Gum boards to the kiln

[Trent]

Sawed my first logs and took boards to the kiln. I thought it was poplar, the kiln man called this morning and said the wood is sweet gum and used for cross ties. I asked him to dry it anyway. Info on the forum says it warps bad, others say after jointing/planing its OK. Any encouraging words? The boards measure 1-1/8" x 4" x 8' and 1-1/8" x 6" x 8'    Thanks

[Riles]

GO MAN GO!

How's that for encouraging words? Let us know how it works out, I can grow sweetgum better than anything else on the farm.

[WDH]

The heartwood is pretty.  In general, the wood is a little difficult to work with because it is prone to twist and warp.  If you get the M% right, that is not too much of a problem.  If you plane some for a project and it dries a little more, it won't stay straight, and that can be frustrating.  Used for paneling or wainscoting, it is fine because each board is free to move in its own.  If glued in wide panels, it is harder to keep them straight, and it will make you pull your hair out.  That is why it is mainly used for crossties and as pallet wood.

[WDH]

Trent,

I forgot to say that it is good that you are sawing wood.  Nothing like it!  Make something pretty out of that first wood.  My first log was an oak that I cut 8/4 and used to make a workbench for my shop, so it will be with me for a long long time I hope.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Trent,
I was in a church - Midville United Methodist - in Midville Ga.  a couple of months ago.
I walked in and did a double triple take.   The entire church was done in panels of "Red Gum."
In other words, the entire church was wainscoted in panels of figured heart Sweet Gum. 
A team within the church had collected, processed, and installed it about eighty years before. 

I was amazed, especially at the fact that I hardly saw a crack or a distortion in any of the
stuff.  Superb.   Never seen such a project before!  The lady who was my contact
gave me the name of a church member (in his late eighties) who remembered the
work being done.

WDH,
If you ever get the chance, go see that place (north of Swainsboro, Ga. HIghway 56).

Phil L.

[Ga_Boy]

Don't be afraid to use Sweet Gum.  Gum is second to the Oak family in the commercial production of furinture.

It machines very nice and you can get some stunning grain patterns.  If not too late have the kiln operator load the Gum on the bottom of the stack and weight the top.  This should help keep it flat.  Once dried it is stable.




Mark

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

True, weight is important with Sweet Gum.  In fact, all the rules
for building a good tight stack become doubly important with Sweet
Gum:

              1.   Boards of each layer tight against each other.
              2.   Stickers out to very end on each end of stack.
              3.   Support any shorts with an extra sticker,
                    wherever that short ends.
              4.   Weight on top of the stack.
              5.   Stickers on 16"-18" centers, especially all 1" boards.
                    (Hey, if you have mistakenly cut thinner than 1",
                      better go with 12" centers.)

I am even debating about "banding" subsections of my next Gum stack with
bailing poly twine next time.  Why? Any quartersawn boards out near the edge
of the stack can "get away" and bow outward, since they are not trapped
by neighboring boards within the stack.  The twine banding can help hold
those rebellious ones in.  (I like the holographic shimmer of quartersawn
Sap Gum.)
Phil L.

[DWM II]

I used some in my wife photo studio as trim and posts. I love when folks ask what is that pretty wood and their jaws drop when I tell them its sweet gum. Go for it, I'll saw more eventualy to Kiln dry and make some picture frames.
Good luck.

Donnie

[Steve]

Here is a link to some curly Robusta Eucalyptus. Is that the same as red gum?

Curly Robusta Link