First few slabs from an elm

[sliceoflife]

Finally started using my mill last week... got a few slabs off the shortest log of an elm we took down in our yard (3-4 ft by my eyeballs). Still getting things set up so I can work more efficiently... but got a beautiful centuries old maple with some wormy logs laid out in my yard to get to next (neighbor took down a gorgeous tree and I got the tree service to deliver it to me for a fee).

 

[Up A Creek]

Where did you find elm?
They're supposed to be pretty much dead I thought.

 

[sliceoflife]

Siberian, not American. They're everywhere. Invasive even. Only American that's known in my area is in a botanical garden nearby and I don't think they're interested in letting me slab it up.


Ours must have been male or something, because it didn't spread at all. Lone tree. But in true Jurassic Park confirmation, once it was down; dozens of little saplings sprung up from various spots of roots that had been left in the ground all around where it had stood.

 

[Up A Creek]

Interesting. I didn't know that.

It looks really nice.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Wow, that's really dark and very little sapwood. I had a Grey Elm sawn up and the heart was much lighter. Looks really great with some Red Chestnut stain.

 

[djg james]

Definitely Siberian Elm and not Red Elm (Slippery Elm)??

 

[jdentyne]

Just for info purposes, we have a lot of american elm in this area and some slippery elm. It grows well to about 10 - 12 inches diameter before dying.

 

[sliceoflife]

ID was based on an ai program used before it came down... so cant 100% vouch for it... but the descriptions and images on Google were a match.


Edit: post in this forum said 30" dbh would be record setting for red elm... this tree was almost 40" dbh... so guessing not red.

This is the trunk from about 3.5 ft to 6 or 7 ft High. Tree service left almost 4ft in the ground that builders ripped out and dumped.


I will say the slabs are in my basement with fairly weak/soft LED lighting. It looks significantly lighter than that in natural light. I'd say more of a ruddy tan almost orange.

 

[macadoodle]

Many American elm trees in Edmonton, and throughout the province of Alberta. Not native here, but have been planted for hundreds of years as I understand. I think there is 100,000 in edmonton alone.

 

[sliceoflife]

Yeah supposedly there's a clutch of them in central park NY and a bunch in florida too... basically anything spaced far enough from the rest and lucky enough no fool brought the disease to em has survived... My area they got decimated tho... The tree I mentioned in the botanical garden actually notes that it's the only known survivor in our area from the wipeout of such and such a year, and as such the only mature/century old example in our area.

 

[FrugalFirewoodDad]

Many Elm in a small town in Morris County NJ, right off the highway exit/entrance ramps and all through town. Not sure if its red/slippery or other. I'll have to look into it next time through.

 

[retiredfarmer]

Elm is beautiful wood. Hope you enjoy building things out of your exotic lumber!

 

[buzz sawyer]

Here's the clock I built from what I was told is Grey Elm. It had very dark heartwood and light sapwood. Red Chestnut Stain really mad the grain pop.

 

[retiredfarmer]

Here's the clock I built from what I was told is Grey Elm. It had very dark heartwood and light sapwood. Red Chestnut Stain really mad the grain pop.

Looks great