Elm, Sweetgum drying time.

[Woody Stover]

My BIL and nephew scored a bunch. Live trees, I suppose there's no way it can dry in a year..? They are splitting pretty small, 4" or less, and stacking in single-row racks with top-covers. Indiana..ain't exactly low humidity here.

 

[Woody Stover]

I was hoping that since they are similar in BTU to soft Maple, maybe they would dry quickly?

 

[BIGChrisNH]

No experience with sweetgum, but the elm I’ve got was seasoned for two years, it’ll be going in the stove this winter. It’s in the low 20% moisture range. I can’t imagine getting it there in a year, but maybe with small splits and single rows you could. Check out some of the solar kiln threads here if quick drying is a necessity.

 

[Woody Stover]

No experience with sweetgum, but the elm I’ve got was seasoned for two years, it’ll be going in the stove this winter. It’s in the low 20% moisture range. I can’t imagine getting it there in a year, but maybe with small splits and single rows you could. Check out some of the solar kiln threads here if quick drying is a necessity.

I can always give them some of my dry stash if it comes to that, but I'd rather not have to move that wood yet again.

 

[BIGChrisNH]

I hear you there. I got an in law that asks me for dry wood, I just say no haha. She has no idea the work it takes

 

[mellow]

Gum takes me a year to season properly, it would burn after being split in April and stacked in the hot sun for a summer but it was best left for a year in the stack.

 

[Woody Stover]

I hear you there. I got an in law that asks me for dry wood, I just say no haha. She has no idea the work it takes

Invite her along next time you are doing some woodwork.

Gum takes me a year to season properly, it would burn after being split in April and stacked in the hot sun for a summer but it was best left for a year in the stack.

Hmmm, sounds like there may be a chance for the Gum in a year then. It's humid here but our particular location gets a bit more wind than in town..

 

[BIGChrisNH]

I would love to invite her along. That would be a fantastic lesson

 

[RFarm]

I burn a lot of sweet gum. In order to hand split I buck them into small 12” rounds. It is a tough wood to split. My experience is one year is good two is better for drying. Burns hot and relatively quickly.

 

[Woody Stover]

It is a tough wood to split. My experience is one year is good two is better for drying. Burns hot and relatively quickly.

Sounds like they may well get away with burning it next year. They are splitting small, and will be burning this downstairs in an old VC Resolute. They burn it pretty hot to try to keep the plume cleaner.
They have been feeding both the Gum and Elm to the power splitter.

 

[RFarm]

I usually buck them at about 12” then split with the maul and a wedge or two. It’s a tough customer. I probably will not ever drop another gum intentionally. Too much work for a ho hum burning wood.

 

[Woody Stover]

I usually buck them at about 12” then split with the maul and a wedge or two. It’s a tough customer. I probably will not ever drop another gum intentionally. Too much work for a ho hum burning wood.

The rounds look like it may have been a woods tree..I didn't see a lot of branches. Maybe it won't be too bad, given they are using hydraulics. I'm just glad they are scrounging some of their own wood..I got my hands full with my other two SILs in addition to keeping up with our own stove.

 

[RFarm]

With a hydraulic splitter you am will be fine. I don’t burn enough to justify getting a power splitter and I enjoy the physical exercise. Happy burning.

 

[Woody Stover]

I don’t burn enough to justify getting a power splitter and I enjoy the physical exercise.

I like to hand-split too, if it's easy wood like Ash or straight Red Oak. I've been talking up how much fun it is, but I don't know how much they are buying into it yet..

 

[RFarm]

I remember it being more fun when I was younger, every muscle and bone aches for days now after a good session. I have been stockpiling rounds and am going to borrow a neighbors splitter so I can split a couple cords for next season. That is quite a nice stack by the way, congratulations, that is better than money in the bank!

 

[Woody Stover]

That is quite a nice stack by the way, congratulations, that is better than money in the bank!

It's about three cords, I figure. Now we just have to wait a year or two for that "money in the bank" to start paying interest.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I had big sweet gum branches a few years back. Split them if possible and wait 2 or 3 years. Elm, I can't remember, been too long, but I'd guess a year minimum.

 

[Woody Stover]

Wow, I figured that being low-BTU, the Gum wouldn't take as long as Oak.

 

[Smokepole]

I've also burned sweet gum. Hard to split. Dries in a year. Is very light when really dry and burns clean.

 

[Woody Stover]

I've also burned sweet gum. Hard to split. Dries in a year. Is very light when really dry and burns clean.

That's what I'm hoping for. I just told him in the last few days, "Dude, you need to get the rest of that split and stacked!"

 

[Sodbuster]

Cherry will season in a year.

 

[Wood1Dennis]

No experience with sweetgum, but I routinely dry elm in one season if it was standing dead without it's bark. I am burning stuff now that I cut last winter, CSS early this spring in a good location with full sun and wind. It is very dry.

 

[Woody Stover]

I routinely dry elm in one season if it was standing dead without it's bark. I am burning stuff now that I cut last winter, CSS early this spring in a good location with full sun and wind. It is very dry.

That's good to hear. I have some dead Elm from a tree-man score, bark mostly gone. I'm trying to get my SILs set up for next season, but I'm thinking that the dead-standing White Ash in post #14 above, maybe the windward row might get dry enough, and that's only a cord. In addition to the Elm I also have some Silver Maple that I'm sure will be ready.
The Elm logs are right/rear, more than it looks in the pic, along with a couple Oak and a Cherry. The Maple is in front of that.

 

[Woody Stover]

Gum takes me a year to season properly, it would burn after being split in April and stacked in the hot sun for a summer but it was best left for a year in the stack.

My experience is one year is good two is better for drying.

I've also burned sweet gum. Hard to split. Dries in a year. Is very light when really dry and burns clean.

I figured the Sweetgum was a live tree like the other stuff in the score, where my nephew's work buddy was clearing trees from an area. If it was a live tree, maybe Sweetgum has a lower starting moisture than a lot of other woods. Or it just dries faster, somehow.
Several weeks ago, I pulled one split from what we stacked in a single-row 2x4-frame rack. It tested 19%. I thought "Well, that's only one split..maybe it's an outlier." So I recently got a few more splits, warmed them up, then re-split and tested. The Sweetgum again tested 19%.

That's what I'm hoping for. I told him, "Dude, you need to get the rest of that split and stacked!"

They finally got the rest of the round pile split and stacked last week. Problem is, they mixed the wood with Red Elm, River Birch, White Ash and Oak, and it's three rows deep on pallets. The other wood didn't test anywhere close to dry..that Red Elm was heavy as hell. And there's no way they are gonna pick through that stack and get the dry Sweetgum out to burn this fall. Oh, well. Plan "B" is to get them some Tulip Poplar from a storm-damaged tree I have here. They might have to load the stove more often, but my BIL is retired and is there to do it..
Here's the splits I tested the other day. Top wood is my Red Oak...then their Sweetgum, White Ash and River Birch (no bark pic for that.)