Therefore splitting earlier will make your job a little easier. The one disadvantage to the wood is its grain which tends to warp really bad when it dries. Wood falls into two categories: softwood (conifers) and hardwood (deciduous trees). This is especially true if you are going to be using the species for furniture. This is important and an overall good practice because the BTUs refers to the amount of heat that the wood is going to put out. Many people will not waste their time cutting, splitting and stacking sweet gum firewood. Seasoned firewood mixture of red and blue gum, and also olive tree wood which burns better than blue gum. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'woodsmanreport_com-leader-1','ezslot_13',126,'0','0']));This will help keep the RH stable and achieve an overall more vivid color. Sweet gum trees form a high canopy that can be used for shade. In England it is known as hazel pine. Douglas fir firewood is a popular firewood choice for many people. Sweet gum trees are found throughout the eastern United States. Higher prices are paid for speciality products such as small diameter firewood for wood-fired pizza ovens. For more info on sweet gum firewood, you check out this article. When it warps it get the fibers are interwoven and makes them even harder to cut through.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'woodsmanreport_com-box-4','ezslot_2',131,'0','0'])); The truth of the matter is that sweet gum wood doesn’t really split. The data for these charts was compiled from various sources with different firewood types. Cut the segments of wood to half their normal length and split it green if the wood is still moist and gum is worth the trouble. Incidentally, the … In the marketplace sweetgum is sold as either sap gum (which is the light colored sapwood) or red gum (which is the reddish-brown heartwood). The best time to split the wood is when it is greener. The wood can be easily identified thanks to its star-shaped leaves, which usually consist of five points and spiked fruit. The wood can be easily identified thanks to its star-shaped leaves, which usually consist of five points and spiked fruit. The red gum would be the darker heartwood of the sweet gum trees. The major concern with the wood is the amount of work and energy it takes to split it into usable sizes. If you are simply going to be burning the wood then things get a little easier. Read here to learn about cutting, splitting and seasoning fir! From contributor A: Sweet gum is a great wood, but it cups and twists when it dries. The species can be naturally found growing in lowlands from southwestern Connecticut to Central Florida. It's considered a valuable tree used for lumber and furniture production, as well as for ornamental purposes. This is a type of firewood that is whitish to light pink or tan color in appearance. Even with help from the splitter, handling sweet gum is time consuming. This only increases the difficulty of splitting the wood. Sweet Gum Firewood Use. Avoid using wet wood and always use the dead tree if possible. You can check it out here, How to split wood by hand. All that being said, it is possible to split sweet gum with a very sharp ax. Easily identified by its star shaped leaves with 5 points and spiked fruit, these hardwood trees can grow up to 150 feet tall and live for up to 400 years. However, you will discover that through the seasoning process the wood will probably shrink right around 15%, which is much higher when compared to other firewood. You can get away with 2 if you split it just after cutting it. A green sweet gum tree (one that's been recently cut down) contains a lot of water within the wood. It's 40 years old, so it may be outdated. If you haven’t dried it enough, there is a good chance that the BTU will decrease. Gums often do well with acacia (wattles) as the smaller trees can live under a gum canopy, and are also good firewood trees in their own right. A good, sharp wedge will most certainly come in handy when you encounter resistance. Rowan-This wood burns slowly with a consistent output of heat. Since the wood burns quickly and doesn't have good coaling qualities, mixing it with other hardwoods will give you better overnight results. Figured sweetgum resembles Circassian walnut and is often marketed a\abriad as satin walnut. Forums > Tree Care Forums > Firewood, Heating and Wood Burning Equipment > ArboristSite.com Sponsors sweet gum for firewood. You can find them on Amazon for a decent price. Avoid splitting the wood right down the center and just focus on the edges. "This winter I discovered by pure chance a way to alter the wood fibers some so you can split the wood more effectively with an axe. Sweet gum works good for the "shoulder seasons" when the outside temperatures are mild. This water not only makes the pieces of wood really heavy to move, but it also increases the odds of the firewood molding. Even using one of these devices is going to be difficult and time-consuming. Such trees can grow to be as old as 400 years old and they can reach towering heights of 150 feet. If you have dry old firewood and a half backed one like one year or so, You can get a hot fire by mixing it one dry one not so dry. The spiked shells can be painful to walk on and are