Almost refused free elm

[stihly dan]

I hate that stuff. A crap load of work and not much heat. I think we only have American elm around here. Then I remembered " I have a hydro splitter" I almost never use it, but this is almost exactly what I got it for. So I will be taking the elm.

 

[loadthestove]

My friend with tree service dropped some off last year, like you I don't like fooling with it, but its free and burns so I wont pass on it

 

[haveawoody]

stihly dan,

American elm has a better btu rating than White ash.
Keep your splits on the chunky side and use them as night blocks, less splitting that way and American elm in block format burns for a very long time with good air.

For me when I split American elm I put one piece on and split it as far as it wants to go then place another piece on and do the same thing.
Piece 1 gets fully split with piece 2 so splitting it on a hydro is virtually the same length of time as any other type of wood.
When you have split everything you have in elm once stop and sort what is now split small enough to stack, the stuff that is still to big split with the same routine as before.

 

[Whitespider]

Yeah, I was gonna' say the same thing; American Elm gives me more heat, better coaling, and longer burns than any ash... and guys praise the crap out'a ash. I definitely rate American Elm well above ash... any ash I've burned. I can't imagine splitting elm with a wedge mounted on the cylinder... that would be a huge PITA‼ With the wedge mounted on the beam, like woody said, just keep feeding the rounds and it finishes the split. A hatchet is handy/useful for cuttin' any remaining strings... but with a razor sharp edge and enough wedge flair all but the largest rounds will separate. And speakin' of ash, the ash I've split (and I'm splittin' some right now) is worse than most elm... dame stuff is stringy as all get-out, and works the hydro splitter harder. Must be where I live?? 'Cause there ain't nothin' easy about splittin' ash here... I'd rather have elm.
*

 

[MGoBlue]

I'll pass on any and all elm. I had one experience with a huge tree about 3-4 years ago and I still have rounds I'm burning in my outside fire pit. In my experience, it left brick like ashes in my wood stove that clogged the grates almost extinguishing fires. It required a lot more draft too (yes it was seasoned). If I was desperate, I'd take it but I have too much other wood to bother with it.

 

[zogger]

Yeah, I was gonna' say the same thing; American Elm gives me more heat, better coaling, and longer burns than any ash... and guys praise the crap out'a ash. I definitely rate American Elm well above ash... any ash I've burned. I can't imagine splitting elm with a wedge mounted on the cylinder... that would be a huge PITA‼ With the wedge mounted on the beam, like woody said, just keep feeding the rounds and it finishes the split. A hatchet is handy/useful for cuttin' any remaining strings... but with a razor sharp edge and enough wedge flair all but the largest rounds will separate. And speakin' of ash, the ash I've split (and I'm splittin' some right now) is worse than most elm... dame stuff is stringy as all get-out, and works the hydro splitter harder. Must be where I live?? 'Cause there ain't nothin' easy about splittin' ash here... I'd rather have elm.
*

You just have some oddball ash. Ash and tulip poplar are the easiest to split eastern hardwoods in most cases, that and clear straight red oak. Of any species I have cut and split, anyway.

Was your ash from a field tree in the open or at the edge of a field/forest in the open? Sometimes trees get real twisty like that.

 

[longbowch]

Yeah, I was gonna' say the same thing; American Elm gives me more heat, better coaling, and longer burns than any ash... and guys praise the crap out'a ash. I definitely rate American Elm well above ash... any ash I've burned. I can't imagine splitting elm with a wedge mounted on the cylinder... that would be a huge PITA‼ With the wedge mounted on the beam, like woody said, just keep feeding the rounds and it finishes the split. A hatchet is handy/useful for cuttin' any remaining strings... but with a razor sharp edge and enough wedge flair all but the largest rounds will separate. And speakin' of ash, the ash I've split (and I'm splittin' some right now) is worse than most elm... dame stuff is stringy as all get-out, and works the hydro splitter harder. Must be where I live?? 'Cause there ain't nothin' easy about splittin' ash here... I'd rather have elm.
*

I've had ash like that too, but then I've had some split easy too. If something is hard to split, I noodle it.

 

[stihly dan]

Yeah, I was gonna' say the same thing; American Elm gives me more heat, better coaling, and longer burns than any ash... and guys praise the crap out'a ash. I definitely rate American Elm well above ash... any ash I've burned. I can't imagine splitting elm with a wedge mounted on the cylinder... that would be a huge PITA‼ With the wedge mounted on the beam, like woody said, just keep feeding the rounds and it finishes the split. A hatchet is handy/useful for cuttin' any remaining strings... but with a razor sharp edge and enough wedge flair all but the largest rounds will separate. And speakin' of ash, the ash I've split (and I'm splittin' some right now) is worse than most elm... dame stuff is stringy as all get-out, and works the hydro splitter harder. Must be where I live?? 'Cause there ain't nothin' easy about splittin' ash here... I'd rather have elm.
*

I hear you on the ash, the worst wood I ever split was an ash last winter, it was a old farm road side tree. Is there such thing as tree leprosy? Had huge bulges all over the tree that went right to the center. Of course my hydro has the wedge on the cylinder.

