des3516pro
ArboristSite Lurker
:greenchainsaw: I was wondering how wood from a Gum Tree would be as firewood. Has anybody tried it yet??
Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Nyssa sylvatica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is the one that even hydraulic splitters have a tough time with. When I split black gum I can only do it with my two way wedge. My 50,000lb splitter will not split it four ways so I must take off my slip on 4 way wedge. With my 4 way wedge off my ram stops about two inches from the two way wedge, i still can not tear the two pieces apart by hand. What I do is put another piece on behind the unfinished one and push it through. It doesn't actually split....it more just tears. Difficult crotches I just toss in the woods and only split and burn the straight grained pieces. Great fuel but light in weight. We call it 'bomb wood' because of how it burn with a bright yellow flame.
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Sweet Gum, (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Liquidambar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is the gum with the little spiky balls. My hydraulic log splitter splits this wood easily in four way wedge mode. It's fairly light when seasoned and burns well. Rots quickly when left in whole rounds or in contact with the ground.
Yes gum is definitely hard to split. Hydro is about the only option, unless you have a lot energy, a maul and a big hammer. Its the only wood we burn over here because it grows everywhere and burns well.
I would recommend at least a 25T hydro splitter and it needs to be well built. I have seen gum bend thick steel and then it goes off like a gun shot once it finally splits.
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