Is Gum A Hardwood

Is sweet gum a hardwood or softwood.

Is gum a hardwood.

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. Sweet gum or red gum has yellow sapwood and a dark reddish brown heartwood that is marbled for the most part. Red gum lumber is considered a specialty product and not quoted in the market reports. The iconic australian gum tree or eucalyptus is largely endemic to that continent and tasmania and comprises over 700 species.

General description the sapwood tends to be wide and is white to light pink while the heartwood is reddish brown often with darker streaks. Sapgum is widely available at low cost while redgum is more uncommon and prices can be in the mid range for a domestic hardwood with prices for figured and or quartersawn pieces costing more. Distribution the gums are an important part of the eastern hardwood forests and are found throughout the southeastern u s. Such trees can grow to be as old as 400 years old and they can reach towering heights of 150 feet.

As you learned earlier sweet gum is easily identifiable as it comes from a tree that produces star shaped leaves that contain five points along with spiked fruit. Hi i have a 1920 craftsman that has gumwood everywhere trim around every window and door 2 ft high paneling in almost every room built in buffet in dining room and bookcases flanking fireplace even a gumwood mantle and a 5 gumwood pocket door. Can t bear to paint as the previous owner starte. Thicker cuts seem to dry flatter.

It produces a lovely hot bed of coals that will burn throughout any winter night although perfect for any time of year. Liquidamber styraciflua other names. Plain red gum plain sawn red gum figured wood quartered red gum ribbon stripe. These are as follows.

This wood species is not listed in the cites appendices and is reported by the iucn as being a species of least concern. There are a number of different nhla grade designation for red gum. A lot of times i seal the ends and saw 3 3 8 thick then resaw after it has dried. Blue gum firewood is a dense hardwood and thus the wood does not burn up fast.

And veneer from the wood s unsplitable character made it the ideal material for berry baskets for which it is still widely used. Some red gum lumber is still produced and even sold on the export market. Eucalypts may be found in most environments on the continent from snowy to semiarid regions with the exclusion of tropical rain forests the eucalyptus family has proven to be a valuable resource and has spread across the globe. Once it is alight the hardwood burns long and hot.