commonly nicknamed burr balls or sticker balls. If you're going to split sweet gum, using a hydraulic splitter is the best way. I made this site to share my experiences and knowledge. You might want to look into a moisture meter to test the moisture content before you burn it. These charts will give you the amount of energy per cord of wood for some of the most common firewood species. Ive been told by a few old timers that sweet gum … It's a light wood and heats up fast on cold mornings. Despite the world demand for liquidambar through the centuries, little was done with the yield of the North American sweet gum tree. Return from Sweet Gum Firewood to Firewood Types. Ecological Uses. Once the wood is split, store it under a roof or cover because sweet gum tends to rot quickly and produce mold when it's exposed to moisture. Firewood From Storm Damage and Wood Windfalls. As far as the drying time goes, the one-year period is not much longer than it takes other woods to season, so this is not too much extra effort to ask for. You probably have an abundant supply of firewood on your hands, though. Many people usually associated this tree with sweet gum due to their hard spiked fruits. I have been offered a mature sweetgum, and a teenage one. The wood takes about 3 times longer to process compared to other firewood types resulting in a lot of work for a small amount of firewood. That being said, there is a good chance that you haven’t heard of some of the off-brand species like sweet gum. Now I use whatever there is. Sweet gum firewood is hard to split......really hard. On top of that, the rating will change based on the wood’s moisture content. It is more like ripping and tearing open an incredibly, tight sealed package. Silver Dollar Gum Tree, native to south eastern Australia. Not only is it viable for burning, but it can be used in furniture and wood production. NCHillbilly Administrator. It did serve as a curative for Confederate soldiers' dysentery, and was harvested during the Second World War when Asian supplies were cut off. They would rather use their time and storage space on a wood that's more "user friendly.". If you’re new to splitting wood, I wrote a helpful guide on how to do it. Grinders only go so deep, But its not going to be enough to worry about. Discusses placement from your home and how to build the perfect backyard fire. The heartwood is also known as hazelwood in the trade, and the sapwood is sap-gum. The term pig makes you think of... Wild Rabbit Sitting In One Place: [Top 9 Reasons Why]. Color/Appearance: Wide sapwood is whitish to light pink or tan color, and is sometimes referred to as “sapgum” or “sweetgum.” Heartwood is gray to reddish brown, and is commonly referred to as “redgum.” Heartwood with darker black streaks is called “figured redgum.” … With... link to Whistle Pig Animal: [Complete Guide], link to Wild Rabbit Sitting In One Place: [Top 9 Reasons Why]. Many people experience mold growth on sweet gum compared to other various firewood types. And when quartersawn, it passes as the costly Circassian walnut … Many people compare the burning qualities of sweet gum firewood to pine firewood except sweet gum does not contain the sticky sap that's associated with pine. Tim Inman: Gum is often used as a “utility” wood in manufacturing. BTU Of Firewood. It has a chart also if you want to look up what another type of wood BTU is. Owning A Clay Chiminea - A They Any Good? Splitting sweet gum is without a doubt going to be a challenge. In addition to this, the gum moves considerably after drying when the RH changes. You will just want to make sure that you start on the outside edges and work your way around the outside of the wood.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-banner-1','ezslot_3',132,'0','0'])); The goal is to eventually work your way to the core. Actually, it doesn't really split it just tears, shreds and twists its way apart. I built a log smokehouse several years ago with sweet gum. Wattle varieties to try include: • Acacia elata, prefers moist soils, good timber • Acacia falciformis does best on warm, fertile sites, good timber In fact, people will go their whole lives without hearing about sweet gum firewood. Drying sweet gum wood can be extremely tricky. Hawthorn-This wood burns slow and hot; it’s great for winter fires. If you remember from above, sweet gum tends to warp the drier it gets. I left several large trunk cuts out in the snow in my yard through January and February. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Due to these characteristics, some individuals will refer to the species as sapgum or sweetgum. This is pretty impressive for firewood. Moisture Meter. Here is a link to the one I have. Its wood is bright reddish brown (with the sapwood nearly white) and may have black grain in the heartwood; it is heavy, straight, satiny, and close-grained, but not strong. The amount of heat per cord of dry wood is presented in Table I. Thanks for your question about sweet gum firewood. You are better off taking it out. Sweet Gum Firewood. More about the Sweet Gum Trees. The pigment feature is … Sweet gum wood, though, has been another story. Sweet gum works good for the "shoulder seasons" when the outside temperatures are mild. This might seem pretty basic, but it can make a huge difference for people who are attempting to heat their home using firewood. This will be right around the stage before it fully dries. If you only need a little wood, bagged commercial firewood is often a good and safe choice as the high-quality hardwood will burn hot and clean. The fruit opens up which releases the seeds, however, the spiked shells are left behind and are often considered a nuisance. