I love gum!

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Is that sweet gum? Liquid amber in these parts if it is. I've never burned it, nor bothered cutting and splitting it. We have any number of 'gum trees' (eucalypts) here, some are great, some not so great, some float in water, some don't. All depends on the species.
 
I hate it too. Tearing through it is about all you can do. Suck's up water like a sponge too.

The only upside to gum is that it convinced/forced me to get a splitter when I bought my place 12 years ago.
 
Is that sweet gum? Liquid amber in these parts if it is. I've never burned it, nor bothered cutting and splitting it. We have any number of 'gum trees' (eucalypts) here, some are great, some not so great, some float in water, some don't. All depends on the species.
Yes it is sweet gum.
 
Is that sweet gum? Liquid amber in these parts if it is. I've never burned it, nor bothered cutting and splitting it. We have any number of 'gum trees' (eucalypts) here, some are great, some not so great, some float in water, some don't. All depends on the species.

Definitely not a eucalypt (Nyssa sylvatica), it's something of its own... Never burned it, but tried splitting it once... whoo boy.... I'd rather beat my head against a wall.
 
I have burnt a little blackgum. Never noticed it rottening but I stack in the dry. I will say blackgum is the only wood that ever stalled my splitter. Trying to do a 6way split on a big round. Spent more time hammering it off the wedge than It would have took to just split it using a sledge and wedge. I did lower the splitter wedge to just split it 4 ways and managed to get the round split. Handleing without gloves is a big no no too. Those splinters are like little razor blades.
 
Definitely not a eucalypt (Nyssa sylvatica), it's something of its own... Never burned it, but tried splitting it once... whoo boy.... I'd rather beat my head against a wall.

We have one in our garden, pretty when the leaves turn. When it dies, it's getting noodled into firepit wood.

No-one burns deciduous trees over here, it's like they have a blind spot for anything that is not a eucalypt.
 
We have one in our garden, pretty when the leaves turn. When it dies, it's getting noodled into firepit wood.

No-one burns deciduous trees over here, it's like they have a blind spot for anything that is not a eucalypt.

Makes sense, assuming eucalyptus are abundant over there, why go for anything else? Strangely enough, here in North America most of the more dense woods are deciduous. The only evergreen broadleaf trees I know if that produce good dense wood are probably Live Oak or Madrone. Doug Fir, Lodgepole Pine, and so I'm told - Spruce, and also Tamarack/Larch are good, dense evergreen conifer trees. Never burned or touched any of those woods, though - but I hear there are excellent. Not quite otherwordly Aussie wood, but good enough, ha ha
 
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