Since Christmas I have been cutting bowl blanks. A friend called me
that his son had cut a large sweetgum tree. It was large enough that I
could cut an 16 inch bowl blank off each side leaving an 8 inch slab
with the pith. From this I can make two 8 inch bowls on each side of
the pith making 6 bowls from each section. So far I have 24 large
blanks and uncounted small ones. There is nearly that much left but
with the 70 degree weather I can only keep at it a couple of hours.

Anybody ever used sweetgum for bowls? It is beautiful brown with tans
and oranges mixed in. Looks sorta like petrified wood.
--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Social Security: World's biggest Ponzi Scheme.

On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 13:54:12 -0600, Gerald Ross wrote
(in message ):

Since Christmas I have been cutting bowl blanks. A friend called me
that his son had cut a large sweetgum tree. It was large enough that I
could cut an 16 inch bowl blank off each side leaving an 8 inch slab
with the pith. From this I can make two 8 inch bowls on each side of
the pith making 6 bowls from each section. So far I have 24 large
blanks and uncounted small ones. There is nearly that much left but
with the 70 degree weather I can only keep at it a couple of hours.

Anybody ever used sweetgum for bowls? It is beautiful brown with tans
and oranges mixed in. Looks sorta like petrified wood.


sounds like you hit a wood bonanza! am mildly puzzled about the reference to
70 deg. weather, and thus only able to "keep at it a couple of hours" I'm
thinking this is a gentle jab at us snowbound folks who would be willing to
do *anything* all day long, if it were 70 degrees... not just for a couple of
hours. Humor. That's it, it must be humor. I guess I'm chuckling a little.
heh.

If the roads are open tomorrow, I might snowshoe into the back 40, and get me
a few chunks of frozen birch to mess around with.

Good catch on the sweetgum! (I don't mean "catch" like might could happen
with a chisel, I mean you done a good thing)

tom koehler


--
I will find a way or make one.

I just did a search on Google and found quite a few bowls that were
made from Sweetgum. I had never heard of it before. It is nice
looking wood. Nice find.

I just brought home a maple tree trunk that was 25 feet long and about
30 inches in diameter. Gorgeous wood. A friend of mine brought his
portable saw mill to the sight and we cut them into fairly large
chunks. I have some pieces that are 24 inches wide by 10 inches thick
by 5 feet long. Real heavy stuff. I have already rough turned a 19
inch bowl out of it and cored it to make a smaller one from the inside
piece.

So much to turn. Too little time.
Ted

Here is some input from The "The Wood Explorer" software tool...
[ stars are like votes. Easy to glue is voted 3x more than difficult to glue...
Some things to think about - Turning is fair to Very Good.

Martin

Silica Content
* Siliceous

Toxicity
* Dermatitic effects
Ease of Drying
* Requires careful seasoning to prevent degrade
* Moderate
* Dries at a rapid rate
Blunting Effect
There is only a mild blunting effect on cutting edges because of gummy deposits.

Boring
* Good (75+ pieces out of 100 will yield good to excellent results)
* Easy


Cutting Resistance
**** Easy to saw

* Cutting Resistance with green wood is easy
* Cutting Resistance with dry wood is easy
The wood is generally easy to work and has low resistance to sawing. Gummy
deposits in red gum may cause cutting edges to blunt slightly

Gluing
*** Easy to glue
* Good gluing properties
* Difficult to glue
Planing
**** Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult

The wood is reported to plane readily to yield a smooth and shiny finish.
(Number of planed pieces without any machining defects out of one hundred = 51)

Turning
** Very Good to Excellent Results
** Fair to Good Results

** Easy to turn
American Red Gum responds well to both hand and machine tools in turning.
(Percent of turned pieces with fair to excellent results = 86)





Gerald Ross wrote:
Since Christmas I have been cutting bowl blanks. A friend called me that
his son had cut a large sweetgum tree. It was large enough that I could
cut an 16 inch bowl blank off each side leaving an 8 inch slab with the
pith. From this I can make two 8 inch bowls on each side of the pith
making 6 bowls from each section. So far I have 24 large blanks and
uncounted small ones. There is nearly that much left but with the 70
degree weather I can only keep at it a couple of hours.

Anybody ever used sweetgum for bowls? It is beautiful brown with tans
and oranges mixed in. Looks sorta like petrified wood.

On Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:54:12 -0500, Gerald Ross wrote:

Since Christmas I have been cutting bowl blanks. A friend called me
that his son had cut a large sweetgum tree. It was large enough that I
could cut an 16 inch bowl blank off each side leaving an 8 inch slab
with the pith. From this I can make two 8 inch bowls on each side of
the pith making 6 bowls from each section. So far I have 24 large
blanks and uncounted small ones. There is nearly that much left but
with the 70 degree weather I can only keep at it a couple of hours.

