Cutting Elm

[Wichman]

I've just completed cutting a couple of pieces from the Elm tree that was in my front yard.

I found the Elm to be comparable with the other hardwoods ( Oak, walnut, cherry ) that I have cut.  The one thing that stands out is the hardness tends to vary, doesn't bother me too much as I cut slow, but if you're a speedster it might be problematic.

[barb.j.enders]

This is good to hear.  There is a new place in Winnipeg, haven't been yet, called Urban Lumber.  They take trees destin for the dump and mill them.  They currently only have Elm in stock.  Cost for the "shorts" is $6/bf.  The shorts are 4 - 6" wide with a few at 8".

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have turned both red elm and American elm.  Both are about medium on the scale from hard to soft, but the red elm is softer.  I got some red elm leveling slabs from a giant tree that stood at President Buchanan's house.  The first saw mill that agreed to cut it for free for use by the parks dept, discovered the trunk was too large for their largest mill.  It was just under 60 inches in diameter.

[Norm Fengstad]

It hurts to see these old urban grown trees head for the garbage after a storm but the down side to salvage these trees is nails that have driven in over the years to hold posters.