American Beech. To get the best out of your firewood it should be cut, split Black Locust is some of the best firewood there is, period. PfeifferV/getty. If so, how was it and what did … The creosote will stick to the sides of the chimney and can ignite causing a chimney fire. From contributor S: If you only need a little wood, bagged commercial firewood is often a good and safe choice as the high-quality hardwood will burn hot and clean. The wood of the black gum has fibers not only interwoven but twisted to boot. With its great coaling qualities, density and heat output, blue gum won't leave you disappointed. These trees typically have a straight trunk with the branches extending outward at right angles. (Sawing and Drying Forum) Nyssa sylvatica grows to 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) tall, rarely to 35 metres (115 ft), with a trunk diameter of 50–100 centimetres (20–39 in), rarely up to 170 centimetres (67 in). Black gum. Kiln dried wood is our superior product as it has been through kiln (similar to a oven on fan bake) it dries the wood down to an average of 20% moisture. It has a sweet odor when cut, a tight and tortuous grain pattern with burl characteristics, especially in the crooked limbs. Gum Black Medium Medium No Medium No 18.1 Fair Gum Sweet Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium 18.7 Good Mesquite High Medium No Medium No Good Aspen Low Yes Yes Medium No 14.5 Fair Basswood Low Yes Yes Medium No 12.6 Fair Cottonwood Low Yes Yes Medium No 12.2 Fair Chestnut Low Yes Yes Medium Yes Poor Yellow Poplar Low Yes Yes Medium Yes 16.0 Poor In fact […] As for sweet gum wood, you can rest assured that you are getting a fine burning wood because it is cable of producing 20.6 million BTUs per cord. Throughout the swamps of the South grows a good-sized tree that even the pioneers who made extensive use of wood, left alone. Not that black gum, or black tupelo as it is sometimes called, didn't yield good wood. Dust Collection, Safety and Plant Operation, Job Opportunities and Woodworking Services, Sawyers discuss how to handle Black Gum wood, and what you can make with it. Many limb sections have large bark inclusions which add character to the turnings, but also increase the risk of the piece breaking apart during turning. The higher the BTU level, the more heat the firewood can produce. Black gum. Smoke-free fire master, Dave Pullen from the New Zealand Home Heating Association shares his top picks for the best firewood to burn a warmer, cheaper, smoke-free fire. All Rights Reserved. Sure do. Because the tree dies from the top down, demised branches and trunk pieces easily break off, in effect shortening the tree year by year. Black gum has a lower resin content than sweetgum. Comment from contributor A: The time it takes for this super-dense hardwood to season can seem like an eternity, but in reality, it’s more like one year. Firewood should be dried to10% to 20% moisture content for best performance. However, Black Walnut is a fairly common tree in certain parts of the USA, so it is still used as firewood from time-to-time. You want to chamfer the corners of some small pieces of stock using your tablesaw. © 2021 Meredith Corporation. Well I don't call it a boiler, it's a wood fired … Sweet gum is not a very popular firewood choice for a variety of different reasons. It's like trying to split a block of nylon plastic. Not that black gum, or black tupelo as it is sometimes called, didn't yield good wood. Gums often do well with acacia (wattles) as the smaller trees can live under a gum canopy, and are also good firewood trees in their own right. The leaves of the black gum tree are an elongated oval shape that offer a brilliant fall show. For more related content, subscribe to our newsletter! Black Oak firewood. And while modern tools and cutting edges can surmount this obstacle, even the sharpest ax and the most expertly wielded froe of yesteryear made little headway splitting it. Whether you're using it to create the perfect fire in your fireplace to cozy up with on a cool night, or you're using the wood to make a campfire, blue gum is a great firewood choice. mostly gum tree? It’s much lighter than oak and wouldn't have to hold up to the elements, as cribbing is usually destroyed before it can rot anyway. What are some potential uses of black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)? Plantation Pine, Douglas Fir and Blue Gum are widely available from Canterbury Good Wood merchants and are the best woods to use and mix to get your fire just right. Green Wood. The reason firewood is a great heating source is that it’s capable of producing high levels of BTU. Gums often do well with acacia (wattles) as the smaller trees can live under a gum canopy, and are also good firewood trees in their own right. Sweetgum is a real bear to split... it has a high resin content. I sawed some yesterday, and was surprised how nice looking the lumber was inside. Prefers deep volcanic soils, shelter from wind. As you can see from the table below, there is no real discernable difference between ironbark and box. The only problem that most people have with the wood is that it takes an incredible amount of … We sell our firewood as a thrown measure in a 3 cubic meter size load. HIGHLY-RECOMMENDED FIREWOOD TREES. Other Good Wood to Burn White ash, sugar maple and birch trees also produce excellent firewood, albeit not quite as good as oak and hickory. They shred more than split and completely lack any sort of pleasant aroma while cutting, splitting, or burning. The fact was, that once down, a black gum log was nearly impossible to split with tools at hand. The leaves flutter easily in the slightest of breezes and form a rounded canopy. Since you can't split the stuff, I was wondering if it might be a good species to use for cribbing. All firewood should be obtained, stacked and air dried at least six months prior to burning. 