# White oak or Sweetgum?



## Longstreet (Oct 1, 2014)

Potential craigslist score.  The homeowner is calling it white oak.  I have nightmares about sweetgum.  Anyone smarter than me (and by that I mean everyone here) have an opinion?







Very close by my house.  Would either be an awesome score or a complete disaster.  No middle ground it seems.


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## gzecc (Oct 1, 2014)

Visit it, look on the ground for leaves, look at the surrounding trees, if there are oaks, its probably oak. Pics too far for me to ID.


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## Paulywalnut (Oct 1, 2014)

If it's sweet gum there probably some  sharp spiny balls around on the ground. Hopefully it's acorns


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## adrpga498 (Oct 1, 2014)

Sweet gum balls = leave it alone, acorns = go for it. I was fooled once,never again. Great tip to look around Pauly


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## check212 (Oct 1, 2014)

You can tell by the weight of the round. If it's sweet gum, you can spin it around on your finger like a basketball.


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## dougand3 (Oct 1, 2014)

Longstreet said:


> I have nightmares about sweetgum.


Me, too. Terrible splitting wood.


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## check212 (Oct 1, 2014)

My first load of sweet gum (I didn't know yet), I almost fell down after I had braced myself to pick up a heavy round, and found it weighed nothing. I was excited about how dry it must be. I get it home, and go to split it with my axe, and the axe bounces off it. When I finally get it split, it's like it was rotted inside. Mushrooms all over it too.


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## Paulywalnut (Oct 1, 2014)

check212 said:


> My first load of sweet gum (I didn't know yet), I almost fell down after I had braced myself to pick up a heavy round, and found it weighed nothing. I was excited about how dry it must be. I get it home, and go to split it with my axe, and the axe bounces off it. When I finally get it split, it's like it was rotted inside. Mushrooms all over it too.


it was named correctly....Gum.


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## Longstreet (Oct 2, 2014)

Took the advice of the forum and visited the wood.  Yes, it is white oak.  Because of the location to my house and ease of rolling the logs into the back of my truck - there was a steep "hill" that I backed the tailgate up to and was able to bridge the gap with ramps - I was able to get two truck loads in an hour from the time I stepped out the door until I got unloaded and home.

First picture should confirm it is 100% oak.  I had to leave behind half because someone else had spoken for it.  Homeowner told me if they don't show, I have rights to it.  I can only hope!!  I'm going to call it a half cord once it's split.


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## Fred Wright (Oct 2, 2014)

Sweet gum logs and rounds usually have a dark brown center when cut green. Looks like a large bulls eye. That's one way to ID gum on the ground.

Gum is the devil to split, true but the wood is rather soft when compared to oak. Saw chips from gum are typically larger and lighter in color than those from oak.


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## Applesister (Oct 2, 2014)

Would it be possible to get some pics of sweet gum?
Ive heard of the tree, and I see it listed as a timber species but never seen one or the finished wood. Its supposed to be a valuable harvest species. Like tulip poplar, which no one seems to like here.
I have a lumberyard by me that specializes in exotic hardwoods and they sell wood imported from all over the globe, but Ive never seen Sweetgum. 

And never that it was hard to split, are you guys thinking of Black gum?
Does Sweetgum have interlocking grain?
Like Elm and Black gum?


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## dougand3 (Oct 2, 2014)

You can search "sweet gum". Here is an eg.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...t-gum-into-manageable-lengths-pics-bw.128214/


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## Applesister (Oct 2, 2014)

I just looked Sweetgum up on the internet.
Bark looked exactly like the first bark pic posted. I guess it has the same workability as Elm does.


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## Applesister (Oct 2, 2014)

dougand3 said:


> You can search "sweet gum". Here is an eg.
> 
> https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...t-gum-into-manageable-lengths-pics-bw.128214/


Thanks..you were posting at the same time I was.


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## gzecc (Oct 2, 2014)

Doesn't look like oak to me.


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## mellow (Oct 2, 2014)

Picture of sweetgum.  I will still take it if it is fresh cut, I find it is easier to split if it is green.


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## dougand3 (Oct 2, 2014)

Pics in #9 look more like a maple - silver?


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## Hickorynut (Oct 2, 2014)

The bark on those rounds of general longstreet could pass for white oak in my opinion....


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## Fred Wright (Oct 3, 2014)

Applesister said:


> Would it be possible to get some pics of sweet gum?
> Ive heard of the tree, and I see it listed as a timber species but never seen one or the finished wood. Its supposed to be a valuable harvest species. Like tulip poplar, which no one seems to like here.
> I have a lumberyard by me that specializes in exotic hardwoods and they sell wood imported from all over the globe, but Ive never seen Sweetgum.
> 
> ...



When cut green, sweet gum is white with a chocolate center. Yup, it has a high resin content with twisty, interlocking grain that tears more than it splits. I've had better luck leaving it to set in rounds for a few months before splitting. Even then it puts up a fight.

If sweet gum is milled for lumber I'm unaware of it. Back in the day it was used for railroad crossties and veneer but I dunno if that's still the case.

Black gum, or tupelo is different. We have a lot of black gum growing in the woodlot. I worked up one a couple years go, burned it last winter. Heat output was so-so, I didn't bother with any more. When cut, black gum is more of a tan color. It splits very smoothly, almost like it's been milled and sanded in places.

Better to leave it stand, those little purple berries attract deer. And honey made from the blossoms is top notch.


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