Giant Sugar Gum Tree for Wood turning Blanks

[Willy Nelson]

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen
Just returned from two weeks of LSL

Firstly, a freak cyclone ripped through a local town here in WA. the swathe of destruction was bizarre as I live 20 minutes away, we had no inkling of any wind or rain, yet they lost hundreds of trees and were deluged.
The first call I got was an invite out to the golf course where hundreds and trees were down and we could take our pick, everything from massive pines (cough, spit), marri, Jarrah, banksia, Sheoak and many others.

The second call was a 400 acre property who had a heap of trees down. Unfortunately, they were all cut up by tree crews and in the 40 deg had split, except for the trunk of this massive Sugar gum. I have taken about a ton of turning blanks and left the rest for a mate (pictured, who is a professional turner). Sugar gum can be reasonably bland, very similar to Marri, but without all the gum veins.

The pictured slabs are not cracked, they are subtle gum veins. Oh yeah, spot the Mallee Burl in the background.

This timber is heavy, bloody heavy, can't wait for it to dry

I have turned stunningly curly sugar gum for pens, twas nice to turn

Cheers
Willy
Jarrahland

[Christos]

If this turns out to be a work in progress it should be interesting.

[artme]

I've had a little bit to do with sugar gum down in Leeton where it was planted along roadsides when the
irrigation area was set up.

beautiful tress but dow there int is inclined to get a bit scraggy. On our last visit - just a few weeks ago-
the trees had all been trimmed and/or lopped. They were sporting new growth and I imagine in a couple of
years will look a million dollars.

I use some of the wood for firewood and it is an excellent firewood. Also had a piece here that I used for
construction. Dense and tough stuphph!! I would like to turn some but have none left!!!

[BobL]

Willy the reddening bark with the symmetrically round trunk like that looks like Spotted gum?

The (few) sugar gums I have milled tend to have a more irregular shaped cross section?

Nice looking wood anyway!

[Willy Nelson]

Hello Bob
Truth be known, I have no idea either way, other than what the property owner told me. He was an old cocky, I had no reason not to believe him.:U
Cheers
Willy
Jarrahland




Willy the reddening bark with the symmetrically round trunk like that looks like Spotted gum?

The (few) sugar gums I have milled tend to have a more irregular shaped cross section?

Nice looking wood anyway!

[Cliff Rogers]

Get stuck in & rough turn some incase it decides to warp & crack.

[BobL]

My limited experience with fresh sugar gum is that it has yellow, pinky and purple streaks in it - like this.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=89448&d=1227364684.

Spotted gum is more cream - beige - brown. Like this
Small young tree tends to be right coloured
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=351027&stc=1

Big Mature tree can get towards chocolate brown streaks
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90876&d=1228694273

[dai sensei]

You never seem to short of timber mate :U:2tsup:


... Oh yeah, spot the Mallee Burl in the background....

I see a decent burl, but are you sure it is a mallee?

[Willy Nelson]

You never seem to short of timber mate :U:2tsup: Timber is money in the bank. Now I have a decent workshop, I will be going through more, unfortunately, I am close to being full.

Oh yeah, Just been offered exclusive access to a hundred acres of burnt out forest :2tsup:



I see a decent burl, but are you sure it is a mallee? Once agin, I am not sure, but that was what the landowner told me. Burl is Burl!!!! :D

[Willy Nelson]

Bob
Thanks for the photos and explaination, it must be spotted Gum. Having said that, I was given some super curly Sugar Gum from Derek Doak, it looks similar to your spotted gum:( All tree should carry some form of ID
Willy
Jarrahland