What to do with sweet gum

[BowFish]

I've got a lot of sweet gum on my property, and was wondering if it was good for anything.

[Tacotodd]

Burning 🔥 Let it dry for a few YEARS (at least 2) and then you'll be able to split it with a maul or an axe. Be warned, not as many BTU's as oak. I don't have a splitter, but a good one should do the job.

Also not good for walking around the yard barefoot! The little pods look like sea urchins.

[Southside]

Or you can sell it for $500 a slab.  Your choice.  Cut these today.


 

[Walnut Beast]

Or you can sell it for $500 a slab.  Your choice.  Cut these today.

Awesome 

[burdman_22]

From what I've been told, sweet gum is kinda plain and not very pretty fresh cut, but if you let it lay for a year or so and then mill it the colors can be quite pretty

[firefighter ontheside]

Sweetgum has a nick name of "satin walnut" because it is pretty wood.  It doesn't dry straight, especially when flat sawn.  Your best bet is to saw it oversized or quarter saw it.  I used it for my son's bedroom trim, but I had to do a bunch of re-sawing and planing to make it usable, because I sawed 6/4 slabs that did not dry flat at all.

[firefighter ontheside]

My son and I made a picture frame for some of his soccer pictures today.  We used a piece of sweetgum that was hanging around the shop.  I think it will look very nice with some finish on it.

[kelLOGg]

 

 


Made from sweetgum diagonally cut, air dried and kiln dried. Has not split after several years. I have made 3 of these.

[Ron Scott]

Well done!

[metalspinner]

Powderpost beetles ate my lumber up. 
It was beautiful, but twisted the most of anything I've ever had.