Any uses for Elm?

[Finnbear]

I got a call last night from a landowner where I did some previous timber salavge. A couple trees went down in a storm Tuesday evening and took out some utility lines. The power company cut the trees off the lines yesterday and put them back up and now I get the logs/firewood if I want it. I looked at it quickly today and it appears to be Elm. Is there any good use for Elm as finish lumber? I've worked with Oak, Hickory, Walnut, Poplar, Maple, Birch, Sycamore, Butternut, Sasafrass, and a few other woods but have no experience with Elm. Should I make firewood out of it or drag the logs home and saw lumber?
Any thoughts?
Finnbear

 

[ShoerFast]

Should I make firewood out of it or drag the logs home and saw lumber?
Any thoughts?
Finnbear

Elm is one of the tuffer woods to split, makes ok lumber, careful drying it, it will try to worp.

Don't know the latten word for it, but Red Elm has a nice grain to it.

Kevin

 

[Mr_Brushcutter]

What type of Elm?

English Elm (if there's any left) has been used to make coffins. We have a few bits that have been made out Elm such as a chest and a few chairs - They've all been staind and waxed though.

Rock Elm has been used as vernier in submarines so it must have a fairly nice grain.

Personly i'd mill up one lump see what you get and if its any good mill the lot if not chop it up!

 

[Ollbuster]

Elm has a low heat output plus takes forever to dry. Here in the midwest we don't waste the time on it since oak is so plentiful.

 

[woodshop]

havn't ever milled or tried to dry elm yet, but worked with some elm in the shop. Beautiful wood, nice grain patterns, was relatively easy to work. If I had the chance, I would try and mill it and dry it, if only for the experience so I would know one way or the other in the future.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

This is a timely thread as I have quite a few elms available to me. I have not worked with it myself but I've been told it looks nice.

I've was also told it makes good tool handles. Axes, etc. Any truth to that?

 

[Joshua]

Because it is hard to split it used to be used for wheel hubs, so I guess it would make good tool handles. Also it lasts a very long time underwater.Was used for keels of boats, waterpipes ( they dug one up in London that was 600 years old and still intact !) and pumps and also makes good weather boarding. But I dont think that it burns very well.
It needs to be cut in to lumber within a year of felling and apparently tends to warp, but is not prone to splitting.
I know all this because I have been reading about them recently, but I have no direct experience because there are not many around in the UK or Eire due to DED in the 70s.

 

[cnlpar]

Here in Michigan you can't drive down the road without seeing a dozen dead elms standing. We use it for firewood, but it really isn't that great to burn. It's on the 'B' list of burnables at my house. It is really strong wood though.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've seen nice outdoor furniture out of both American and red elm.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Red Elm is impervious to rot much like WR Cedar. It's very strong and very heavy. Great for exterior doors and also is used for archery bows.
It was interesting to hear also that it was used as interior veneer on submarines as Mr. Brushcutter pointed out
John.

 

[skip]

It makes good trailer and wagon flooring, I usually cut 8/4, it is prone to bow, thats why they call it rainbow wood around here.

 

[geofore]

elm

To keep it from bowwing and twisting, saw it into boards and soak them in a vat of plaster milk for a week or two. Take them out and rinse them off, then stack/stick as you would if you were drying any other wood. The boards can then be used as architectural wood when dried. It has a better/wider grain pattern and is harder than red oak. At least that's what they did years ago to keep it from warping. Not many houses are done in lath and plaster anymore so it not likely you'll find a vat of lime slaking to soak the boards in. Don't have time to do that? Cut it to 16" lengths and burn it for firewood. Yes I've done that to elm so I would have nice pieces for making wood blocks as in Block and Tackle for ropes and sold architectural boards but I usually give it away for firewood.

 

[Gypo Logger]

A contractor who builts the Montana Restaurants here in Canada wanted some character wood to adorn one of his restaurants with, so I told him about a standing dead Red Elm I had. So him and his brother who already revered Red Elm, came out to watch me fall it.
Anyway, just as the tree started to fall an owl fly out of a cavity in the upper trunk. Well these Italian guys were beside themselves with awe.
The part of the tree that held the owl now decorates the ceiling above the cash desk in the Montana's at Trinity Common in Brampton Ontario.
When I go to that restaurant I always tell the cashier the story I just told above and I get this look like, "Ya Sure."

John

 

[woodshop]

interesting story John, thanks. I for one get really into the idea of using wood from a speicific tree that had meaning to somebody, like a tree that stood in his/her front yard for years as they were growing up. I have an old b&w picture of a herd of black angus cattle on my cousins farm shading themselves under a huge white oak in the pasture that had been there for over 200 years. It finally died and fell over, and I took some of the wood from the tree, and framed that picture with it.

 

[buzz sawyer]

I wouldn't know the species, but elm was used in a lot of antique Chinese furniture. Very attractive grain.

I've burned some elm that was dead standing and very dry - still difficult to split. Noticed it left some fairly hard cakes of ash in the bottom of the woodstove.

 

[olyman]

you may say that about elm firewood--in ia--have used lots of it--chinese elm--burns good--very little ash--

 

[treeman82]

Somebody told me a while back that if you can "spalt" the elm it becomes very valuable to the right person.

 

[olyman]

and another--there are some buildings in this area that the beams and batten are out of elm--you have to nail when wet--if not--youll be drilling them dry!!! all depends on what you want with them--

 

[JPCh12]

First ever post, Hi to everyone...

We have a lot of dead standing Elm trees in Southern UK (due to Dutch Elm disease) and I've found it's one of the best firewoods I can burn in my woodstove. When well seasoned it burns clean and slow and covers itself with a deep layer of insulating ash. I've been surprised to find large hot coals under the layer of ash hours after I thought the stove was out.

Problem is it's almost impossible to split. I burn about 6 tons of wood each year which is all cut and split by hand - with the elm I've had to resort to chainsawing up the big bits - it burns so well its worth the effort and chainsaw wear/fluids. Cheers, JohnP

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Thanks for that info, John. Especially useful as I just picked some up this morning.