Harvesting Sweet Gum Trees

[Charles Davis]

I'm having 8 Sweet Gum trees felled as I write this. I know its not the best lumber for woodworking but I'm considering harvesting some of them (and attempting to spalt some) for mostly turning purposes. I'd like to be able to slice these up on my own versus hiring a portable mill so I'm thinking about the chainsaw/Alaskan mill combination which looks like it will run around a grand for a decent chainsaw. Can anyone recommend a chainsaw and/or store that will has good deals?

This is all brand new to me so I need to do more research... I plan to anchorseal them up tomorrow. Possibly purchase the chainsaw/Alaskin combo over the weekend and slice them up next weekend. I would anchorseal up entire turning blocks and just the ends of boards and sticker up outside to air dry. I'm sure I'll learn more about this but if anyone has any suggestions or online references on this process it would be much appreciated.

[Michael Conner]

Unless they are really large trees and you plan to mill them all, I suspect that you will come in much cheaper paying someone to saw them up for you. I have never run a chainsaw mill, but it looks like a lot of work. If you have 400 bdft in each tree, you are talking about 3200 bdft total. I'd be surprised if you couldn't have them milled for $1200 - $1500 (about the price of the Alaskan).

[James Ashburn]

I have used a chainsaw to slice lumber before. It is a lot of work (unless you get a Logosol). After that experience I put the logs on a trailer and took them to a mill. Much better experience. The owner even let me run it for a log. That was really cool. Sawing all 8 into lumber by yourself in two days would be a challenge. Of course it depends on how thick you want the lumber. If it is all 12/4 then maybe. You are going to be very tired. You are also going to go through a lot of chains / sharpening.

Here is a good place for chainsaws etc http://www.baileysonline.com/

Good Luck!

[Cody Colston]

I turn a lot of Sweetgum, in fact, I'm carving flutes on a Sweetgum vase right now...well, when I'm not resting and on the forums. :rolleyes:

Sweetgum spalts pretty readily but it will also go from spalted to punky in a hurry so pay attention to it. For turning stock, just leave it in log form outside until you are satisfied with the spalting. If you want spalted planks, do the same thing and saw it after it spalts. The best way to store the logs that I've found is to put anchor seal on one end and stand it upright on the ground (bare end contacting the ground). You will lose a few inches to rot on the ground end but the rest will be sound and spalt quickly. I stand mine against the back wall of the shop so that the top end is protected somewhat by the eaves.

I've never worked Sweetgum lumber but I can tell you that turning blanks are super wet when green, even after several months. If you plan to turn any of it green, better invest in a slicker suit because it will sling water everywhere.

It's a light, soft wood when initially dried but hardens with age. It turns like butter, is easy to carve and for a soft wood, it holds detail pretty well.

[Charles Davis]

Well, it's been a little over a year since I originally posted this and I thought I would follow-up with the results of the spalting... have to say that I was really surprised to see this turned out... here's some pics of the results of these "cooking" for the past year. This is the first log I opened... can't wait to process the rest tomorrow!

There's a few more images and a short write-up at my blog if interested: http://www.woodzealot.com/2009/11/28/i-came-i-saw-i-spalted/

Thanks for the advice given here.

[Cody Colston]

That's some pretty stuff. I'm glad to see that it worked out for you. As you said on your blog, there's some great small box tops there as well as cabinet door panels.

[Danny Hamsley]

Some sweetgum logs will have beautiful red streaking in the heartwood that rivals any figure that I have seen in domestic hardwoods.

That spalting is gorgeous!