Which trees are useful?

[N80]

I've recently acquired a small portable saw mill. I have 240 acres of woodland in the middle of South Carolina. I know what to do with pine and white oak and some of the red oak varieties. We have some ash and hickory here and there. But what about trees like gum, poplar, sycamore? Are there things that can be done with these types of trees? Are those of interest to woodworkers of people who might want what I mill? (No plan to sell wood but would share anything I didn't need).

I will mostly be milling trees that blow down etc and I just need to get some ideas what is worth messing with and what should be left in the woods.

Thanks for any ideas or assistance.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd suggest instead of asking which trees are of value by what they are used for, you just google-up the wikipedia page for the specific species you're interested in.

For example, sweet gum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_styraciflua#Uses

 

[MossRoad]

poplar (yellow, tulip)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera#Use

 

[newbury]

like gum, poplar, sycamore?

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) can be milled and be especially useful if you are building boats. It will curve and twist hard enough to pull nails out. I've milled it and when a 10' piece was laid down right off the mill it was flat and then twisted to a foot high a day later. It can be a beautiful wood if milled.

 

[N80]

I'd suggest instead of asking which trees are of value by what they are used for, you just google-up the wikipedia page for the specific species you're interested in.

For example, sweet gum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_styraciflua#Uses

I've done that. Looked in the tree books too. Most of the time the lists of uses tend to be vague "popular in furniture making", "often used for posts", "useful in ship building" etc. I'm looking for specific examples and experiences from you savvy folks in TBN land.

For instance you hear and see that poplar is used in furniture making but historically that has been for the unseen wood like drawer sides and cabinet backs. But what else?

 

[MossRoad]

When I was a kid, anytime we had a gnarly cherry tree go down, my mom would contact one of her artist friends who was a sculptor. He loved that stuff. The gnarlier the better.

 

[jaxs]

I've recently acquired a small portable saw mill. I have 240 acres of woodland in the middle of South Carolina. I know what to do with pine and white oak and some of the red oak varieties. We have some ash and hickory here and there. But what about trees like gum, poplar, sycamore? Are there things that can be done with these types of trees? Are those of interest to woodworkers of people who might want what I mill? (No plan to sell wood but would share anything I didn't need).

I will mostly be milling trees that blow down etc and I just need to get some ideas what is worth messing with and what should be left in the woods.

Thanks for any ideas or assistance.

I would off the logs free and cut them to specifications of those who want them. If we say yea,yea people want this one and that one but not those,you'll still have to advertise after they are ready and then thickness will not suit them.

 

[mapper]

Poplar is good for secondary wood in furniture building. I use it for drawer sides and other purposes where it is hidden. It's quite stable and inexpensive, just not particularly attractive. About 20 years ago I built a magazine rack for my FIL when he went into assisted living. Made it out of poplar and stained it with walnut colored stain, it turned out better than my expectations and my wife is still using it, still looks good and has not broken.

 

[N80]

I would off the logs free and cut them to specifications of those who want them. If we say yea,yea people want this one and that one but not those,you'll still have to advertise after they are ready and then thickness will not suit them.

Agree. Friends and family near my place are interested in having me mill logs they supply. For that I will ask them how they want it and mill accordingly. (They know that I am new at this and that they very well may not end up with what they asked for.)

We have a lot of red cedar around here. It is popular for cedar chests. My daughter wants to line one of her clothes closets with it.

I am mostly asking about gum and poplar and sycamore because we have a lot of it. Especially gum. We never even used it for firewood growing up.

I also heard someone say that water oak was not that useful. They did not say why.

We have lots of white oaks too but I prefer not to cut them down. But in the last three years we have had at least three good sized white oak blow downs.

 

[MasseyFerg231]

I've done that. Looked in the tree books too. Most of the time the lists of uses tend to be vague "popular in furniture making", "often used for posts", "useful in ship building" etc. I'm looking for specific examples and experiences from you savvy folks in TBN land.