Anybody ever used sweetgum for bowls? It is beautiful brown with tans
and oranges mixed in. Looks sorta like petrified wood.

You really suck, Gerald..
Hope you sell a bunch of them and the friend ends up with a nice bowl as a thank
you..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:58:25 -0600, tom koehler
wrote:

Tom,
I think Gerald is saying that from the time he cuts a blank and it starts
drying/cracking.degrading is pretty short with that particular wood at that
temperature..
Not sure WHY, though, as he's in Georgia and I'd guess that the humidity is high
there?



On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 13:54:12 -0600, Gerald Ross wrote
(in message ):

Since Christmas I have been cutting bowl blanks. A friend called me
that his son had cut a large sweetgum tree. It was large enough that I
could cut an 16 inch bowl blank off each side leaving an 8 inch slab
with the pith. From this I can make two 8 inch bowls on each side of
the pith making 6 bowls from each section. So far I have 24 large
blanks and uncounted small ones. There is nearly that much left but
with the 70 degree weather I can only keep at it a couple of hours.

Anybody ever used sweetgum for bowls? It is beautiful brown with tans
and oranges mixed in. Looks sorta like petrified wood.


sounds like you hit a wood bonanza! am mildly puzzled about the reference to
70 deg. weather, and thus only able to "keep at it a couple of hours" I'm
thinking this is a gentle jab at us snowbound folks who would be willing to
do *anything* all day long, if it were 70 degrees... not just for a couple of
hours. Humor. That's it, it must be humor. I guess I'm chuckling a little.
heh.

If the roads are open tomorrow, I might snowshoe into the back 40, and get me
a few chunks of frozen birch to mess around with.

Good catch on the sweetgum! (I don't mean "catch" like might could happen
with a chisel, I mean you done a good thing)

tom koehler


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Sweet gum is a bit on the soft side, and tends to be fuzzy after
turning, but sands out nicely. Given a short time, it will spalt
nicely. Most of what I have gotten was pretty plain white in color.
robo hippy

On Jan 4, 8:52*am, mac davis wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:58:25 -0600, tom koehler

wrote:

Tom,
I think Gerald is saying that from the time he cuts a blank and it starts
drying/cracking.degrading is pretty short with that particular wood at that
temperature..
Not sure WHY, though, as he's in Georgia and I'd guess that the humidity is high
there?





On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 13:54:12 -0600, Gerald Ross wrote
(in message ):

Since Christmas I have been cutting bowl blanks. A friend called me
that his son had cut a large sweetgum tree. It was large enough that I
could cut an 16 inch bowl blank off each side leaving an 8 inch slab
with the pith. From this I can make two 8 inch bowls on each side of
the pith making 6 bowls from each section. So far I have 24 large
blanks and uncounted small ones. There is nearly that much left but
with the 70 degree weather I can only keep at it a couple of hours.

Anybody ever used sweetgum for bowls? It is beautiful brown with tans
and oranges mixed in. Looks sorta like petrified wood.

sounds like you hit a wood bonanza! am mildly puzzled about the reference to
70 deg. weather, and thus only able to "keep at it a couple of hours" I'm
thinking this is a gentle jab at us snowbound folks who would be willing to
do *anything* all day long, if it were 70 degrees... not just for a couple of
hours. Humor. That's it, it must be humor. I guess I'm chuckling a little.
heh.

If the roads are open tomorrow, I might snowshoe into the back 40, and get me
a few chunks of frozen birch to mess around with.

Good catch on the sweetgum! (I don't mean "catch" like might could happen
with a chisel, I mean you done a good thing)

tom koehler

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

mac davis wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:58:25 -0600, tom koehler
wrote:

Tom,
I think Gerald is saying that from the time he cuts a blank and it starts
drying/cracking.degrading is pretty short with that particular wood at that
temperature..
Not sure WHY, though, as he's in Georgia and I'd guess that the humidity is high
there?


What I'm saying is, I'm out of shape and that is sweaty work.


On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 13:54:12 -0600, Gerald Ross wrote
(in message ):

Since Christmas I have been cutting bowl blanks. A friend called me
that his son had cut a large sweetgum tree. It was large enough that I
could cut an 16 inch bowl blank off each side leaving an 8 inch slab
with the pith. From this I can make two 8 inch bowls on each side of
the pith making 6 bowls from each section. So far I have 24 large
blanks and uncounted small ones. There is nearly that much left but
with the 70 degree weather I can only keep at it a couple of hours.

