Gum Wood

[Peter Blair]

I got some what I believe to be Red Gumwood at an auction last week and wonder if anyone has turned it?

Not sure if I should just find a boatbuilder and sell it or keep it for turning?

Anyone?

[Richard Casey]

Peter, do you mean Red Gum, as in Eucalyptus or a timber more specific to your part of the world?
Rgds,
Richard.

[Peter Blair]

Richard you got me. I am unsure. I bought it and a quantity of Teak etc from a small ship yard here at auction last week. It is marked with a felt pen Gumwood. I have no idea if it's Red Gumwood or not. I do know that in this part of the world it is used a lot for rubbing guards on boats and docks. It feels heavier than most other woods, I suspect it will not float.

[Jamie Buxton]

There is a tree in the southeast US called Sweet Gum or Liquid Amber. Lumber from it is often called Red Gum, and I've seen it in a lumberyard here in San Francisco.

[Eugene Dixon]

There is a tree in the southeast US called Sweet Gum or Liquid Amber. Lumber from it is often called Red Gum, and I've seen it in a lumberyard here in San Francisco.

If it is sweet gum, at least I enjoy turning it. I think it turns really nice. OBTW, If it is hard to very difficult to split for firewood, that is a characteristic of sweet gum.

[Richard Casey]

There is a tree in the southeast US called Sweet Gum or Liquid Amber. Lumber from it is often called Red Gum, and I've seen it in a lumberyard here in San Francisco.
Peter, as Jamie has quoted that looks like what you may have, The Wood Database agrees. Post some pictures of your work, it sounds like good stuff.
Rgds,
Richard.

[Guy Donham]

I have been given some wood called red gum. I used it to make a jewelry box and turned some pens. The wood is beautiful. The tree we have here in east Texas is an invasive species and is call a sweet gum tree. It produces about 1" seed pods that have spikes on them and are painful to step on in the yard. The leaf is about 5 inches and has five fingers. It is green in the summer and turns red in the fall. If it is the same thing it has a brown to red hue and I liked working with it. The boards I have have rather wild grain which made them very attractive for pen blanks.

[John K Jordan]

Richard you got me. I am unsure. I bought it and a quantity of Teak etc from a small ship yard here at auction last week. It is marked with a felt pen Gumwood. I have no idea if it's Red Gumwood or not. I do know that in this part of the world it is used a lot for rubbing guards on boats and docks. It feels heavier than most other woods, I suspect it will not float.

You can read about domestic sweet gum/red gum "Liquidambar styraciflua" here: https://www.wood-database.com/blue-gum/
and compare it to imported Blue Gum, Tasmanian Blue Gum "Eucalyptus globulus" here https://www.wood-database.com/blue-gum/

The weight, density, and hardness are significantly different. Compare the photos of the pores near the bottom of the pages.

JKJ

[Jamie Buxton]

The OP observes that his wood is pretty high density. That suggests eucalyptus more than Liquidamber. As I recall, Liquidamber is more like cherry's density and hardness. The eucalyptus lumber I've encountered is high density, and rather hard.

There are two eucalyptus trees with reddish lumber which grow in central California. One is called Red Gum eucalyptus. That's Eucalyptus camaldulensis. The other is called Ironbark eucalyptus. That's a group of several species with the eucalyptus group. The tree weeps red sap from wounds, and the lumber is reddish when freshly cut. Wikipedia notes that ironbark is sometimes used for ship building.

[Peter Blair]

Thanks everyone. I am actually attempting to sell the pieces of Gum wood I have but if I can't sell them I will try to incorporate them into some sort of turning. John after following the links you included and doing more research I am guessing it is Blue Gum. Purchased from a local shipyard where there is a high likelihood that it was originally purchased for wear location on small boats.