For instance you hear and see that poplar is used in furniture making but historically that has been for the unseen wood like drawer sides and cabinet backs. But what else?

alot of high quality paint grade trim I’d milled from poplar.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have found a use for EVERY log that I milled no matter what specie it is!

There are NO bad species of wood, just different purposes for the different species!

SR

 

[marhar]

Red cedar and black locust are rot resistant. The locust will get very hard when dried. While not on your list these are valuable to use around a farm. Years ago barns would be in NC where built with oak and poplar strips was used to cover the seams between the boards on the north and west sides of the barn. That being said if you are thinking about building a wooden building these two species are valuable.

 

[Egon]

Consider milling some logs into the largest balks ( quarter sawn ) possible and store them properly. They could later be Milled to the required size.

 

[N80]

Red cedar and black locust are rot resistant. The locust will get very hard when dried. While not on your list these are valuable to use around a farm. Years ago barns would be in NC where built with oak and poplar strips was used to cover the seams between the boards on the north and west sides of the barn. That being said if you are thinking about building a wooden building these two species are valuable.

We have some black locust but mostly honey locust. Don't know if honey locust is as hard and durable as black but it is quite hard. The honey locusts do not get particularly large.

Red cedar is everywhere but due to decades of logging the bigger ones are getting hard to find.

There is an old barn on my place. Pretty much falling in. But, the cedar posts are still fairly solid and were put straight in the ground with sapwood removed. I think that barn is probably 60-70 years old.

 

[MossRoad]

Honey locust... if you can get past the thorns.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust#Uses

We have about 10,000 black locust trees. No thorns on the trunks. Just smaller ones on the branches. Never had a punctured tire from those. Extremely heavy dense wood. Great for fence poles and firewood, too.

Found an interesting comparison between the two.

Honey Locust vs. Black Locust

As you work on various projects around your home, you will become more and more familiar with the various materials that are available for each …

www.h2ouse.org

 

[jaxs]

I don't know which I envy most,someone with spare time and energy to log and mill lumber to give away or those that recieve free lumber. I don't have time and energy to meet daily obligations or find people willing to work for wages,much less free.

 

[Oaktree]

We have a lot of red cedar around here. It is popular for cedar chests. My daughter wants to line one of her clothes closets with it.

I am mostly asking about gum and poplar and sycamore because we have a lot of it. Especially gum. We never even used it for firewood growing up.

Isn't red cedar used for siding (clapboards and shakes)?

As others have noted, poplar is used in cabinetry, though from what I've been told it doesn't take stain well and is better for something that's gonna be painted. Must be a different variety than what grows around here though. The poplars I have are all in all pretty worthless trees other than they grow quickly. Not much for shade trees, they tend to die young and rot quickly then come down in storms. Not even good for firewood.
Never heard of gum.

 

[MossRoad]

Sweet gum trees are really nice looking trees with great wood.

However, you don't want them in your lawn, especially if you enjoy going barefoot in the grass... their seedpods are little spiked balls of pain. Akin to stepping on Lego blocks barefoot in the dark!

 

[MossRoad]

Isn't red cedar used for siding (clapboards and shakes)?

As others have noted, poplar is used in cabinetry, though from what I've been told it doesn't take stain well and is better for something that's gonna be painted. Must be a different variety than what grows around here though. The poplars I have are all in all pretty worthless trees other than they grow quickly. Not much for shade trees, they tend to die young and rot quickly then come down in storms. Not even good for firewood.
Never heard of gum.

There are many types of poplar. However, the tulip poplar, or yellow poplar, which I'm guessing the OP is talking about, is a very LARGE tree, often growing past 150' and 3-4' diameter. Very straight growing trees, with hardly any branches down low.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera

 

[MossRoad]

There are many types of poplar. However, the tulip poplar, or yellow poplar, which I'm guessing the OP is talking about, is a very LARGE tree, often growing past 150' and 3-4' diameter. Very straight growing trees, with hardly any branches down low.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera

Also, it's not even a poplar. Just called that.