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is one of the most important commercial hardwoods in the Southeastern United States. This would be enough wood to get me through winter. Hardwoods, or woods from broadleaved trees, tend to be denser than softwoods, or woods from conifers. Milled the logs, stacked, and secured them in a couple of days on a concrete slab. Douglas Fir Firewood - A Popular Softwood To Burn, Chiminea Safety Tips - Enjoying An Outdoor Fireplace. There is a good chance that you have heard about the popular burning woods like hickory and ash. There are many people who choose not to burn sweet gum firewood. There have even been some species found in West Illinois, Southern Missouri, and Eastern Texas.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-leader-2','ezslot_15',123,'0','0'])); Two other notable features that make this species standout are the branches and twigs. The branches usually carry layers of cork, while the branchlets are pithy with many angles. However, this doesn't mean you can't use the wood. It’s beautiful wood. Just because sweet gum might not be the best firewood around doesn't mean you can't use it.......it just takes a little more effort. When most people consider buying firewood the first thing they look at is the BTU rating. Wild rabbits are very observant, active animals. The truth is that sweet gum comes from the Liquidambar Styraciflua, which is one of the most common hardwoods in the southeastern United States. However, this doesn't mean you can't use the wood. The tree can be used for parks and gardens because it grows anywhere though it does well … Yew-A slow-burning wood. Growing up on a farm in eastern PA, I’ve grown fond of wildlife and the woods and learning about the critters and firewood and everything else in-between. Thorn-This wood emits very little smoke. Do i have to wedge it, then finish the split with an ax? Firewood is a topic of many different opinions. I may try some on some chicken quarters to see how it works, after I check my health insuance policy. It is safe to keep an immediate supply of wood in an iron ring on the patio, porch, or even beside the fireplace. Sweet gum firewood tends to give off a lot of smoke and it even has an unpleasant odor at times. The energy content in BTU measures the heat that a certain amount of wood contains. You can ask most experts and they will tell you that splitting sweet gum is probably more difficult than splitting oak. The wood that grows back after topping is weak, and the trunk usually rots. Compared to other woods, it is too much work to make firewood out of sweet gum. If you have access to free sweet gum that's already processed or if you cut down a single tree in your yard and you need to get rid of the wood, sweet gum is fine to use. The wood is beautiful and it's often used as a veneer for plywood. Being of small size and stature, wild rabbits are prey for larger animals. If you get wood that is underrated, you will find that you are constantly refilling the fireplace throughout the night.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_14',118,'0','0'])); If you get a good wood like oak, you will find that it will burn throughout the entire night. Most people view sweet gum wood as a luxury that should be used for lumber and furniture production. It takes a beautiful polish, but warps badly in drying. not typically used as firewood because it is hard to split. Walnut-This wood also emits very little smoke! Typically hardwood is denser and harder than softwood, but not in every case. Like all wood, sweetgum wood must be cured or dried before burning to increase its fuel efficiency, heat production and reduce the buildup of creosote in your fireplace and chimney. Each specific type of wood will have its very own BTU rating. If you try saving this wood, expect a high loss of furniture grade boards due to all kinds of defects within the wood. Just make sure its 20% or lower and it’s safe to burn. The wood became super-saturated and froze up. Has anyone ever milled any sweet gum on here and is it worth all the work or would it be a waste of money? If you are the proud new owner of a fireplace or woodstove there is a good chance that you have discovered you have many different firewood options available to you. The major concern with the wood is the amount of work and energy it takes to split it into usable sizes. Sweet gum will make excellent firewood as it is capable of producing large amounts of heat, as long as you are willing to put in the extra work. It's okay to season and burn wood obtained through storm damage as long as it isn't rotten, diseased or treated with pesticides. (Please Note: We have found that the interlaced grain of live oak and Sweet Gum tends to be much slower and harder to split, equating to less yeild per hour.) This is because when sweet gum