Sweet Gum Logs

Sorry, but I posted the questons before I searches the archives.

It seems there's more info on Sweet Gum logs in the archives than I
need already.

I'lll look first, post later the next time.

tlc...

I had log sections of sweet gum that I was going to turn. I lert them
standing on end and covered for over a year. When I cut the top 2
inches off to see what it looked like, I saw the most beautiful
spalting that I had ever seen. The wood was a blah white, but the
spalting ran in the black, grey, and brown spectrum. The wood felt
almost as light as balsa. I may end up getting it stabilized (poly
impregnated) but for now it is drying. It would look spectacular as
panels in a walnut frame. Without the spalting, it makes a good
secondary wood.
robo hippy

tlc... wrote:
> I have a large quantity of sweet gum logs (8-24" in diameter) that were
> cut on my property and have been stacked for about 6 months.
>
> Question:
> 1) What coments do you have about having them cut into rough lumber? I
> know a sawyer down the road a piece who would do the cutting at a fair
> price if I can get them there.
> 2) What comments can I solicit on drying the rough cut lumber?
> 3) What can I expect to use the rough lumber for? Is it good for
> furniture?

Sweetgum typically has very think light-colored bland sapwood with i
nterlocking grain. But the heartwood resembles black walnut.
The transition from sapwood to heartwood is quite sudden and
the two often separate along that boundary as the wood dries.

Those thick logs should have some good heartwood.

Turners will work with almost anything, not too many other people
will get excited about sweetgum sapwood.

--

FF

tlc... wrote:
> Sorry, but I posted the questons before I searches the archives.
>
> It seems there's more info on Sweet Gum logs in the archives than I
> need already.
>
> I'lll look first, post later the next time.
>
> tlc...
>
We'll forgive you this time, but you have to send me 10% of the dried
lumber as penance.
Joe