Tree Droppings (What is this from?)

[Cambium]

There's Maples and Pines nearby so I dont know what its from.

Any idea?

 

[darkbyrd]

sweet gum. The leaves could easily be mistaken for maple. Liquidambar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[CTYank]

Those are seed-balls and leaves from Red Gum. Some can sprain ankles on the balls.

Red Gum wood is almost impossible to split. Very twisty grain.

 

[Cambium]

Those are seed-balls and leaves from Red Gum. Some can sprain ankles on the balls.

Red Gum wood is almost impossible to split. Very twisty grain.

You guys are good.

Good info.. My next question was, if my friend takes them down, should I take the wood? I've split Elm so kind of know what stringy wood is like but Elm was better than oak in the stove. So is this sweet/Red Gum good for a wood stove? :msp_biggrin:

Edit: Just noticed you're from SWCT. Me too. This picture was from my friends house in Darien.

 

[darkbyrd]

You guys are good.

Good info.. My next question was, if my friend takes them down, should I take the wood? I've split Elm so kind of know what stringy wood is like but Elm was better than oak in the stove. So is this sweet/Red Gum good for a wood stove? :msp_biggrin:

Edit: Just noticed you're from SWCT. Me too. This picture was from my friends house in Darien.

I don't know if your red gum is the same as my sweet gum, but they look almost the same. It was very stringy. I used a splitter, and every split had to be ripped apart, even though the logs were straight. For heat, it won't impress you any, but it is stronger than pine or poplar. I try to keep it out of the oak-locust-hickory stacks.

 

[zogger]

You guys are good.

Good info.. My next question was, if my friend takes them down, should I take the wood? I've split Elm so kind of know what stringy wood is like but Elm was better than oak in the stove. So is this sweet/Red Gum good for a wood stove? :msp_biggrin:

Edit: Just noticed you're from SWCT. Me too. This picture was from my friends house in Darien.

The wood is fine, sucks to split. What I do with larger pieces, up to 12" diameter, as long as they will fit in the stove, is not bother splitting them, let them sit two summers. Real big stuff..uhh..haven't had any for several years, used the power splitter on them. They bust, then you have to cut the stringy stuff off. If you don't mind elm, it is similar.

Supposedly the big ones can be sold to the mill for railroad ties, but I have never done that.

 

[Cambium]

Watching some red gum videos. Found this of splitting one. Actually looks MUCH cleaner than Elm. Very Red and juicy inside. Wow. I hope it splits like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-VAuadbtyA

 

[haveawoody]

Thats a walk in the park.

Here is rock elm and a maul.
Good fun to watch as he tried to maul rock elm at the worst possible time to try.
Extreme Housework Part IA - Sander Houk and the Rock Elm - 01-08-2011.AVI - YouTube

 

[zogger]

Thats a walk in the park.

Here is rock elm and a maul.
Good fun to watch as he tried to maul rock elm at the worst possible time to try.
Extreme Housework Part IA - Sander Houk and the Rock Elm - 01-08-2011.AVI - YouTube

MAN that is painul to watch! If he insists on using blunt force trauma and an anvil on a stick, he would have been better off cutting a little kerf and sticking a wedge in there and laying on with a BFH. At least he would have gotten something to show for all those swings. Near as I could tell he didn't even come close to hitting the same place twice..sort of a waste of time past swing #2. You have to learn to cut your losses fast with hand splitting firewood. If one, two or at most three swings won't get ya started, geez loweez stack that thing up until it at least checks deep and you got something more substantial to aim at.....That guy was just random bludgeoning the thing...I mean that is just classwic "anvil on a stick" styled (attempted) splitting. No speed, focus or real aiming, just sort of kind of hit it anyplace and hope it splits.

He took it in good humor though anyway. "Rock" elm...hehehehe


rock elm..ain't got none, don't know what it looks like. Have done some cords (maybe three) total of dutch elm, that is the hardest nastiest stuff I ever did. Took forever, looked worse then this poor guy in the vid..it was pitiful.....some of my earlier firewood burning action.... Learned my lesson on scrounging a bit nicer wood.....

