Home » Knowledge Base » Knowledge Base Article What's New  |  Site Map 

 

 
   
   
 
 


Today's
Sponsors:


Touch Up Solutions LLC

Tractivity

TradeSoft

Trakware Systems Inc.

TRB Flooring Company

Tropical American Tree Farm

Tropical Hardwoods

Turtle Sun Woodshop

Twin Oaks Mill

UC Coatings Corp.

Unique Machine & Tool

University of Wisconsin

UWMO Auctions

Vacuum Pressing Systems, Inc.

Vacuumpods.com

Vecoplan LLC

Vector Art 3D

Vectric Ltd.

Veneer Systems Inc.

Veneer Technologies Inc.

Vintage Perkins

VortexTool Co. Inc.

VyTek

W. Moore Profiles, Ltd.

W.L. Fuller

Wadkin North America

Wagner Electronic Products

WalzCraft Industries

Webb Abrasives

WEIMA America, Inc.

Weinig Group - USA

Western Dovetail

Williams and Hussey

Wisconsin Knife Works

WMIA

WMMA

Wood and Wood Products

Wood Doctor's Rx, LLC

Wood Tech Enterprises, Inc.

Wood Technology Inc

Wood-Mizer

Wood-Ply Lumber Corp.

WoodCabinetDoors.Com

Woodcraft Supply Corp.

WoodcraftPlans.com

WoodenBoat

WoodFinder

WoodJobs.com Search Consultants

Woodland Dimension Products

WoodLINKS

Woodmaster

WoodPlanet Inc.

WOODWEB

Woodworker's Supply/woodworker.com

Woodworker's Directory

Wright Timber

SK-USA

SlipCon USA, Inc.

SoCalMachinery.com

South State Machinery

South Texas Moulding

Southeast Tool, Inc.

Specialtytools.com

SprayGunWorld.com

Stairguy Stairbuilding Videos

Stefani

Steve H. Wall Lumber Co.

Stiles Machinery

Stiles Shop Solutions

Stor-N-Fold Systems

Super Source Tooling Inc.

Supergrit Abrasives

Surface and Panel Magazine

Target Coatings

Techno CNC Routers

Template Services

Teragren

The Cayce Company

The Reclaimer

The Veneer Store

Thermwood Corporation

TigerStop

TigerwoodDecking.com

TimberKing

Timesavers Inc.

TMS Machinery Sales

Tongass Forest Enterprises

Tooling on the Web

Toolstoday.com



WOODWEB DISCLAIMS any and all RESPONSIBILITY and LIABILITY for the accuracy and application of the information below. Readers agree to evaluate the significance and limitations of the information provided, and accept full responsibility for the application of this information. Read More ...

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?



Thoughts on sweetgum       A quick primer on sweetgum. July 4, 2000

Q.
I have some logs given to me and they called them sweetgum. They look like cottonwood. My question: How good is it as lumber, and how hard is it to dry? We are building a solar kiln; can we use it to side the kiln?



Lester, my opinion and experiences with sweetgum will probably be different from the usual commercial view.

I have found sweetgum to be a beautiful wood which I have no trouble selling. My first experience with it was sawing and air drying very wide boards. The wood did move quite a bit, making "normal" use sort of impossible. We were able to get wainscoting from it by resawing on the bandmill and cutoff saw before planing. The wood takes a finish beautifully.

I am told that during WWII, most of the black walnut was going into gunstocks, so sweetgum was used in its place. The wood has held up very well; it is in a room that gets direct sun and is also heated by a masonry heat sink. In spite of the normal shrink/swell cycles, the gum has remained without warp.



Sweetgum is everywhere here in Central Mississippi. Yes, it does have a reputation for much movement! Gum species are used a lot in the furniture industry for interior parts, especially for upholstered goods where it is cut into smaller blank sizes.


To dry, sticker it every 12 inches and use weights on top for the flattest lumber. IF it's at the right MC, it will not move much at all.
Gene Wengert, forum moderator


Check out the excellent, positive article on the gums in a recent issue of Fine Woodworking, the one with Michael Dunbar making a table on the cover.


Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?
  • KnowledgeBase: Lumber & Plywood: Wood Identification

  • KnowledgeBase: Wood Engineering: Wood Properties

  • KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base




    Would you like to add information to this article? ... Click Here

    If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to
    review our Forum Guidelines.

    Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.

    When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.

    Return to beginning of article.



    Refer a Friend || Read This Important Information || Site Map || Privacy Policy

    Letters, questions or comments? E-Mail us and let us know what you think. Be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions page.

    Contact us to discuss advertising or to report problems with this site.

    To report a problem, send an e-mail to our Webmaster

    Copyright © 1996-2008 - WOODWEB ® Inc.
    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission of the Editor.
    Review WOODWEB's Copyright Policy.

    The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.

    WOODWEB, Inc.
    RR4 Box 265A
    Montrose, PA 18801

    Contact WOODWEB