what's it good for sides pulp!

[pineburr]

I know its probably been asked before now , I'm new at this
so would appreciate any info you all have on this question,
and when you get through with this one I got a gillion more!
What it is is Sweet Gum , and yeah I got a lot and so does
everyone I guess anyhow , so do call pulp wood truck or cut
the big stuff and shed tha rest! ::)I mean get shed of it!!!
Wish someone would figure out how to cross or something!
   Thanks,

[Jeff]

From the Hardwood Information Center
 http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/...

Gum
Liquidamber styraciflua

Other Names: Redgum, Sapgum, Sweetgum
 
The origins of its Latin name, liquidamber styraciflua, are traced to the writings of Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez who, in 1519, described the gums as "large trees that exude a gum-like liquid amber in color."

Where it Grows
The gums are an important part of the Eastern hardwood forests, and are found throughout the Southeastern U.S. Average tree height is 80 to 120 feet: they prefer rich, moist soil and grow vigorously on occasionally flooded land.

Main Uses
Cabinet making, furniture parts, doors, millwork, strips and mouldings, turnings and rail ties. Good substitute for walnut when stained.

Relative Abundance
Together, aspen, basswood, cottonwood, elm, gum, hackberry, sassafras, sycamore and willow represent 12.5 percent of commercially available U.S. hardwoods.

Did You Know?
Storax, the clear, balsamic oleoresin that the tree secretes, often is used for medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations and it is used for adhesives, incense, perfuming, powders and soaps.

General Description
The sapwood tends to be wide and is white to light pink, while the heartwood is reddish brown, often with darker streaks. The wood has irregular grain, usually interlocked, which produces an attractive figure. It has a fine uniform texture.

Working Properties
The wood is easy to work, with both hand and machine tools. It nails, screws and glues well, takes stain easily and can be sanded to an excellent finish. It dries rapidly with a strong tendency to warp and twist. It has a high shrinkage, and is susceptible to movement in performance.

Physical Properties
American gum is moderately hard, stiff and heavy and has a low steam-bending classification.

Availability
Readily available, often separated for color and sold as sapgum (sapwood) and redgum (heartwood).

[sawyerkirk]

Makes a great tie! twists and bends alot when cut into lumber. Ties or cants would is my route.

[Bud Man]

Once upon a time the Red Gum Heart Wood was prized for usage in bridge pilings, days past.  I once cut one down because I kept stepping on those DanG gum balls in the morning in my bare feet on the way to pick up my morning paper !  :D

[Tom]

Sweet Gum was almost lost here as a cabinet wood until the little portable mills started preaching about its beauty.  Now Backyard cabinet makers are beginning to ask for it and are not even trying to be selective by using Red or Sap Gum names. They just want Sweet Gum.  

I've found that cutting it 5/4 and stickering carefully stops much of the drying degrade of twisting and cupping. It also lets you plane out faults and still get a good board.   It dries best under an open shed rather than in a field but still requires a good air exchange.   (no kilns around here)

Cupping and twisting problems can be minimized by paying attention to the sweep of the log and by sawing mature logs.  Small, young logs are difficult to saw and seldom produce a wood that will lay flat.

[pineburr]

jeff thanks for education , always remember hearing about
something called witch hazel does it have anything to do
with sweet gum. budman , reminds me of time i was renting
and had big one in back yard didnt know what i really was
doing all i knew was it was shading my maters so I figured
I just slow it up some so I rung it , just a little , did'nt know
any was alot :D and it just happen to turn off a dry summer
anyhow you know how it ends . Turns out it slowed so much
that when the first good blow come threw it took out landlords
fence and so on  :'( Well they say you live and learn , till
the day we're called !  Tom never  knew    could use for cab , you did
say cabinet did'nt you is that for frame or exterior. also thanks
for tie info also . sure appreciate all ya'lls info as usual  :D :D

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Sweet Gum is a pretty wood.  Got to saw 3000 bdft of it last summer and it was nice.  But sawing it 5/4 is best and I sawed alot 2 1/4 thick and  6 months later resawed it to 1 inch before it went to the kiln and it worked out well.  12 inch stickers and lots of weight on top plus shade and lots of breese.  Saws well unless the tree is stressed.  Trees less then 16 inches gave the most problems.  Try some you will like it.  I have gotten one or  two trees  to saw and sell and it went fast.  But I would not have one in the yard!   Black gum is a whole different matter.
ARKANSAWYER

[Ron Wenrich]

Do you like black gum?

Ours is prone to shake, and will twist rather quickly.  Larger trees are also prone to heart rot.  There is no commercial market for the boards.  We usually put it into ties.

I know there is a tupelo carving market, but supposedly, they only want southern wood.  We usually move our basswood as carving stock.

[ARKANSAWYER]

Black gun is good and most goes for ties or carving stock and I have the southern wood.  They prefer the northen basswood here.  The hollow ones we saw in half and nail a board across the ends and make troughs.  They hold up well.  The wood makes good solid wagon wheels for the kids wagon.  Alot of it gets left in the woods here as it is the oaks that they are after.

[Don P]

Mt folk use them as hives also... nail a lid on it, whittle an entrance, a bee gum 8)

[bjorn]

Around here the sayers call black gum "trash wood".  Consequently they leave it in the forest, and it spreads.  SO I have plenty of it.  I think I'll try to mill some, just for fun.

[Tom]

If you are needing some support timbers inside of your barn, Black Gum works good.  I have had good results with it in 4x4 and larger.  It is strong.

It turns a pretty bowl too.  The old trees have black hearts and make a beautiful turned bowl.

If you are into adze work it makes a good dough bowl too.

[L. Wakefield]

jeff thanks for education , always remember hearing about
something called witch hazel does it have anything to do
with sweet gum

   Sweetgum is Styrax liquidamber, and is as described. I've seen it from WV to points south. Witch hazel is Hamemalis virginiana. It is a shrub which frequently blooms in the fall rather than in the spring. It is sometimes called 'snapping alder' because when the seedpods are ripe the seeds may burst out with some velocity.

   Witch hazel is the stuff that you can steam distill an astringent from the twigs. It grows at least as far south as WV, sometimes as far north as Maine- and I confess I don't know the full range.   lw

[bjorn]

Tom

Thanks for the info.  I was planning on using oak for my center post, but perhaps I should think about black gum.  Can I use it green?  or will I have problems with it twisting up on me?

[Tom]

I believe I would dry it first.  It has a great tendency to twist when drying and is quite supple when green.  Once it is dried it is strong and stable as long as you keep it dry.  

That which I have cut into 4x4 dried fairly straight under cover.