Replies

1. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 28, 2003 06:25pm | #1

   Gooms, elm is a very pretty wood. It's ring-porouse, like oak and ash, but the larger earlywood pores form a much thinner band (in most elms this band is only one, or at most two cells wide.) Also, the smaller pores in the latewood are joined to form fine, wavy, tangential lines. The result is that the flat sawn figure is more subtle and complex compared to other ring-porous woods. Since elm also normally produces interlocked grain, the radial (quartersawn) figure yields a totally different but equally attractive ribbon appearance. It can be a little stringy to work with and the scent isn't particularly pleasant, but it's quite strong for its weight...so, both in terms of function and appearance...it has its merits.

   The biggest problem with the elms is that they are notoriously unstable. They don't experience an unusually high volumetric shrinkage (like a lot of other very unstable woods; sycamore, beech, myrtle etc.) but elm's varying grain direction seems to set up some serious drying stresses that cause the wood to cup and twist. This instability, coupled with the wood's poor resistance to decay, make it a little more difficult than most to air dry...However, if you're willing to deal with these problems, both in the seasoning process and in the design of your projects, the results can be rewarding.

   I use elm a lot for small accent pieces (Knick-knack shelves and clock cases), where the size of the parts makes its instability a little more controllable. I avoid the risk of using it in pieces requiring wide, edge glued panels, but it can be done. A lot of elm (often mixed with ash and oak) was used by commercial furniture manufacturers in the late 19th century to churn out cheap, utilitarian cupboards, dry sinks and chair seats...The latter, because elm is very resistant to splitting. 

   If you elect to buy the logs of these two elms, you'll find that their figure is similar in appearance, but the Chinese elm will likely be a little denser and a little yellower in color, probably with reddish or orange-tan highlights in the heartwood...while the American elm will be softer, blonder in color and possibly display grayish hues in the heartwood. 

1. 
   gooms | Jun 29, 2003 06:13pm | #2

   Jon, thanks for the reply. The Chinese elm sounds very interesting. I was not aware that white elm was that unstable. Ive milled acouple of elm logs already, into 2" and 3" planks. I guess maybe I should pull them out and have a closer look at what theyve been up to. Again, thanks for the info.

1. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 29, 2003 06:29pm | #3

   Gooms, your 2" and 3" planks may not look too bad. The thinner you mill this species, the greater its tendency to distort. This is because the distortion results from bands of grain with divergent direction tugging against each other. The thicker the dimensions, the more these stresses counter balance...Trust me, though, there's plenty of stress in those planks...and as you rip or mill them down to thinner dimensions, you'll find it.  

2. 
   fdampier5 | Jun 29, 2003 07:00pm | #4

   Gooms,

     Don't listen to Jon Arno about Elm.. 

     They are deadly!  

            They've been know to attack wood workers and cause nasty splinters..

      splinters that quickly infect and turn turn into gangreen.

      Why I know a couple of people who were innocently sleeping in their bed when two elm trees wandered by and attacked leaving both badly splintered.. 

     In additon  elm has been known to decay on a cloudy day let alone when exposed to moisture..

     Unstable?

         Why Elm is positively the juvenile deliquent of the woods.. There isn't a nail or screw made that will hold it in place when it decides to warp..

     I mean You can beat on it with a hammer all day and it won't behave any better..

      you can cut it,  saw it and carve it and whatever you don't want it to do it will!

     What's worse if you toss a piece of it in a fire,  the fire is likely to go out.. I mean it doesn't evan burn very well!   (which if you've ever spent a day or two trying to split a log into firewood is very frustrating.. )

         My advise for elm?  

    avoid it!

       

        

1. 
   gooms | Jun 29, 2003 08:59pm | #6

   thanks for the advice Frenchy. Unfortunatly, Ive already taken my hand plane to some of those planks and I really like what I see. What can I say, Im a sucker for a nice lookin piece of wood. In both cases I can get trees for free, other than the hassle I might get from the city of London(Ont) to get permission to take the log. I guess what I'll do is keep milling the elm in thick planks and try to reserve them for projects that won't require resawing into thinner pieces. If that doesn't work out I suppose i'll have lots of firewood when they do eventually dry out.

1. 
   fdampier5 | Jun 30, 2003 05:43am | #7

   quick,  check into the emergency room,, there may still be a chance to save yourself from the dreaded elm splinter..

     as for firewood,  Elm does not burn very well.. by the time it's dried out, it's semi decayed...

      Actually I've seen some very pretty elm,, just my personal biggotry against the wood..

1. 
   Malcolm2 | Jun 30, 2003 08:05am | #8

   I've sucessfully used elm in small dimensions (for jewellery boxes and lap desks - aka writing slopes in the UK) with little difficulty. It has to be real dry, and you just need to remember that (just like getting older) all that lovely variety and colour doesn't come alone!

   Give it a go!

1. 
   Malcolm2 | Jun 30, 2003 08:21am | #9

   And check this out:

   http://www.barnsley-furniture.co.uk/furniture/furnitureBADAstool.html

3. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 29, 2003 08:42pm | #5

   Now Gooms, you've gotta understand where Frenchy's coming from, or you might make the mistake of taking him seriously.

   He descends from some of those French Canuk voyagiers you sent down here that got lost in the Minnesota swamps. Fact is, I think he's been snowblind since birth... Among his other faults (I mean, besides being a Liberal), he's also the Grand Dragon of the Elm Defamation League.

   Elm has some stability problems, but it's nowhere near as bad as Frenchy paints it. :O)