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Sweet Gum-Splitting, drying & burning
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:18 pm
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:18 pm
I am having 3 sweet gums cut this weekend. The guy is charging me $600 but said it would be another couple hundred to haul off. I told him to just stack it in the corner and i'll burn it. After doing some reading it appears it is a pain in the butt to split. Should I split it immediately or wait a year or so till it dries? Any advice on handling these creatures is appreciated 
8
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:23 pm to bayouboy33
The guy was right, and IMHO, it doesn't burn well at all.
Rent a log splitter if you're gonna do it
Rent a log splitter if you're gonna do it
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:34 pm to Hammertime
appreciate the advice.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:36 pm to bayouboy33
Log splitter and LOTS of diesel fuel.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:38 pm to bamarep
can I just burn the logs without splitting? this will only be used for my outdoor firepit
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:43 pm to bayouboy33
If you want. It's not a dense wood, but it holds water and rots quickly. Rent a log splitter if you're gonna do it
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:52 pm to bayouboy33
I don't recall it being to bad once dried rounds for a while. Burned OK for an outdoor fire pit in my opinion once split. if you are a young man, enjoy the workout, if you are an old man like myself, split some for exercise then rent a splitter 
Posted on 4/14/16 at 12:57 pm to hunt66
well im definitely keeping the wood, I just built a firepit so I don't see spending hundreds of dollars to haul off wood. I know its going to be a pain so ill suck it up. I guess the question I have is do I split it right after they're cut down or wait until it dries out?
Posted on 4/14/16 at 1:05 pm to bayouboy33
Never split dry wood the fibres hang on like you wouldn’t believe, in the great white north we try and split we wood when its wet and frozen. It splits alot easier when frozen, not an option in LA.
IMO rent a splitter, gum is not a fun wood
IMO rent a splitter, gum is not a fun wood
Posted on 4/14/16 at 1:07 pm to bayouboy33
I'm stuck on $600 for 3 sweetgum trees!!!!!!! Id just do it myself, Jesus
Posted on 4/14/16 at 1:14 pm to King of the Sabine
Well he's also trimming up a large oak I have hanging over mine and the neighbors house. Yeah it's a lot of money but I have young kids so not a whole lot of extra time on my hands
Posted on 4/14/16 at 1:18 pm to bayouboy33
How big are the trees? Small enough to chip perhaps? Will take a long time to burn it even when dry unless you can get a good hot fire under it.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 1:19 pm to White Bear
Na they're roughly 50-60 foot each
Posted on 4/14/16 at 2:56 pm to bayouboy33
Sweet gum is the most trash of a wood in Louisiana, more so for firewood.
You have a truck? Load some and take it to a dump. Termites love that crap. Hell, I wouldn't even saw it on my sawmill.
You have a truck? Load some and take it to a dump. Termites love that crap. Hell, I wouldn't even saw it on my sawmill.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 2:58 pm to bayouboy33
Definitely want to use a splitter if you are going to try and split it.
I used to mix small round sticks of gum with oak in our wood burning stove at the deer camp on warmer days and had no problems.
I used to mix small round sticks of gum with oak in our wood burning stove at the deer camp on warmer days and had no problems.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 3:18 pm to bayouboy33
My advice is to kill it completely,100%,without doubt dead before you cut it. Them stumps will become sweet gum thickets with a quickness.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 3:37 pm to bayouboy33
I've been wondering about sweetgum myself. I recently got a hydraulic splitter and want to load up on firewood for our fire pit at the deer camp.
Most of our land is pine with limited hardwood, so I hate to cut oak trees down. This year I was going to cut down a couple sweetgums and split them. From the research I've done, it should work fine for campfires.
Most of our land is pine with limited hardwood, so I hate to cut oak trees down. This year I was going to cut down a couple sweetgums and split them. From the research I've done, it should work fine for campfires.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 4:44 pm to REB BEER
You baws are gonna learn a good lesson here when trying to split sweet gum.. With or without a splitter. Best idea I saw was hauling it to dump even if you had to make several trips!
Posted on 4/14/16 at 5:05 pm to tiger chaser
That crap is like rubber when wet. I push them over with my backhoe and they will just bounce back up. I have to dig up the root system before I can push them over.
Now, if one was to split it, Stack logs off the ground and let them dry out for no less then 6 months. They will still be wet, but not as bad when fresh fell.
BTU output on gum is very low and it will burn up twice as fast as a piece of oak of the same size.
I have to dig up the root system before I can push them over. Now, if one was to split it, Stack logs off the ground and let them dry out for no less then 6 months. They will still be wet, but not as bad when fresh fell.
BTU output on gum is very low and it will burn up twice as fast as a piece of oak of the same size.
Posted on 4/14/16 at 8:34 pm to bayouboy33
We split sweet gum regularly. We use an axe and split it with in a few days. Splits easy when green. I know it makes excellent smoking wood for sausage when it is green. you can cook over it also if dried.
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