 

[Jakers]

It's a real pleasure to get a nice straight grained ash. They practically fall apart on their own. That being said, I only get 10-15 rounds a year that way. Most of what I burn is ash too. Seems the wind likes to make them grow in spirals

 

[Whitespider]

You just have some oddball ash.

I'm thinkin' it's more of a regional thing zogger... related to growing conditions and weather.
Even the Red Oak 'round here isn't what I'd label "straight" grained.
*

 

[haveawoody]

I've found the more open an ash tree the worse the grain seems to be.
Growing in a forest ash tends to be straight grain and easy to split but a lone tree with nothing around it tends to be quite difficult to split with lots of twisted grain.
I think it's the wind on lone trees that distorts grain as young trees, as they grow they retain the damage and continue growing that way.

Other species seem to follow that pattern also.
JMO

 

[haveawoody]

MGoBlue,

I never pass on elm but then again lots of it here is rock elm
You are very right that American elm likes lots of air to burn properly and I think a good reason lots of people don't like to burn it or find it's more a smolder wood than good burning wood.
As small splits it burns pretty much like anything else but as big splits it wants air and lots of it to burn properly.
Elm likes a hot fire to burn so ideal wood for those cold days, on a less that hot fire elm isn't the best but on a hot fire IMO it rates way up in btu, burn time and burn quality.

 

[haveawoody]

Whitespider,

You must have the exact same splitting routine as me with elm.
You sure can tell someone that has dealt with lots of elm and perfected a generally time consuming task into something much easier.
Ditto I have a sharp hatchet handy also, seems no matter what you split a hatchet will be needed at some point and with elm more than not at all

 

[Marine5068]

I'm not sure what American Elm is or looks like but Rock Elm (32,000 BTUs/cord) has the highest BTU per cord rating of all North American hardwoods.
Maybe you guys are talking about White Elm (24,500 BTUs/cord) or Red Elm (25,400 BTUs/cord).
White ash is up near the top too, but Green Ash (22,000 BTUs/cord) is somewhere around Silver Maple and Black Ash and about in the middle of the pack.

 

[haveawoody]

Marine5068,

In Ontario we only have two varieties of elm, American and Rock.
Both are great firewood and both hate cool fires, they tend to smolder in a cool fire.

I find here in Ontario it's about 2 American for every 1 rock elm so lots of American around these parts.
Well lots of dead and dying both all around.

White ash on most charts comes in at around 23.5 and American elm is all over the place for btu but IMO American I would say was about 24.5 burnt on a hot fire.
Lots of dead and dying white ash here also

Rock elm got to love living in an area that Rock elm is pretty easy to get and the reward for getting it is very toasty feet on a very cold night
Osage Orange actually is just slightly higher btu than Rock, I've burnt both and they are very different fires.
Rock burns longer and wants lots of air and Osage burns just a bit hotter but faster and likes normal air.
I bet I'm one of the very few that have burnt both since one grows in the south and one in the north.
I would be more than ok with more Osage deliveries LOL

Nothing compares to buckthorn in NA though for btu at 35 or same as coal and mahogany, more of a shrub than a tree and covered in thorns it's a workout just to get a face cord of it.
It's a serious weed here in Ontario and looks very similar to black cherry trees but smaller with lots of thorns and no black cherries.

 

[Whitespider]

Strange that I've never noticed elm wanting, or needing more air... least-wise, not well seasoned elm.
I will say that elm does not snap, crackle, pop or throw sparks... ever‼
And those "brick like ashes" (I call 'em clinkers) usually only form when burning splits from the main trunk... and the closer to the ground those splits come from, the larger the clinkers. Elm, especially American Elm, tends to pull a lot of minerals and heavy metals from the soil, you can see it as streaks in the wood when cuttin' and splittin'... and, if ya' look close, those "clinkers" will have a blue or green tint to them. It tends to dull the chain, I most often use semi-chisel when cuttin' American Elm.
*

 

[haveawoody]

Whitespider,

The air thing for me might be I mainly burn chunky splits of American and Rock.
I figure when splitting get er done and less splitting of elm is always a plus. LOL
If it fits it's split

Small splits I find burn like pretty much any other hardwood.

 

[mallardman]

I've only burned American and red elm. The American is a pain to split but both are some of my favorite firewoods. Both are quick to catch and coal well.

 

[hardpan]

I've found the more open an ash tree the worse the grain seems to be.
Growing in a forest ash tends to be straight grain and easy to split but a lone tree with nothing around it tends to be quite difficult to split with lots of twisted grain.
I think it's the wind on lone trees that distorts grain as young trees, as they grow they retain the damage and continue growing that way.

Other species seem to follow that pattern also.
JMO

I thoroughly agree. Sweet gum and elm are always nasty though. Like Whitespider said, a sharp hatchet is a big help.

 

[zogger]

Whitespider,

The air thing for me might be I mainly burn chunky splits of American and Rock.
I figure when splitting get er done and less splitting of elm is always a plus. LOL
If it fits it's split

Small splits I find burn like pretty much any other hardwood.

I like it!

If it fits-it's split!