That terrible Elm

[Jimfound]

The first pic shows how tough and stringy this stuff can be. Gotta say though, I love the way it burns....excellent coals.

But man...what a PIA to deal with. Never stopped the rented splitter I used, but you can bet it slowed it down more than a couple of times.

 

[Rookie1]

I agree with the way it burns. I love it. Hyd. splitter is the only way to go with that stuff. I got a load of it one time cause a guy couldnt split it with his maul. I like the way it smells when burning too.

 

[jonny2bad]

Awesome good stuff.. I used to split it by hand until I broke my hand last year when pounding on a piece of it. There is something in the way or where it grows here that makes some trees much tuffer and more dense than others, like on a hedgerow thems usually hard splittin.

 

[BaldSawRunner]

I split some of that nasty stuff this weekend with a hydraulic splitter too. Well, I wouldn't say "split", more like shredded it in half. It is green too:monkey: I will stick with oak and the like... thak ya very much.

 

[Richard_]

tough to split , burns good , but leaves a ton of ash , when I was burning Elm I was cleaning out the wood stove every 2-3 days

 

[AOD]

Nasty shiet. I burned my fair share of the stuff last year, my first year burning wood, because somebody gave me some dead standing elm. Siberian I think. I thought it smelled like crap when it was burning, but it wasn't 100 % seasoned either. I split all of it by hand, with an 8# maul and wedges, was quite a workout!

 

[J.W Younger]

Nasty shiet. I burned my fair share of the stuff last year, my first year burning wood, because somebody gave me some dead standing elm. Siberian I think. I thought it smelled like crap when it was burning, but it wasn't 100 % seasoned either. I split all of it by hand, with an 8# maul and wedges, was quite a workout!

Man this **** is crap. but i'm burning a load of it cause its dying all over. GOOD RIDANCE

 

[CharlieG]

If it's free, it's for me!

 

[KsWoodsMan]

If it's free, it's for me!

:agree2: Takes it a long time to cure. I have a newfound respect for it. When it has shrunk enough that it turns loose of the bark it is almost ready. Most of the ash it makes seems to be from the bark.

 

[Deadman]

If you look at the charts, its surprising that Elm doesn't have more BTU's in it than it really does. Its low for a dense wood.

 

[treemandan]

If you look at the charts, its surprising that Elm doesn't have more BTU's in it than it really does. Its low for a dense wood.

I don't think of elm as being particulary dense.

 

[Jimfound]

:agree2: Takes it a long time to cure. I have a newfound respect for it. When it has shrunk enough that it turns loose of the bark it is almost ready. Most of the ash it makes seems to be from the bark.

Yup KsWoodsMan...I have said it before on this forum and I'll say it again....that elm burns hot and put out very little ash. The bark is thick on this stuff and seems to be where most of the ash comes from. I think the trick with elm is to get it bucked and split before too long to avoid any of the piss elm effect, etc, (when the wood starts to get punky). Course, a dead standing elm will last much longer than one on the ground.

I think the BTU charts are skewed on elm due to the fact that the wood, once it goes, goes downhill quick. Split early so it can cure right...well, this is the middle of January type of fuel you want. :spam:

 

[Dok]

That's some ugly wood! I think I'll stick of oak.
Dok

 

[Jimfound]

That's some ugly wood! I think I'll stick of oak.
Dok

aahaha..all the elm haters are coming out of the woodwork, so to speak.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Once you get to where you can spot Red Elm it will spoil you for splitting. It makes great heat too, Any other Elm, I pass on it if it wont fit in the stove. I split by hand and the effort it taKes for Am. Elm can be put to better uses. I think I would rather split forks and knots just about any other premium wood than a staright piece of Am. Elm.

Any wood that lays long enough that the sap sours will stink when it burns. rred Elm smells like cinnamon though wnen you split it and ginger when it burns.

 

[wgrassel]

I split by hand and had a few rounds of green Elm to split. No dice. After letting it dry for a year, it was doable.

 

[projectsho89]

Next POS elm or sycamore I get, I'm going to make noodles out of it.....

About killed myself splitting the last ones by hand....

Steve

 

[Joshlaugh]

I cut several standing dead elm trees down this summer as I seem to do every year. Last night I finished burning it, about 1 full cord. I split by hand and really like elm for good coals and how easy it starts. Splitting isn't the greatest but it gives me a good workout. An interesting observation(to me anyway) we keep talking about the bark being the determining factor for the amount of ash but all my elm trees' bark has already fallen off. I still have a plethra of ash to clean every few days. Any thoughts?

 

[Wood Doctor]

I cut several standing dead elm trees down this summer as I seem to do every year. Last night I finished burning it, about 1 full cord. I split by hand and really like elm for good coals and how easy it starts. Splitting isn't the greatest but it gives me a good workout. An interesting observation(to me anyway) we keep talking about the bark being the determining factor for the amount of ash but all my elm trees' bark has already fallen off. I still have a plethra of ash to clean every few days. Any thoughts?

Suppose I want to perk up a fire that's died down a little. What do I reach for?

You guessed it: Elm or maybe soft maple. Never kick elm out of bed for being a tough cookie to split. :censored:

 

[treevet]

There is a big difference between A. Elm, etc. and oriental elm. Native elms are much slower growing and therefore more dense. I love a nice bark bare native standing elm killed by Dutch Elm disease. My wood add on will take a 12" dia log and I also think an unsplit log burns slower than a split one. Might be accounted for by earlier post that indicates that inner wood is already seasoned. I consider these a delicacy in the lot as I cannot sell the unsplit to customers and therefore they are mine. If they don't go in the furnace door I will slab them and put them in my insert if they don't fit in the furnace.

They do seem to split a little better when seasoned without bark.