iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Sweetgum in CT

Started by terrifictimbersllc, April 19, 2018, 05:06:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

terrifictimbersllc

This was a new one for me.  Sawmill I saw for received about 6000 bf of sweetgum logs from a property in Darien, CT.  Sawed one of them for the property owner to look at.  He liked it and wants it all sawn for flooring.
The logs are remarkably straight and regular, mostly 13 ft long and 16-26" in diameter.  

This week I sawed them most of a day, about 5-1/2 hr sawed 2350 board feet with two new turbo 7 blades.  I thought poplar sawed nice. This wood was a dream to saw.  Except for apparent stress, had to flip each cant probably 4-6 times to avoid uneven thicknesses.  All 1-1/8" and 15-18" wide.  



Will do the rest of the batch when I return week after next.  

I LOVES SWEETGUM.  smiley_bounce smiley_hollywood_cool
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

brianJ

That is sweet indeed.   

WV Sawmiller

   I did not know it grew that far north. The only ones I have seen here were planted and not native. I thought it is supposed to me hard to dry it straight and you mention the stress. They do grow tall and straight. They are very hard to split for firewood. It will be interesting to see how it dries. Good luck. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

I seriously doubt that your customer will be very pleased with it when it goes through the drying cycle.  :-X
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Sweet Gum is a very good species to saw. It saws like Poplar to me.
Pretty grain, and a very good wood to use for siding......it is hard as a rock when it dries.

......but it will turn on you like a rabid animal.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

POSTON WIDEHEAD

The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

thecfarm

First grits invade the Northern States. Now it's sweet gum. What's next? More cracker barrel restaurants?
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

moodnacreek

Hope that's not what the loggers call Pepperidge. I sawed it once and it spiral checks bad.

WDH

Sweetgum?  Flooring?  Hope that dude likes to walk on the tilt :)

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: WDH on April 19, 2018, 07:49:50 PM
Sweetgum?  Flooring?  Hope that dude likes to walk on the tilt :).
He'll hurt his ankle.  ;D
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

firefighter ontheside

It sure is pretty when it's sawn.  Mine has dried ok, but not great.  Maybe you could get flooring out of it if you saw it thick and then do a lot of work and make a lot of sawdust to get straight boards.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

Southside

Asking the guys with a lot more knowledge than me on this.  It is possible that gum behaves differently the further south you go?  I ask because I have not had a lot of the issues with gum that I hear so much about.  Stress in the log - yes, but at least air drying it has not done badly at all.  I have even considered using some in a floor now that I have the kiln and moulder.  I sort of put it into the same category as sycamore - everybody loves to hate the stuff, but I like it.  
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

ellmoe

I have dried a lot of sweet gum. At the end of it's drying cycle is when it really misbehaves. Coming out of the dry kiln it will look like fried bacon. Saw it oversize, dry it totally, let it acclimate to final site, toss out the "walkers" ( some will crawl out of the house on their own ), and maintain a consistent humidity. The it will probably be OK for a floor. I recommend my customers use it for paneling, not flooring. But, hey, you might get lucky,
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: Magicman on April 19, 2018, 07:10:41 PMI seriously doubt that your customer will be very pleased with it when it goes through the drying cycle.

It will be my customer's customer.  Hey, I saws um and .........

I will relay all of your comments to him (my customer the sawmill owner), and  speak with him about going to 1-1/4" for the rest of it. I am squaring up the logs and sawing the cants through and through, with the idea that the final customer will saw out the flooring however he wants to from the boards.

Should we consider sawing it differently, avoiding the pith for example?

DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

WDH

It behaves best when quartersawn. The first flat sawn boards off the cant usually warp too much to use except for firewood, if they are narrow.  I would slab a bit heavy to avoid narrow jacket boards as they usually become propellers. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

OffGrid973

Hi Team,

Is this species really so bad that typical steps of seal ends (anchorseal), cut a little thicker, and smash a ton of weight on top when it dries wouldn't work?

Or is this simply because it will be kiln dried that the warp and chaos begins?  I only air dry and have yet to meet my match when using the three steps above.

Framing fresh cut Ash walls (bad idea) but everyone needs a crooked wall on their first barn build after getting first mill...lol...the others went up ok.
Your Fellow Woodworker,
- Off Grid

Magicman

I actually love to saw Sweetgum and sawed some this week.  It saws easily like Tulip Poplar and large logs have some very nice color in the heartwood. 

That being said, I always warn the customer that he can expect the possibility of it to twist and curl as it dries.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

terrifictimbersllc

Yes I had never seen it before, it looked very much like hickory to us.  

Another thing we noticed is that all the knots (there were only a few in the logs we sawed),  were pretty much black or rotten.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

pineywoods

X2 on what WDH says. Quarter saw sweetgum. Sawn through and through will get you a few boards that will sorta behave. The amount of twist/warp will vary from tree to tree. Sapwood will definitely mis-behave.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Sixacresand

I used some fresh sawn sweet gum 1 x 4's to nail on barn rafters to attach 5 V metal roofing.  On the unsupported overhangs a few of them bent/warped.  As mentioned in other post, almost all of sweet gum that I stickered/stacked did not turn out well after drying.  If I can't go ahead and nail it down in rough construction, I don't mill it, unless a customer insists. 
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

kelLOGg

How long does it take for sweetgum to air dry? I have cut 2" thick ovals 1 - 2 months ago and those with bark 360° around them have no major cracks (yet) whereas those with cut ends have sizeable ones. The MC% in the center is getting low enough to register on my meter - 33%. Fingers still crossed. ;D
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

Magicman

The only thing that is dependable about Sweetgum is that you can not depend upon it to be dependable.  ::)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Thank You Sponsors!