Black Gum

[Chuck Jones]

I found two logs lying on a piece of adjacent property I recently bought and I'm not certain what they are... black gum is my best guess. I sawed 75 bf out of the larger one today and it has extremely nice color and grain pattern. I sawed the shorter one into several 3" and 4" cants up to 10" wide for turning later. The bark was deep grooved, rough, grey (just like dozens of other trees around here).

Based on the photos below, does anyone have an opinion on the species?

Also, what the heck is black gum good for?

[Lloyd McKinlay]

A couple of links with info on Black Gum or Tupelo..

Wood Magazine

Woodbin

[Scott Banbury]

Chuck, that doesn't look like any Black Gum (Tupelo) that I've ever sawn--usually it's a creamy green on the inside, turning dull brownish as it dries. Maybe it's Sweet Gum?

The only thing Tupelo is good for is duck decoys but only if the tree grew in a annually flooded bottom.

Anyhow, is that your mill? Where in West TN are you?

[Chuck Jones]

Lloyd, thanks for the links. There is good information at both of them. Another use that they didn't mentioned, but I've heard from old-timers around here is roof laths. They claim nails hold better in it. I just sold a 150 year old log cabin off this same piece of property and the fellow who bought it said the laths were black gum.

Scott, you may be right, it could be sweet gum. I don't really think so because I've sawed quite a bit of sweet gum and this is different. The difference doesn't show in the pictures very well. I just sawed this yesterday so it remains to be seen what it will look like when it dries some.

Yes that's my Woodmizer LT-40 in the picture. I've been using it for about 7 years. I'm in Carroll County about 25 miles northeast of Jackson.

[Jack Briggs]

I thought you meant the kind of black gum they use to sell at the novelty store!


I've got some tupelo and yes, it's creamy with greenish streaks - much like poplar, but lighter in weight. In fact it's the lightest wood I've ever had in my shop!

[Chuck Jones]

Scott, you are correct. I have now found out it is not Black Gum. (Not the kind you saw or the kind Jack says he used to chew.) I spoke with the old gentleman who previously owned the property and he says those logs were Sweet Gum. Sure fooled me. I've sawed several Sweet Gum logs and this looks quite different. Now that I've collected all this good information on Black Gum, I'm determined to find some to saw. I have several on my property, but the birds and I like them too much to harvest them.