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.