sweetgum for timber framing

[limbrat]

Hey
I havent been able to find anything on using sweetgum for timber framing. My dealings with have been limited to hard wood pulp. I have considered it trash, it wont burn but it dont matter you can leave a log on the ground and come back in a year and kick it apart. It has almost no resistance to rot if you leave it outdoors. Then i saw a table made from it, the heart wood has a beautiful grain and texture.
So I started looking for specs. on it i found that it that the dried wood is liter, stronger, and harder than southern pine, but that it likes to move when it dries.
So i was wondering if anyone had see or heard if it being used in timber framing.
Thank You in advance

[woodbowl]

Hey
I havent been able to find anything on using sweetgum for timber framing. ....... but that it likes to move when it dries.

I think you can count on it moving when it drys! I started building a log building out of it years ago and the logs twisted so bad that you could stick your hand in the overlap notch. I had to tear it down.

Welcome to the forum limbrat

[limbrat]

that dont sound good. does it stabalize?
thanks for the welcome

[JoeyLowe]

Hey Limbrat:

Sweetgum is kind of like the energizer bunny;  it keeps on moving.  We use it for fencing over here in east Texas.  Also use it, with great success I might add, for making cabinets.  In my mind, the problem with sweetgum in a timberframe is the prevalance of ring shake.  You mentioned that you could come back after a year and kick a log apart.  Same thing would happen in a frame too. (I've never seen it personally, but have heard stories)

What part of central Louisiana are you in?

[limbrat]

I live in south Grant Parish, about 30 miles north of Alexandria and 10 miles out of Dry Prong. I like it, we are the only Parish that i know of that does not have at least one red lite ;D.
I just read a neat article called wood's appearances by William Cumiano. Were he goes about explaining how grain figures, pigmit figures , interlocking grains and such are formed. In interlocking grains he says that the tree will lay down cells in a left or right pattern around the axis of the tree, and that it will reverse direction causing a interlocking grain.
I think that since sweetgum is not a dense wood like mahogony, and that it holds so much water. When it is sawn it exposes grains layed down in different directions at different rates. so when it dries it dosent release moisture from its surface at an even rate across the face of the board causing the board to dry more in one place on its face than another.  ??? maybe so maybe not   But it dont look like it will make framing timbers.

[logman]

Hey, at least you got some replies.  I've asked the same question on a couple different forums and didn't get any response.  A local timber framer here on the Delmarva peninsula has found sweet gum floor joists in old houses, and a friend of mine has an old barn that I believe has gum posts in it, although it isn't a timber frame.  I would think that if it was a big problem they wouldn't want to use them for railroad ties.

[limbrat]

Hey logman
Did you make a post to the timber framing guild? If so i ran across it and like you said just your post and no reply.
I also found referance to a 250yr. old home in the hudson river valley with gum post.
but for me im gonna pass. You might be able to keep it dry and stable in a home interior but with my luck the roof would spring a leak. And i would wake up with one of the beams heading for my gun cabinet. :D
Thank you for all the information and that article on wood grains and such was at wwwcumpiano.com. titled wood's appearance.

[JoeyLowe]

I could see using them for floor joists for short spans.  As for railroad ties, they are usually treated with chemicals that would make marshmallows tough. ;D

I've seen quite a few used for fence posts and they appear to last for a very long time, but they have twisted and warped significantly.  A friend of mine uses the lumber all of the time to make applied panels and cabinet doors.  Some refer to it as the poor man's cherry.  Has a lot of sap wood and is prone to mildewing and mold though.  Woodshop News recently had an article on the usability of sweetgum.  Seems the Chinese market is wanting as much of it as they can get their hands on because it does resemble Cherry at a significantly reduced price.  I think the going rate right now is around $3/BF, but will probably go up since the demand for it is increasing.

[logman]

Yes, that was me on the TFG site and I think I also posted on the Woodweb site.  I think I may have asked on here too but under sawmilling when someone had asked a different question about gum.