Is Gum A Hardwood
Redgum sapgum and sweetgum.
Is gum a hardwood. Liquidamber styraciflua other names. Once it is alight the hardwood burns long and hot. A lot of times i seal the ends and saw 3 3 8 thick then resaw after it has dried. Sweet gum or red gum has yellow sapwood and a dark reddish brown heartwood that is marbled for the most part.
Blue gum firewood is a dense hardwood and thus the wood does not burn up fast. It produces a lovely hot bed of coals that will burn throughout any winter night although perfect for any time of year. The iconic australian gum tree or eucalyptus is largely endemic to that continent and tasmania and comprises over 700 species. Such trees can grow to be as old as 400 years old and they can reach towering heights of 150 feet.
Sapgum is widely available at low cost while redgum is more uncommon and prices can be in the mid range for a domestic hardwood with prices for figured and or quartersawn pieces costing more. Distribution the gums are an important part of the eastern hardwood forests and are found throughout the southeastern u s. There are a number of different nhla grade designation for red gum. Hi i have a 1920 craftsman that has gumwood everywhere trim around every window and door 2 ft high paneling in almost every room built in buffet in dining room and bookcases flanking fireplace even a gumwood mantle and a 5 gumwood pocket door.
And veneer from the wood s unsplitable character made it the ideal material for berry baskets for which it is still widely used. Red gum lumber is considered a specialty product and not quoted in the market reports. It is very pretty but prone to warp. As you learned earlier sweet gum is easily identifiable as it comes from a tree that produces star shaped leaves that contain five points along with spiked fruit.
General description the sapwood tends to be wide and is white to light pink while the heartwood is reddish brown often with darker streaks. Plain red gum plain sawn red gum figured wood quartered red gum ribbon stripe. Is sweet gum a hardwood or softwood. Can t bear to paint as the previous owner starte.
These are as follows. Eventually the unyielding wood of black gum filled the bill for heavy duty tool handles factory flooring hard working parts for farm machinery conveyor rollers and the core of hardwood plywood. I saw it 5 4 to get a 3 4 board. Some red gum lumber is still produced and even sold on the export market.