wood dries out it tends to warp really bad. Step 1 Choose sweetgum logs that are dry enough for burning. It is the interlocking grain that makes the warping and splitting so prone with sweet gum wood. Sweet gum trees are found throughout the eastern United States. Gumtree is good firewood. The real question of the matter comes down to how much work are you willing to put in?eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'woodsmanreport_com-leader-3','ezslot_16',135,'0','0'])); Are you willing to take a little more time during the splitting stage? If you don't have access to a power splitter, use a sharp splitting axe and work your way around the edges shaving off thin chunks as you go. Is sweetgum good firewood? Now this is Maryland, so we're not as cold as a Michigan winter, but both 2013-14 and 2014-15 were harsh so temperatures were sub-freezing for weeks. But how well does it split with an axe? As you can see, there is simply no denying that sweet gum is an incredible wood with lots of uses. If you are willing to put in the extra work, you could be rewarded with copious amounts of BTUs and long burning time, as these are two things that sweet gum is noted for. When you throw a piece of sweet gum on the fire you'll probably notice heavy smoke in the beginning before it fully ignites. It is not a good idea to store firewood too close to the house. Sweetgum is unique among American hardwoods. It is understandable as to why many might think this way. In fact, sweet gum will produce approximately 20.6 million BTU's per cord which isn't all that bad. As you learned earlier, sweet gum is easily identifiable as it comes from a tree that produces star-shaped leaves that contain five points along with spiked fruit. Another visitor shared these tips when splitting the wood by hand: "I've been burning wood since we lived way North where hard maple was the ultimate. I use a heavy maul and the pieces split on the first swing. However, sweet gum does give off a decent amount of heat and the wood is capable of heating your home. Let the wood season for about 1 year and it will be ready to burn. A visitor from Maryland shared a method he uses to make splitting the wood easier. The problem with sweet gum wood is that it tends to warp when it dries, as you learned above.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_1',133,'0','0'])); This not only makes the splitting of the wood harder, but it affects the overlook of the wood if you are going to use it for furniture. Is sweet gum good firewood? Individuals that are looking to use sweet gum wood for furniture or other wood decorations should consider steaming the wood prior to drying. The often beautifully figured stock can resemble walnut. I am also splitting a limb from a beech tree.. Some individuals will even use 12-inch sticker spacing to speed up the drying time. There is some conflicting data between different sources due to different calculating variables. The bark is light brown and tinged with red/grayish fissures that appear with scaly ridges. Sweet gum is not a very popular firewood choice for a variety of different reasons. Approximately 1ton of … There is much more wood in our warehouse than on our website. Firewood merchants in Melbourne are home delivering small lots of split, dry sugar gum for as much as $140/ m 3. My guess is that it is tough to keep hot enough to cook, or causes creasote problems. How to use a clay chiminea to create the perfect backyard fire. If the wood is well-seasoned, you can cover the pile with plastic but be aware that a plastic cover will slow down the seasoning process. I believe sweet gum is the same as red gum, which was used as high quality millwork in many of the houses that were in the High Park area of Toronto back in the 20's. 10 chiminea safety tips designed to increase safety around your chiminea. Feb 28, 2018 #7. If you need a lot of firewood I would suggested avoiding sweet gum. These fruits fall everywhere around the tree and open up to reveal seeds. Most people will eliminate bowing problems by stacking the wood in tall stacks. Keep split firewood in a dry place that gets proper ventilation and sunlight. Since the wood burns quickly and doesn't have good coaling qualities. The only problem that most people have with the wood is that it takes an incredible amount of energy and work to split and stack.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_11',134,'0','0'])); If you want to learn about firewood BTUs, check out my article on it. This may or may not be desirable, depending on the proportion of low-density hardwoods, such as cottonwood, that are included. Of course, "fairly effectively" with gum still means it was the hardest wood you'll ever split, except for elm, but it was an improvement over the norm. Sweet gum wood is also used to make plywood, veneer and upholstered furniture frames. PfeifferV/getty. Since the wood is difficult to split and stack compared to other popular firewood types, some view it as a waste of time and energy. I found a firewood website that lists it as "hard to burn". And as the tree matures they will turn to a red-brown, gray or dark brown combination. Most of the time, the spiked shells are left behind and can be considered a nuisance for anyone walking around with bare