1. Blue Gum Firewood - Overall. Both it and Eucalyptus ovata, the swamp gum, grow in quite moist soil (but not West Coast pakihi) and tolerate a -8°C frost, and while their firewood is good, the timber isn’t, and E. nitens doesn’t coppice all that reliably. The fact was, that once down, a black gum log was nearly impossible to split with tools at hand. Our gum firewood is a combination of red gum, blue gum it may also contain Australian hardwoods black wattle and sheoak casuarina. 15 10 Joined Jan 13, 2011. Yet, our enterprising forebears did find use for the wood. Dean Blacklaws Firewood, Blenheim, New Zealand. It has a sweet odor when cut, a tight and tortuous grain pattern with burl characteristics, especially in the crooked limbs. Firewood Solutions Bluegum is more affordable, ready to light, provides excellent heat and burn rate. The color of the wood is tan or pale yellow with medium brown to dark brown and black highlights. That being said, most people view sweet gum wood as a luxury that should be used for lumber and furniture production. Not surprisingly, the same density and durability that makes black locust good for fence posts also makes it among the best firewood trees. Firewood supplies for the Marlborough Area. June 30, 2009, KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Air Drying Lumber, KnowledgeBase: Wood Engineering: Wood Properties. But like all good things, it comes to those who wait. Many species of Eucalyptus, Acacias, Casuarinas, and Allocasuarina will reshoot from the stump, producing multiple trunks which can then be harvested. Your fingers... read more. Both will rot fast if left uncovered . Personally I recommend any wood that will burn clean and last a long time (good coaling properties). Eucalyptus macrorhyncha, red stringybark. The trick for a firewood block is to plant them with another good timber/firewood species from their Australian homeland, acacia (wattles). is the gum any good? However, this doesn't mean you can't use the wood. 645 likes. Black gum is excellent for turning. How can I keep my router bushing assembly in place? Any one here ever used "Black Oak" firewood for smoking. I have done several turnings from a down black gum on my property, and they are beautiful. ... (birds love it too), it's good to coppice, and it fixes nitrogen in the soil. And it wasn't hard to spot a dying black gum. A great rule of thumb is to avoid softwood. Sweet Gum Firewood Use. Whats the Best Firewood for your slow combustion heater? The wood of the black gum has fibers not only interwoven but twisted to boot. I run across quite a bit of it here in PA. Forum Responses Cottonwood is a type of firewood that is known for producing a low heat. Thread in 'Woods for Smoking' Thread starter Started by jones54, Start date Mar 3, 2013; Mar 3, 2013 #1 jones54 Newbie. My personal favourites are River Red Gum, Ironbark, Bimble Box, Grey Gum and Bloodwood. Cottonwood. Fast-growing, good quality timber, low tolerance to frost. Black gum or sour gum tree facts can be rather fascinating for arborists who study this hardy, towering native species. While cedar, cypress, oak, and pine fell before the ax and were split for fence rails, shingles, clapboards, and other essentials, the black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) was shunned. So this means that I have a wood stove that I use during the winter, but I don’t need it to burn super hot all of the time. It might be Spring, but there’s still a chill in the air in many parts of Australia — and plenty of stormy nights are sure to be on the horizon. From what I've read, here and elsewhere, it’s been used in furniture, similar to sweet gum, but it needs to be dried well, and stickered more than other woods, every 12", and weighted or clamped, to keep warping down. This is a very dense wood, excellent timber for posts, flooring etc, doesn’t like dry, exposed sites or hard frost. 10. I've split a burned quite a bit of both. Fitted with flat wooden tops, they became hives for honey bees or holding pens for chickens and ducks. An effective way to produce an ongoing source of firewood is to grow trees that will naturally coppice after being cut. Even if some of the best types of trees aren’t in your area or handy for a good cut down, you can still give yourself the best possible fire by making sure to avoid the worst trees for firewood. The bark does not hold well to the sapwood, however, making it difficult to turn natural edge bowls. See the comparison table below for more information on how Bluegum compares to other firewood. Green firewood only gives off about 40% of the energy of dry firewood. It's easier to split if it's been left to dry a few months in rounds. Not much in either regard, but it is just a bit better. You can begin harvesting trees for firewood in the fifth year. Eventually, the unyielding wood of black gum filled the bill for heavy-duty tool handles, factory flooring, hard-working parts for farm machinery, conveyor rollers, and the core of hardwood plywood. So I cut one or two each year for firewood. I have used sweet or red gum to make small parts that tend to split out if you use other woods. 20. I have done several turnings from a down black gum on my property, and they are beautiful. 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