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Is Elm worth it?

Started by Osric, June 01, 2007, 07:23:58 PM

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Osric

I cut an elm tree that was fairly large and got, what I thought at the time, was some pretty decent wood from it.  In the past couple weeks, the wood has twisted every which way, cracked and I am basically at the point now where I'm wondering if elm is even worth the effort.

I have a couple projects outside and wonder if I should just use the elm for those projects and let it deteriorate over time. I guess my question is whether I'd be shooting myself in the foot from a $$$ standpoint....is elm something desired and people are willing to pay a premium for?  Based on my limited experiece I'd guess no, but want to be sure before I start using the wood for bed railing.

inspectorwoody

As you have already noticed Elm both Red and Gray will cup, bow, twist etc. In both of them shake is a big issue but I see it more in R.Elm. Elm in my opinion does not seem to have a strong area in the market place but it is sold. Proper procedure(s) after sawing will prevent the problems you are seeing. If it were me I wouldn't waste my time cutting elm unless I had a market for it and or I planned on using it myself. If you can stick with what the demand is in your area weather it be Walnut, W. or R. Oak etc. As explained in other threads, lumber sitting around isn't money in the bank  ;)

Dodgy Loner

I'm a woodworker who cuts my own lumber, and I would never turn down an opportunity to saw a nice elm log into lumber.  I made my workbench from elm and it turned out great.  That being said, if I were buying lumber, I wouldn't buy elm unless it was dirt cheap, because it has a strong inner desire to look like a potato chip.  ::)  Sawing elm to sell will probably be a waste of your time.  One caveat, however: If you can sell lumber to local woodturners, they'll snap up some nice elm in a heartbeat, because they're not trying to make things flat.  By the way, are you in Athens, Georgia?
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

Elm and hackberry have interlocked spiral grain which makes them difficult to split and very wear resistant.  It also causes the boards sawn from them to have a lot of movement in drying.  For fine furniture, probably not the best choice.  For wood that will resist a lot of wear and tear, a good choice.  Its desireability has a lot to do with what you intend to do with it.  Like Dodgy Loner says, it straight ain't the game (as in curves bowls), it can quite nice.  As a staple lumber in the market, no ::).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Ironwood

I sawed a MONSTER slippery elm years ago. It dried beautifully and had a greenish tint to wonderful grain. It was a "street scape tree" and had some really nice sucker growth pin knot throughout. Perhaps I was lucky.

              Reid
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Dave Shepard

We turned a pulley for our planer out of elm. It's stayed together so far. Doesn't seem to want to split apart too easy! ;)


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dodgy Loner

There are certainly good uses for elm as some have mentioned, and if I were a commercial sawyer and I came across a "monster" elm with lots of clear lumber, I wouldn't hesitate to saw it.  But, as a general rule, I wouldn't go out of my way to get elm lumber, because barring some unusual coloring or grain characteristics, it will be difficult to sell.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Dave Shepard

It is very popular around here for dump truck side boards and trailer decking. I had one flitch that was 12/4x 28"x17'. :o Had to have a little bit o help to get it into the edger. ;)


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dodgy Loner

 :o :o :o Now that had to be a monster elm!  I cut some 8/4 x 12" x 10' hard elm boards last year (which I thought were big :-[), but they warped so much as they dried, they're almost useless.  And that was with 500 b.f. of red oak and redcedar stacked on top of it. ::)
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

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