feet. Sweet Gum Tip:  Cut the tree to about two or three inches high and flat and use the stump as a chopping block. Softwood. When most people hear the term whistle pig, they are immediately going to think about a hog, sow, or boar. I'm not sure if this will be useful for everyone, but the information might be helpful for someone around Maryland where sweet gum is one of the four most abundantly growing trees. Store this wood in a cool, dry location. In fact, sweet gum will produce approximately 20.6 million BTU's per cord which isn't all that bad. My question is, is sweet gum lumber worth a darn? Discussion in 'Firewood, Heating and Wood Burning Equipment' started by komatsuvarna, Apr 25, 2010. komatsuvarna Arboristsite MVP. My Saddest TV Moments Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSAZ6PGgiwg&list=PL355BF2121364AF26&feature=plpp Some firewood dealers sell "mixed hardwood" firewood. This post may contain affiliate links so I earn a commission. Sweet gum seems to be classified as a medium hard wood, along with willow and silver maple. The wood has a unique reddish brown color with sapwood that's nearly white and black grain running through the hardwood. Privacy Policy     Advertising Policy     Share This Site     About Me     Additional Resources, This post may contain affiliate links so I earn a. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Here's what my wood tech book has to say about sweet gum. Joined: Feb 20, 2010 Messages: 4,462 Likes Received: 1,770 Location: East TN. If you are going to split the wood, you could most certainly benefit from a hydraulic splitter. Green Wood. The structure is as sturdy as the day it was built. Most people view sweet gum wood as a luxury that should be used for lumber and furniture production. Reason for using this wood was the abundance of it. For best results, try splitting the wood when it's still green. Explains how to season one, lists what you can burn inside of it and how to store it after use. A guy I work with just had a huge sweet gum tree fall next to his house. So, they need to be on the lookout for predators around the clock. Two techs can split a significant amount of wood within that time, generally somewhere between a face-cord and half-cord per hour depending on type, leaving behind a large pile where a log once sat. All I have to do is drop them and haul them off. Is it stringy like poplar? sweet gum is abundant in the southeast. As for sweet gum wood, you can rest assured that you are getting a fine burning wood because it is cable of producing 20.6 million BTUs per cord. They usually appear like they are covered with rusty hairs. Is sweet gum good firewood?eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'woodsmanreport_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_12',130,'0','0'])); Sweet gum will make excellent firewood as it is capable of producing large amounts of heat, as long as you are willing to put in the extra work. Many people associate sweet gum with their hard spiked fruits that fall everywhere around the tree. Green and black ash, sweet gum, silver, and bigleaf maple, red cedar, pineapple, red is equal to 103 liters of liquid fuel ($222) What are the best trees for firewood? I looked on the internet and loved the beautiful grain and colors of it but I heard that it has a bad tendency to warp and curl really bad? My experience is that trees that are “dead on the stump” usually don’t make good furniture wood. You will have some settling years down the road from the large tap root on a gum. Any wood harvested "live" needs 3 (Sydney) Summers to be perfect. I was able to split these pieces fairly well with my splitting-head axe. It burns fast and hot and creates a lot of ashes. Sweet gum is not a very popular firewood choice for a variety of different reasons. The wood usually takes about a full year to cure completely. Sweet gum will make excellent firewood as it is capable of producing large amounts of heat, as long as you are willing to put in the extra work. I've been told Gum is hard to beat for baskets but the local basket making factory here shut down years ago.". There has been a lot of debate over whether the sweet gum is a hardwood of softwood. Topping a tree ruins it. Hardwood vs. There's tons of it here, but not much of it is taken because of the interlocking wood fibers.". Feb 28, 2018 #7. It has really helped with turning out beautiful smoked hams and sausage. 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Tips designed to increase safety around your chiminea make splitting the wood s! 3 ( Sydney ) Summers to be difficult and time-consuming will most come... Down years ago with sweet gum works good for the `` shoulder seasons '' when outside. Towering heights of 150 feet whitish to light pink or tan color in appearance website that lists it ``. From southwestern Connecticut to Central Florida it may be outdated a hardwood of softwood think of... Wild Sitting... Gum with a very popular firewood choice for many people experience mold growth on sweet.. Of low-density hardwoods, or boar ’ t dried it enough, is. Looking to use this site we will assume that you have heard about the popular burning like! You probably have an abundant supply of firewood that is whitish to light pink or tan color appearance!