But watching that vid I would try ONE round.. (ain't paying shipping though, because I know one of ya'all wiseacres proly has some..hahaha...) Sweetgum will crack (that other vid was the cleanest best sweetgum I ever saw..I am doubting that is what they claim it was...), it just doesn't want to clean split, at least what we have around here. I think you could bust a sweetgum up into like 8-10 pieces and pick them up and have them all stay attached to each other.

 

[Cambium]

Thats a walk in the park.

Here is rock elm and a maul.
Good fun to watch as he tried to maul rock elm at the worst possible time to try.
Extreme Housework Part IA - Sander Houk and the Rock Elm - 01-08-2011.AVI - YouTube

lmao. Yeah, I got a load dropped off and the arborist told me it was Oak Maple mix. I took an axe to a log and it was bouncing just like that. Its Elm. So I put aside all the Elm logs for now. lol Thats a task for a machine

 

[spidermonkey17]

Stupid gum balls accident waiting to happen and the wood is not worth the time to split IMHO.

What part of Darien are they in I have several family members that live in Darien and rowayton. I did not think people actually did real work in that town ha ha j/k

 

[Cambium]

Stupid gum balls accident waiting to happen and the wood is not worth the time to split IMHO.

What part of Darien are they in I have several family members that live in Darien and rowayton. I did not think people actually did real work in that town ha ha j/k

Near 95. Off Tokaneke road. Sometimes less time splitting doesnt beat long time burning hot. . I dont think he's taking it down soon but now I know if he does.

I rarely see Gum, Cherry and Elm around here anymore. Everything seems to be Oak and Maples. Sucks in a way.

 

[lone wolf]

You guys are good.

Good info.. My next question was, if my friend takes them down, should I take the wood? I've split Elm so kind of know what stringy wood is like but Elm was better than oak in the stove. So is this sweet/Red Gum good for a wood stove? :msp_biggrin:

Edit: Just noticed you're from SWCT. Me too. This picture was from my friends house in Darien.

Hell no!

 

[spidermonkey17]

Near 95. Off Tokaneke road. Sometimes less time splitting doesnt beat long time burning hot. . I dont think he's taking it down soon but now I know if he does.

I rarely see Gum, Cherry and Elm around here anymore. Everything seems to be Oak and Maples. Sucks in a way.

I know exactly where that is my grand parents live on Raymond street and the rest live in the rowayton beach area. They actually own rowayton fuel. Which is right down the road from your buddy. Tons of gum trees down here in virginia would live to cut them all down a grind them up.

 

[jrider]

I wouldn't even let someone drop off gum of any sort at my place. I've worked with both sweet and black gum and its nothing but a wrestling match.

The red gum that is shown in that picture splits about as easy as oak and from what I've read, its native to Australia.

 

[crowbuster]

Best thing about our sweet gum to me is the smell of the leafs when you crush em in your hand, try it

 

[zogger]

I wouldn't even let someone drop off gum of any sort at my place. I've worked with both sweet and black gum and its nothing but a wrestling match.

The red gum that is shown in that picture splits about as easy as oak and from what I've read, its native to Australia.

Ah! thanks! That explains it then.

 

[haveawoody]

zogger,

LOL my exact thought when i watched.

Ok get of the spongy ground, try two hits in the same place, get a wedge and hammer, or even wait until the rounds have checked up a bit.
You got to give him credit for being persistant LOL
I laughed my guts out on about the 10th hit when the bark fell off and he tore it off like a prize.

Elm for sure is all about when to split but really splitter unless you want a free gym workout.

 

[wagz]

Thats a walk in the park.

Here is rock elm and a maul.
Good fun to watch as he tried to maul rock elm at the worst possible time to try.
Extreme Housework Part IA - Sander Houk and the Rock Elm - 01-08-2011.AVI - YouTube

that guy swings like a girl...

 

[Fred Wright]

We called the seed pods gumballs when we were kids. Man, we'd get slingshots and have neighborhood wars with 'em. They'd draw blood, too if ya got tagged in the face or arm.

Yup, the eastern seaboard region is rife with sweetgum trees. Not the greatest stove fodder but it does burn. Leaves more ash behind than your better hardwoods.

If you're gonna split it for firewood, you'll need at least a 16-ton hydro. Let it set in rounds for a few months first. Put a block of wood between the ram and the round... the round will have to travel all the way through to cut it in two in most cases.