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Started By
Message
How well does a Sweetgum burn?
Posted on 9/28/21 at 10:34 am
Posted on 9/28/21 at 10:34 am
I am talking about for a fire at the camp (outside). We have a bunch of Sweetgums on the property, and if dried does it burn real fast?
12
Posted on 9/28/21 at 10:45 am to commode
pretty sure they pop and crackle a lot while burning
Posted on 9/28/21 at 10:52 am to commode
It burns about like pine. Sweetgum gets a bad name, but it is one of my favorite trees. I had a small sawmill and I loved the look of the interlocking grain. Sure you get alot of waste with warping, but that always just went into the wood stove. If you do any woodworking it is easy to spalt as well. Just throw some leaves over the logs in a shady place for about 3 months.
I had good luck hinge cutting it for browse for wildlife as well.
I had good luck hinge cutting it for browse for wildlife as well.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 10:56 am to commode
We had a few trees at my parent's place and if it's dry it burns ok (some popping) but yes it does burn fast. The main issue is that it sucks to split.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 10:56 am to commode
You better have a hydraulic log splitter, otherwise you'll have hell splitting that with an axe
Posted on 9/28/21 at 10:57 am to cdogwinn
quote:
The main issue is that it sucks to split.
Yes indeed. That splitting maul will bounce like you hit a steel ibeam.
We used to have a big chunk of a sweetgum log sitting in our backyard in college with an axe leaning up on it. Cheap entertainment as we would convince visitors that came over to party that there was a cash pool going and whoever split the log won the pot. It never happened, but we would get easy beer money as we cheered on unsuspecting "tough guys" huffing and puffing on that log. It was kinda like a game at the fair, was definitely rigged. 10 licks for $5. We got $30 one Sunday afternoon out of the upper 20's neighbor, who was a big ole boy. By the time he had his shirt off and was covered in sweat from those heavy swings, his wife finally hollered out the back door to come back home, and the fun ended. Free Beer while watching the Saints game. Sucker! lol
This post was edited on 9/28/21 at 11:05 am
Posted on 9/28/21 at 11:02 am to commode
Anything dried well will burn fairly well. Sweetgums do tend to have a lot more liquid and that liquid is more sap like, so, you're going to have some bubbling and popping - more than pine logs, but not awful (again, if well dried prior to burning). It is also pretty decent in BTU per cord.
The reason people don't burn more Sweetgum is 2-fold:
1. It is a bitch to split and process into firewood, and
2. Best use is more ornamental - furniture, veneer, etc.
The reason people don't burn more Sweetgum is 2-fold:
1. It is a bitch to split and process into firewood, and
2. Best use is more ornamental - furniture, veneer, etc.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 11:22 am to Ace Midnight
Thanks for the input. We will hinge cut some.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 12:06 pm to commode
Great for campfire. Save your hardwoods for hunting.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 2:59 pm to commode
I usually cut and burn sweetgum in the fire pit at our camp because I don't want to waste an acorn producing tree and I hate sweetgums.
We usually cut them early in the year, split with log splitter, and stack them up to dry for months before deer season. It does burn a little faster but good thing is there will never be a shortage of those worthless bastards.
We usually cut them early in the year, split with log splitter, and stack them up to dry for months before deer season. It does burn a little faster but good thing is there will never be a shortage of those worthless bastards.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 6:56 pm to commode
The fruit is the worst. Hate these damn things:
Posted on 9/28/21 at 7:12 pm to commode
Hinging has been trendy at times. Better options are injecting herbicide (safer) or felling/spraying.
This post was edited on 9/28/21 at 7:14 pm
Posted on 9/28/21 at 7:59 pm to turkish
I cut over a dozen sweet gums in my backyard over the last year. You’ve got to get a HOT fire to get them started unless they are really dried out. And they are Heavy when green. Plan on using a lot of diesel if still green. It’s like they melt more than burn. All the trees I burned over the last year and I bet I didn’t accumulate a wheel barrow full of ash. The are just so full of water.
Posted on 9/28/21 at 8:35 pm to commode
That’s what I like to use when smoking sausage.
Posted on 9/29/21 at 10:33 am to Ace Midnight
It looks like you're trying to split a cigarette filter, if you try...
Posted on 9/29/21 at 10:45 am to turkish
quote:
Hinging has been trendy at times. Better options are injecting herbicide (safer) or felling/spraying.
Not hinge cutting to kill them. Doing it to create browse and cover for deer. Not all situations are alike. My property was cut maybe 20-25 years ago. I had bucks pass through the property but they were not really holding on my property. I did alot of planning it out, but hinge cutting areas that I felt bucks would want to be. Along ridges with good views, near water sources, a few that were more protected from weather, etc. I picked areas that I would not be going into (I mushroom hunt so I do more than just hunt on the property). I also was pretty strict on not going into the hinge cut areas accept once a year to inspect/hinge cut anything that needed to be freshened up. It basically replaced my food plots (I still have clover for nitrogen supplement and plant radishes. I have said this a few times on here, but it was the single best thing I could have ever done to my property. If you already have alot of cover/browse around then maybe it isn't needed.
There are some great resources online about hinge cutting. If you are going to do it take the time to plan it out and don't just go in and start cutting.
Posted on 9/29/21 at 11:35 am to commode
Pretty fast when dry.
Posted on 9/29/21 at 11:49 am to Butch Baum
quote:
It looks like you're trying to split a cigarette filter, if you try...
Yeah, even if dry it tends to splinter pretty badly.
Posted on 9/30/21 at 5:50 am to Ace Midnight
“ lot more liquid”
Liquidambar styraciflua says it.
Liquidambar styraciflua says it.
Posted on 9/30/21 at 8:04 am to commode
Like a stack of tires. No
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