My guess is that it is tough to keep hot enough to cook, or causes creasote problems. The often beautifully figured stock can resemble walnut. Sweet gum will make excellent firewood as it is capable of producing large amounts of heat, as long as you are willing to put in the extra work. You are better off taking it out. Discussion in 'Firewood, Heating and Wood Burning Equipment' started by komatsuvarna, Apr 25, 2010. komatsuvarna Arboristsite MVP. The wood has a unique reddish brown color with sapwood that's nearly white and black grain running through the hardwood. The pigment feature is … All I have to do is drop them and haul them off. Some firewood dealers sell "mixed hardwood" firewood. There have even been some species found in West Illinois, Southern Missouri, and Eastern Texas.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-leader-2','ezslot_15',123,'0','0'])); Two other notable features that make this species standout are the branches and twigs. Cut the segments of wood to half their normal length and split it green if the wood is still moist and gum is worth the trouble. The energy content in BTU measures the heat that a certain amount of wood contains. Sweet gum will make excellent firewood as it is capable of producing large amounts of heat, as long as you are willing to put in the extra work. It's okay to season and burn wood obtained through storm damage as long as it isn't rotten, diseased or treated with pesticides. In addition to this, the gum moves considerably after drying when the RH changes. In fact, people will go their whole lives without hearing about sweet gum firewood. It's 40 years old, so it may be outdated. If you’re new to splitting wood, I wrote a helpful guide on how to do it. Wood falls into two categories: softwood (conifers) and hardwood (deciduous trees). When most people hear the term whistle pig, they are immediately going to think about a hog, sow, or boar. Is sweetgum good firewood? Yew-A slow-burning wood. I found a firewood website that lists it as "hard to burn". If you try saving this wood, expect a high loss of furniture grade boards due to all kinds of defects within the wood. The only problem that most people have with the wood is that it takes an incredible amount of energy and work to split and stack.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'woodsmanreport_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_11',134,'0','0'])); If you want to learn about firewood BTUs, check out my article on it. If you have access to free sweet gum that's already processed or if you cut down a single tree in your yard and you need to get rid of the wood, sweet gum is fine to use. In fact, sweet gum will produce approximately 20.6 million BTU's per cord which isn't all that bad. Here's what my wood tech book has to say about sweet gum. Sweet gum works good for the "shoulder seasons" when the outside temperatures are mild. This might seem pretty basic, but it can make a huge difference for people who are attempting to heat their home using firewood. The fruit opens up which releases the seeds, however, the spiked shells are left behind and are often considered a nuisance. Since the wood is difficult to split and stack compared to other popular firewood types, some view it as a waste of time and energy. Color/Appearance: Wide sapwood is whitish to light pink or tan color, and is sometimes referred to as “sapgum” or “sweetgum.” Heartwood is gray to reddish brown, and is commonly referred to as “redgum.” Heartwood with darker black streaks is called “figured redgum.” … Do i have to wedge it, then finish the split with an ax? You can get away with 2 if you split it just after cutting it. Once the wood is split, store it under a roof or cover because sweet gum tends to rot quickly and produce mold when it's exposed to moisture. The wood usually takes about a full year to cure completely. Most of the time, the spiked shells are left behind and can be considered a nuisance for anyone walking around with bare feet. This water not only makes the pieces of wood really heavy to move, but it also increases the odds of the firewood molding. The wood became super-saturated and froze up. When it warps it get the fibers are interwoven and makes them even harder to cut through.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'woodsmanreport_com-box-4','ezslot_2',131,'0','0'])); The truth of the matter is that sweet gum wood doesn’t really split. Let the wood season for about 1 year and it will be ready to burn. My Saddest TV Moments Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSAZ6PGgiwg&list=PL355BF2121364AF26&feature=plpp You might want to look into a moisture meter to test the moisture content before you burn it. It takes a beautiful polish, but warps badly in drying. As you can see, there is simply no denying that sweet gum is an incredible wood with lots of uses. However, this doesn't mean you can't use the wood. How to use a clay chiminea to create the perfect backyard fire. It’s beautiful wood. From contributor A: Sweet gum is a great wood, but it cups and twists when it dries. My question is, is sweet gum lumber worth a darn? Read here to learn about cutting, splitting and seasoning fir! "This winter I discovered by pure chance a way to alter the wood fibers some so you can split the wood more effectively with an axe. Thanks for your question about sweet gum firewood. If you need a lot of firewood I would suggested avoiding sweet gum. It is understandable as to why many might think this way. But how well does it split with an axe? Approximately 1ton of … There is much more wood in our warehouse than on our website. The wood takes about 3 times longer to process compared to other firewood types resulting in a lot of work for a small amount of firewood. Sweet gum works good for the "shoulder seasons" when the outside temperatures are mild. This is especially true if you are going to be using the species for furniture. The bark is light brown and tinged with red/grayish fissures that appear with scaly ridges. They would rather use their time and storage space on a wood that's more "user friendly.". Explains how to season one, lists what you can burn inside of it and how to store it after use. I may try some on some chicken quarters to see how it works, after I check my health insuance policy. I'm not sure if this will be useful for everyone, but the information might be helpful for someone around Maryland where sweet gum is one of the four most abundantly growing trees. For best results, try splitting the wood when it's still green. Topping a tree ruins it. The one disadvantage to the wood is its grain which tends to warp really bad when it dries. I looked on the internet and loved the beautiful grain and colors of it but I heard that it has a bad tendency to warp and curl really bad? I was able to split these pieces fairly well with my splitting-head axe. Sweet Gum Firewood. Any wood harvested "live" needs 3 (Sydney) Summers to be perfect. Rowan-This wood burns slowly with a consistent output of heat. Sweetgum is unique among American hardwoods. If you remember from above, sweet gum tends to warp the drier it gets. Green and black ash, sweet gum, silver, and bigleaf maple, red cedar, pineapple, red is equal to 103 liters of liquid fuel ($222) What are the best trees for firewood? Many people associate sweet gum with their hard spiked fruits that fall everywhere around the tree. Each specific type of wood will have its very own BTU rating. Is sweet gum good firewood?eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'woodsmanreport_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_12',130,'0','0'])); Sweet gum will make excellent firewood as it is capable of producing large amounts of heat, as long as you are willing to put in the extra work. Now this is Maryland, so we're not as cold as a Michigan winter, but both 2013-14 and 2014-15 were harsh so temperatures were sub-freezing for weeks. Ecological Uses. Privacy Policy     Advertising Policy     Share This Site     About Me     Additional Resources, This post may contain affiliate links so I earn a. They usually appear like they are covered with rusty hairs. Such trees can grow to be as old as 400 years old and they can reach towering heights of 150 feet. There's tons of it here, but not much of it is taken because of the interlocking wood fibers.". If the wood is well-seasoned, you can cover the pile with plastic but be aware that a plastic cover will slow down the seasoning process. So, they need to be on the lookout for predators around the clock. Melbourne are home delivering small lots of uses in Table I look up what another type of wood contains often! Your hands, though, has been a lot of smoke and it will be ready burn. 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The pigment feature is … Gumtree is good firewood ago with sweet gum is not a very firewood.