Anybody ever used sweetgum for bowls? It is beautiful brown with tans
and oranges mixed in. Looks sorta like petrified wood.


sounds like you hit a wood bonanza! am mildly puzzled about the reference to
70 deg. weather, and thus only able to "keep at it a couple of hours" I'm
thinking this is a gentle jab at us snowbound folks who would be willing to
do *anything* all day long, if it were 70 degrees... not just for a couple of
hours. Humor. That's it, it must be humor. I guess I'm chuckling a little.
heh.

If the roads are open tomorrow, I might snowshoe into the back 40, and get me
a few chunks of frozen birch to mess around with.

Good catch on the sweetgum! (I don't mean "catch" like might could happen
with a chisel, I mean you done a good thing)

tom koehler


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing


--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Social Security: World's biggest Ponzi Scheme.

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
Here is some input from The "The Wood Explorer" software tool...
[ stars are like votes. Easy to glue is voted 3x more than difficult to glue...
Some things to think about - Turning is fair to Very Good.

Martin

Silica Content
* Siliceous

Toxicity
* Dermatitic effects
Ease of Drying
* Requires careful seasoning to prevent degrade
* Moderate
* Dries at a rapid rate
Blunting Effect
There is only a mild blunting effect on cutting edges because of gummy deposits.

Boring
* Good (75+ pieces out of 100 will yield good to excellent results)
* Easy


Cutting Resistance
**** Easy to saw

* Cutting Resistance with green wood is easy
* Cutting Resistance with dry wood is easy
The wood is generally easy to work and has low resistance to sawing. Gummy
deposits in red gum may cause cutting edges to blunt slightly

Gluing
*** Easy to glue
* Good gluing properties
* Difficult to glue
Planing
**** Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult

The wood is reported to plane readily to yield a smooth and shiny finish.
(Number of planed pieces without any machining defects out of one hundred = 51)

Turning
** Very Good to Excellent Results
** Fair to Good Results

** Easy to turn
American Red Gum responds well to both hand and machine tools in turning.
(Percent of turned pieces with fair to excellent results = 86)


I got hold of some about 3 years ago and it turns and turns out
beautifully. They sold great too. This is the first chance I've had to
get a significant supply again.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Social Security: World's biggest Ponzi Scheme.

On Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:47:15 -0600, Gerald Ross wrote
(in message ):

mac davis wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:58:25 -0600, tom koehler
wrote:

Tom,
I think Gerald is saying that from the time he cuts a blank and it starts
drying/cracking.degrading is pretty short with that particular wood at that
temperature..
Not sure WHY, though, as he's in Georgia and I'd guess that the humidity
is high
there?


What I'm saying is, I'm out of shape and that is sweaty work.


Oh. OK. My bad. Am used to being teased by others in warmer climes, and this
just sort of fit in with that kind of teasing.
Am trusting that you are looking out for yourself, then, please.
tom k.


--
I will find a way or make one.

mac davis wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:58:25 -0600, tom koehler
wrote:

Tom,
I think Gerald is saying that from the time he cuts a blank and it starts
drying/cracking.degrading is pretty short with that particular wood at that
temperature..
Not sure WHY, though, as he's in Georgia and I'd guess that the humidity is high
there?

Applying a couple *thick* coats of latex paint to the end grain, or
better yet, applying some end-grain sealer would go a long ways towards
solving that issue...

....Kevin

Kevin Miller wrote:
mac davis wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:58:25 -0600, tom koehler
wrote:

Tom,
I think Gerald is saying that from the time he cuts a blank and it starts
drying/cracking.degrading is pretty short with that particular wood at that
temperature..
Not sure WHY, though, as he's in Georgia and I'd guess that the humidity is high
there?

Applying a couple *thick* coats of latex paint to the end grain, or
better yet, applying some end-grain sealer would go a long ways towards
solving that issue...

...Kevin
It's not an issue. I seal with wax emulsion when I get the blanks
home. Works great. The real issue is cutting the log, cutting the
blanks and lugging 30-50 pound blanks and loading them on the truck.
But I am enjoying the thought of turning the finished bowls next summer.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Social Security: World's biggest Ponzi Scheme.

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:47:15 -0500, Gerald Ross wrote:

mac davis wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 15:58:25 -0600, tom koehler
wrote:

Tom,
I think Gerald is saying that from the time he cuts a blank and it starts
drying/cracking.degrading is pretty short with that particular wood at that
temperature..
Not sure WHY, though, as he's in Georgia and I'd guess that the humidity is high
there?


What I'm saying is, I'm out of shape and that is sweaty work.

Takes a real man to admit that, Gerald.. rofl


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing