Spalted sweetgum

[Jeff Horton]

Finished the first of the sweet gum I found. I have got to find some time to go get the rest of this wood. Size is about 5.5" by 2.5"

Still working on my sanding and finishing. Just can not seem to get it right.

[Dick Parr]

Beautiful bowl Jeff. I love that spalted sweetgum.;)

[Ernie Nyvall]

I have got to find some time to go get the rest of this wood.

NO KIDDING!! That's beautiful wood, and you did a fine job on it.

Ernie

[Corey Hallagan]

Man, that is some pretty wood! Nice job!

Corey

[Travis Stinson]

That looks great Jeff! Sweetgum sure does some wild things when spalted.:cool:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jeff ....that rates as some of the prettiest wood I've ever seen...........beautiful grain.....beautiful color........and a grand turning. Great job!

[Jim Ketron]

Awesome Colors!
Nice Job!

[John Miliunas]

Wow, that truely is a beautimous hunk of wood and, might I add, a very nice job of turning it into something very pleasing to the eye. Good job, Jeff! :) :cool:

As to the sanding thing, I don't know what your typical regiment is but, after a fair amount of trial and error and some great tips from the more experienced here at the Creek, I'll leave you with a few things I've learned. First, if sanding on the lathe, turn that puppy down to the slowest setting you have. Secondly, be sure to work methodically through the grits. Don't skip over several grades, as it will be near impossible to get the previous grade scratches out. Also, when switching grades, be sure clean all surfaces thoroughly with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits or similar. That is to avoid cross-contamination of any leftover grit from the previous sanding. I'm sure there are many more hints and tips but, those are the ones I had problems with (unknowingly) earlier on and the kind folks here passed the info on to me. It really helped! :) :cool:

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Nice looking bowl there, Jeff. That's a great wood selection for it.

[John Hart]

Beautiful piece Jeff! The finish looks ok from here, but you probably see stuff we can't. Finishing is such an art unto itself!

[Mark Cothren]

Jeff, those are some outstanding colors/lines! You are showing the wood off very well. Looks like a very nice bowl to me! Congrats!

[Keith Burns]

Nice bowl Jeff. Nice form with a nice piece of wood.:) :)

[Jim Becker]

That's some really yummy stuff, Jeff! Nice job!

[Ed Scolforo]

Looks great from here, Jeff.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful bowl Jeff. Nice work. I like the form and finish.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I've been watching this Spalted sweetgum and you guys have convinced me to go and burry mine for a while.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=35991&highlight=sweetgum
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36006&highlight=sweetgum
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30359&highlight=sweetgum
Really nice stuff!:eek:

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

First time I've seen any of the Spalted sweetgum. An impressive wood and you work is pleasing to look upon!

Bruce

[Glenn Hodges]

Jeff these pictures make me want to get some sweet gum and let it spalt. It is so nice.

[Jeff Horton]

Just got permission to cut up some more too! :D I found this in the ditch from where a really large tree feel. County came out and cleared the road tossed some of the limbs in the ditch. Thats where I got this. Hauled a lot of the tree off. That was last year.

Neighbor that has the tree was just up (house burned a few months ago) and I asked if I could cut up the rest tree for the wood. He was happy not to have to clean it up and I happy to get the wood! So hopefully it has spalted too. It a huge tree and much of it has never hit the ground.

[Tim Beauregard]

And here I thought sweet gum was just the crappiest tree. Throughout the year it drops:

leaves,
branches,
pollen sacks,
bark,
and spiky balls.:mad:It is stringy wood that has a twisted grain, so nearly impossible to split by hand.:mad: My hydraulic logsplitter takes a full stroke on EVERY piece and even then sometimes I need to pull the 2 pieces apart.:mad: When used in the fireplace it doesn't heat much and burns up too quickly.:mad:

Beautiful bowl though!! :D

Regards,
Tim B.

[Mike Ramsey]

Great looking bowl! Love those veins in the Sweet Gum.

[Tim Beauregard]

Showing my "Cliff Claven"ness here.

That first picture looks like you're looking down at a globe (the growth rings even add to that illusion) and I imagine seeing Norway, Sweden and Greenland. :D

Regards,
Tim B.