Anybody want Sweetgum logs/blanks? (Durham, NC) $0

[awldune]

I had a tree taken down that would make nice bowl blanks.

The bigger sections would be big enough to make out most lathes.

I already have a ton of wood to turn. When I had the tree service leave the wood I was thinking it could be split for firewood, but.... yeah, that's not happening!

Located close to Duke campus in Durham.

 

[areevesnc]

Hi, Sam.

I’m interested. I’ll drop you a line by PM.

Thanks!
Aaron

 

[creasman]

I was thinking it could be split for firewood

Ha! Yeah, that's not happening. Sweetgum is one of those trees that has grain running around the growth rings as well as longitudinally, making it extremely hard to split. It's like it's banded together. My dad talked about using sweetgum cookies for wagon wheels because of this quality. It also doesn't burn well. The water content is too high to burn green and once dry it burns too quickly. The wood does have a beautiful color.

 

[awldune]

I had heard sweetgum was hard to split, but I was like "it can't be THAT bad, right?"

 

[LocoWoodWork]

It's that bad +

 

[Echd]

Why is sweet gum so maligned for woodworking? I have never turned or milled any but it seems to be met with derision at every turn. It looks quite pretty as well.

 

[Dee2]

if you have some in May Id like some is you don't mind bringing it to the picnic, please.

 

[creasman]

Why is sweet gum so maligned for woodworking?

Because of the high water content it can warp/twist severely when drying. It is a softer wood and can also be a bit "spongy" to work. That said, the heartwood has a beautiful color and is often billed as a poor man's walnut. You can see a small tool chest I made here using sweetgum on the exterior -- some solid and some veneer.

@awldune My suggestion is to mill some of the wood into veneer if you have access to a bandsaw. Put the sheets between newspaper and weight them while they dry.

 

[awldune]

if you have some in May Id like some is you don't mind bringing it to the picnic, please.

I don't go to the picnic, sorry. I do buy raffle tickets!

My suggestion is to mill some of the wood into veneer if you have access to a bandsaw. Put the sheets between newspaper and weight them while they dry.

My bandsaw is not very good and/or I'm not good at using/tuning it. As a team we are not up to resawing veneer. I have a new-ish 3TPI blade on my 14'' saw, so I don't want to blame the blade.

I am trying to just mill some into 5/4 boards, but it is pretty labor-intensive and sweetgum seems to have a reputation for moving/checking a lot during drying. Also, the tree service bucked the trunk into about 4' lengths.

 

[1075tech]

What thickness could it reasonably be cut to for drying with minimal warping and splitting? Or is it luck of the draw?

If someone were coming from that direction through the Winston Area, I'd like a couple of pieces if any were available

 

[Dee2]

Sam, given all that, you might look into borrowing a chain saw mill.

 

[awldune]

I still have a fair bit, the bigger logs have been ripped in half (some quartered)

It is more than I can use or store before it rots. The bowl blanks are in the 12-16 inch range. It has been so wet, not much checking.

This is in my backyard in Durham close to Duke, so some wheelbarrowing will be necessary to get whatever you want into a vehicle.

 

[awldune]

I have milled some boards out of it, which is very labor intensive with the tools I have.

If you want a laugh, this is the process I settled on:

1. Manhandle huge log to a good place to work. I got a peavey to help with this.
2. Chainsaw the log in half
3. Chainsaw the half in half
4. Chainsaw the quarter log into a rectangular shape for easier handling and to remove much of the bark and sapwood
5. Cut resulting rectangular cant in half to make it light enough to handle
6. Get two sides somewhat flat on the jointer
7. Run the cant through the tablesaw to make a straight kerf to follow on the bandsaw
8. Rip the cant into 5/4 x 6 boards on the bandsaw
9. Run the cut edge over the jointer to clean it up
10. Run the board through the planer to clean up the other side

I tried to skip steps 5-7 and was not pleased with the results.

We will find out in a few months whether steps 9-10 were pointless to do before drying. Some of the edges were so rough from the chainsaw that I thought they would cause extra warping.

I don't really plan to do any more of this anytime soon, but it was fun to try.