Sweetgum

learner · October 06, 2012, 09:38:19 PM

I have people wanting to sell me sweetgum and I even have it growing on my place. I have two logs of it , cut one so far, and it's a beautiful wood. But I see all these horror stories about drying it. I have an idea of how to dry it in a way that may prevent cupping, checking, twisting and warping. But I can't seem to find a market for it or a general selling price, other than for blanks and turning pieces for crafts.
My question is this. IS there a market for it in standard sizes? 7/8's rough cut or planed to 3/4's 1x6, 1x8, 1x10 or other Normal wood cuts?

Magicman · October 06, 2012, 10:08:02 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, learner, and that is all that I am going to say about that.

Magicman · October 06, 2012, 10:13:42 PM

OK, I apologize. Click on the "Search" button above and type in "sweetgum". There are many threads and post concerning sawing, drying, and using Sweetgum. Now I was nice.

Holmes · October 06, 2012, 10:17:25 PM

MM that was very nice of you not to say something bad about your beloved Sweet Gum. ;D ;D

ellmoe · October 07, 2012, 06:29:17 AM

Someone on the Forum described R/S KD sweet gum as looking likr fried bacon, a perfect descrition. To yield a 3/4 finished board I rough saw a 5/4 board. Sweet gum has some "special" :D qualities to it, and, unless it is heart (red gum) or spalted, it is a bland wood.

Mark

WDH · October 07, 2012, 07:40:25 AM

The only market here is for pallets. There is a small market as core stock for SYP plywood. You will have to create your own market. The problem is that most woodworkers stay away from sweetgum because of its instability. Too much risk to build a high-end project and have a part of it warp and twist.

Magicman · October 07, 2012, 08:18:59 AM

There is a very good reason why it is so readily available and generally avoided. The term "temperamental" might be used.

Quote from: learner on October 06, 2012, 09:38:19 PMI have people wanting to sell me sweetgum

I'll also sell you some, but that is no reason to buy it. I'll even give it to you, but that is no reason to take it.

See, I'm still being nice.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · October 07, 2012, 08:59:26 AM

Quote from: Magicman on October 07, 2012, 08:18:59 AM

See, I'm still being nice.

Magic....nice about Sweet Gum? It's just a matter of time before you disintegrate. :D

sandhills · October 07, 2012, 10:21:23 AM

learner, please forgive our dear Magic Man, he hates sweet gum! :D On the other hand, if he gives advise, take it! And welcome to the forum.

5quarter · October 07, 2012, 09:49:14 PM

learner...Sorry to say that MM may have jinxed the search function regarding sweetgum with his many references to his personal feelings toward that ignoble tree... ;)

Okrafarmer · October 07, 2012, 09:58:51 PM

Probably the biggest problem with sweetgummery is its ubiquitocity. I am learning to do some things with it, but working with sweetgum is kind of like picking scrap 2X4's out of the dumpster and using them to build a scaffolding. You're kind of limited in what you can do with it.

I recommend, don't buy it. If they want to give it to you, let them. Experiment with it, and see if you can sell it, but don't think of it as a major part of your business plan. The stuff can be very very beautiful. I milled some up and am air drying it, and so far it hasn't moved much. Even if it does, there will still be some use for it.

Slabs · October 08, 2012, 07:41:49 PM

MM you're a mess. But a knowlegable mess.

clww · October 08, 2012, 09:17:55 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, learner.

Makes good firewood after it has seasoned.

Okrafarmer · October 08, 2012, 09:32:56 PM

Quote from: clww on October 08, 2012, 09:17:55 PM
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, learner.
Makes good firewood after it has seasoned.

But not if it rots first. In humid climates (oh my, that's where sweetgum grows), for sweetgum firewood, it is a race between drying and rotting to see which one wins.

Magicman · October 09, 2012, 08:37:52 AM

Well DanG. What happened to the OP. He has not been back since he made that post. :-\

learner · October 09, 2012, 09:12:54 AM

I really appreciate all the responses here. Well as the name implies lol I'm still learning. Thank you especially MM. I've seen many of your posts about it but had to try. If my idea for drying it works, I'll pass it on to everyone and maybe even get MM interested in sweetgum. Have a great day gentlemen. Time to do some sawing!

Okrafarmer · October 09, 2012, 09:17:15 AM

Even if we can dry it, we still need to be able to sell it. :-\ But I'm all in for trying. I have some drying right now.

pineywoods · October 09, 2012, 10:26:03 AM

I think MM hates mostly sweetgum trees, not so much the wood. Me too, the Dang saplings grow anywhere, grow fast, root sprout, and are shade tolerant. Mature trees make millions of tiny seeds which the wind spreads everywhere. I think the term is invasive....

sweetgum lumber...Quartersawn from good sized trees, it's not bad. It will warp around knots, but clear boards work well. I've made some furniture from it. Takes a stain nicely.

sweetgum firewood. The secret is don't try to split the stuff. Cut 2 inch slabs off the side of the block. The slabs dry fairly quickly, burn fast leave a lot of ash..

Okrafarmer · October 09, 2012, 07:57:54 PM

And especially, never try to split it with a mall. Unless you enjoy hurting yourself.

Red Clay Hound · October 09, 2012, 08:23:50 PM

Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience with sweetgum. In general, I share Magicman's disdain for the DanG stuff. As Okra says, it is quite ubiquitous where I'm from. :( I used to cut a lot of it and sell it for firewood when I was growing up. I had to split it in order to sell it - no one would buy it unless it was already split! Of course you have to use a hydraulic log splitter for that job. You're just wasting your time with a maul!

I have found that for any logs bigger than about 8" in diameter it is best to split it soon after it is cut. Otherwise, it doesn't dry out very fast and it will rot from the inside out within a few months. The same is true for sawing it - I wouldn't let it sit around too long, unless you are going for spalted sweetgum!

I have milled some, mainly for 4x4's for stacking lumber on. It generally dries fairly straight if you center the pith. Every time I cut one down, I spray the stump with a 50/50 glyphosate solution to prevent resprouting. I'm working on getting rid of them one at a time.

If anyone finds a market, I'll sell you several trailer loads for a good price! :D :D

Okrafarmer · October 09, 2012, 08:26:13 PM

It makes a pretty good pulpwood.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · October 09, 2012, 09:27:58 PM

Short and Sweet ......I just save my Sweet Gum over the year and saw it for firewood. Case closed. ;D

Magicman · October 10, 2012, 09:18:47 AM

I'm still being nice.

ely · October 10, 2012, 09:36:39 AM

not entirely certain what the meaning of the sweet gum threads new buzz word means.... ubiquitous, buttttt. i have sawn a little sweet gum and never kiln dry anything, and i have had good luck airdrying it and always saw it a little thicker than i intend to use it. so far it has worked out well for me. it saws really easy for me too.

i wont lie to a person either, some of what i saw makes better fan props than lumber.

thurlow · October 10, 2012, 09:44:45 AM

The market no longer exists, but...........in my part of the world...in the last century and maybe earlier....most/all housing/barns/sheds in the country had tin roofs; sweetgum was the lumber of choice for laths (seems most of the country call 'em purlins). It was sawed 1 by 4s/5s/6s and installed right off the mill and the tin was nailed to it. It was the onliest thing we had locally that would hold the nails; if anything else was used, the nails would back out over time. The last 3 buildings that I've put tin on, it was screwed down, rather than nailed, but everything we built before the turn of the (last) century, we nailed the tin to.................sweetgum laths.