OT---Sweet Gum Trees

Jiles · May 21, 2013

I have about 9 large sweet gum trees that I need to take down. They are standing about 50' and have been topped. I plan to push the trees over with a backhoe after digging and cutoff the stump.
These trees average about 15" diameter but I realize they can't be used for good lumber.
Other then burning them what can they be used for.

Janicholson · May 21, 2013

The value may be enough to consider selling the trunks. See regional lumber mills. and the link to Purdue Univ data.
Jim
Data

Pair-a-dice farm · May 21, 2013

I sold timber a couple of years ago. They bought the sweet gum. I'm not sure what they used it for, maybe pallet lumber?

CAROGATOR · May 21, 2013

Cut into 2" thick boards, it makes great trailer floors.

Richard G. · May 21, 2013

Some of the prettiest flooring I ever saw was sweetgum.
Richard in NW SC

Matt in TN · May 21, 2013

I knew a guy who had done everything better than anybody. He spent days telling me about all he'd done. Rebuilding his house from the ground up by himself without getting a permit or hiring contractors, singlehandedly saving people's lives while in the Coast Guard, and splitting his own firewood with a maul.

Say what? Well, my patience for him ended about the same time I had a sweetgum tree that needed hauling off. It was dead and leafless and evidently he wasn't the woodsman he claimed he was. So I told him he could have it for firewood. We cut it up and loaded it on his trailer, and he never bragged to me again.

Needless to say, it burns but it doesn't want to split. I'd say it's right behind elm in the "ease of splitting" category. And it'll shut a topper's mouth real quick!

Skaning · May 21, 2013

Gum as firewood is fine but splitting it is a bear. It splits easiest when green. Greener the better. I mean drop the tree, cut it up and split before you drop the next tree. Get a power splitter. When you cut it, you will see a dark heartwood center. Split the light wood off of the heart wood. Gum is tough to split because the grain coils around the heartwood.

keh · May 21, 2013

Sweetgum can be split after it dries a while but it is a lot of work. It makes perfectly good firewood. Somewhere there is a listing of the best heat producing woods, Hickory being best, followed by oak. Sweetgum is not far behind. The limbs that don't have to be split are fine for firewood.

At a guess, the 15 inch diameter logs may square 10 inches, meaning 10 inch wide board could be made. Repeat, this is a guess. Sweetgum lumber will twist as it dries so for drying the lumber should be stacked properly with lots of weight on top to hold the twisting down. Sweetgum lumber is very tough. Dump truck operators will get 2 inch wide boards to fit in the slots on top of the dump bed to protect the steel bed from being dented by an operator banging the bucket on it while loading dirt, gravel, etc with a front end loader.

Sweetgum lumber is NOT decay resistant and should not be used outside.

Large sweetgum trees have streaks of red in them and make nice lumber.

Sawmills classify sweet gum usually as pallet grade lumber.

KEH

641Dave · May 21, 2013

I have no idea what spalt means but here is an interesting conversation among few that seem to know something about sweet gum lumber.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/sweet-gum-tree-3305/

Anonymous-0 · May 21, 2013

I think some Sweetgum lumber gets used in pallets..

Jim in NC · May 21, 2013

Landscaping timbers have been made from sweetgum. They are good for sled runners. My granddaddies and tobacco farmers used them for their sleds. Also I have heard of people turning bowls and wooden utensils from sweet gum blocks. I have burned a lot as firewood. I split it green with a gas powered splitter...just makes the job lots easier. Some trees actually grow pretty straight, but most have twisted grain.

Jiles · May 21, 2013

(quoted from post at 02:10:12 05/22/13) Landscaping timbers have been made from sweetgum. They are good for sled runners. My granddaddies and tobacco farmers used them for their sleds. Also I have heard of people turning bowls and wooden utensils from sweet gum blocks. I have burned a lot as firewood. I split it green with a gas powered splitter...just makes the job lots easier. Some trees actually grow pretty straight, but most have twisted grain.

For some reason--all these trees are nearly perfectly straight.

2x4 · May 21, 2013

always sawed mine into crossties. Local sawmill should buy them cut into lenghts of 8 foot 8 inches

slim · May 22, 2013

I've cut lots of sweet gum. Yes it will burn for firewood but it does not put out a whole lot of heat for the amount of work you will put into working it up. It doesn't split good with hand tools. I did best by cutting it down and letting it sit for 2 or 3 weeks as poles then cutting it up and spliting it. Instead of spliting like oak, I found it best to kind of slab off the edges leaving the middle intact. It has to dry completely to burn good. It has lots of sap.

Sawed up it can make OK trailer flooring and such but it shrinks a lot and will definitely warp and twist. You can make dimensional lumber from it for framing or siding but watch out for warping and twisting. It is not rot resistant at all.

slim

OT---Sweet Gum Trees

Jiles

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Janicholson

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Pair-a-dice farm

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CAROGATOR

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Richard G.

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Matt in TN

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Skaning

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keh

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641Dave

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Anonymous-0

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Jim in NC

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Jiles

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2x4

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slim

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