Gum

I scored several gums probably about 2 1/2 cords now I'm getting it split and racked... I've burned it in years past but wanted to know what do you guys thick about gum good / bad ... other than it's ability to resist splitting especially by hand...

I had some that I burned earlier in the season and I really liked it. Burned nicely but was a bugger to split! Sweetgum this was; I'd take it again if the situation ever arises.

Your right about hand spliting , the logs will laugh at you as the maul bounces ! Its a good wood for burning !

I'm not great at species ID, but I picked up what I think was gum (mottled bark, hard and stringy wood, burns hot) last year. Filled my Ferd Ranger p/u with most 18" or bigger rounds, some of which had been quartered by the tree guys. Just about impossible to split w/o the power splitter. I rented a 20-ton splitter a month or so ago. For the most part, it tore the wood apart rather than splitting it. It also strained sometimes before splitting the wood. I do manage to re-split some of the splits with the super-splitter maul, but others still sneer at me.

Burns fairly hot. Crackles a lot. Yup, I'd take it again if its free. Let it season 'till I have enough to rent a splitter again. And yes, it does season unsplit, at least here in sunny So. Calif.

Peace,
- Sequoia

Also try to keep the rain off of it -- I've noticed that it has a tendency to soak up more water than other types of wood. When it's dry, it burns well.

Yes, but does it tend to lose it's flavor on the Bedpost overnight??? %-P

Gooserider

Just got some gum. Some cut to 20+inch lengths and splits larger than I like so I have had to cut and split up some of it. It is a pain to split. I have an easier time with the axe than maul. The maul is basically useless if the axe doesn't work then I get a wedge in it and that normally does the job. But I like the burn a lot. Burns hot and leaves a nice coal base.

Easier to split than the elm I split this summer.

Just scored a cord of sweet gum rounds dumped in my front yard for free. Looks like splitting is going to be 'fun'.

I have a 50/60 year old sweet gum on my lot (the only one) matter of fact it's the only one I've seen in my travels around here in CT.
It lost a good sized 10" limb in 2003, laid right down in front of my house. Burns good (comparable to ash/maple) (splits like an old twisted swamp maple though)....nice score you got!

WB

I've never burned it so I have no opinion.

I hope this helps.

A guy just came over to my house from down the street where he was painting and ask me if I wanted about 8 gum trees that he's going to drop along a ditch bank in a couple weeks havn't seen them but I said yes he even has a burn pile to put the brush ... my back will be healed by then and my buddy will bring his splitter over for me ...

I've burned a lot of sweetgum and blackgum. The black gum went punky fast. The Sweetgum needs to be splitt or it goes punky fast.
I would not buy gum and would not want B.G even free.

How can you tell the difference (viz) between the two I'm not sure of the type of gum we have here... It burns pretty good though

sweetgum has those spiky ball/ seed pod and star shaped leaves. Black Gum has big leave and small fruit.

OK thanks it's sweet gum .. and we have been splitting and racking it up as soon as we get we rounds home.

Don't think Ive ever seen gum black or sweet in Michigan. Does it grow here? I'd settle for some mulberry if I could get it.