# gum tree any good to burn?



## abj1969 (Sep 18, 2008)

a tree guy friend just dropped a truck load of wood.  mostly gum tree?  and some cherry.    is the gum any good?  i have to cut it to legth and split it and will let it sit to next year since i have enough for this year already but i was wondering if its a harder or softer wood.


  also is there any online chart for identifying wood.   i'm an idiot and can't tell the difference in the different wood...lol



  thanks guys,

                      joe


----------



## smokinj (Sep 18, 2008)

Never burned the gum before but the cherry is 20 million btu per cord and smoke smells great!


----------



## Rockey (Sep 18, 2008)

I believe the gum is in the 23-25 million BTu range or at least sweetgum is. I found it earlier this year when I found a truckload of seasoned sweetgum on craigslist for free.


----------



## johnsopi (Sep 18, 2008)

Black Gum is a pain to split by hand.  I have a lot of Sweet Gum, It burns ok.


----------



## abj1969 (Sep 18, 2008)

cool. thanks guys.   it was a tree truck load of wood. probably about 2 or so cords when split.  wonder if it would be easier to split now or when seasoned...   my buddy says it gets stringy when split.


----------



## Adios Pantalones (Sep 18, 2008)

abj1969 said:
			
		

> cool. thanks guys.   it was a tree truck load of wood. probably about 2 or so cords when split.  wonder if it would be easier to split now or when seasoned...   my buddy says it gets stringy when split.



Not as stringy as that dang kookaburra that might come along with it.


----------



## sixminus1 (Sep 18, 2008)

Sweetgum is a decent wood to burn, but it takes a bit more work than other hardwoods.  It's a PITA to split -- pieces have to be "peeled" apart after the initial split is made.  A log splitter and a sharp hatchet make this a _little_ easier, but it's still more time consuming than oak or maple.

It seems to dry quickly.  In my chiminea I've burned some pieces that have been stacked for 6 mos, and they seem ready to go -- no hissing, no bubbling from the end of the split, and not much smoke.  The splits are heavy when green, and very light when seasoned.  It rots quickly, so plan on using it as soon as it's ready.  Doesn't seem like the type of wood that can sit for many years once it's split.  If you're leaving it as rounds or lengths until next year, you should be ok.


----------



## ScottF (Sep 18, 2008)

> Not as stringy as that dang kookaburra that might come along with it.




Merry merry king of the bush is he


----------



## Cazimere (Sep 18, 2008)

I burn sweet gum and black gum if it fits in the stove without splitting : )


----------

