes.
Nothing is wasted.
Seasoned oak is sinewed like dried beef, and smaller pieces twist off from the bigger chunks as the trunk splits. Those chips are bundled and sold as kindling, and each night Gehringer sweeps up the leftovers, puts them in a wheelbarrow and trundles them home to his own fireplace a few blocks away. He has sold about 300 face cords a year for the past few seasons. He says that firewood isn't very profitable, but it's something his customers have come to expect him to carry. First, you'll need to invest in a chain saw, and if you don't have experience in using one, it's very easy to give yourself a gash that will mean you won't have to wear a scary mask at Halloween any more.