Might be a gloat
 

Hello all,

We were hanging out in the shop after work tonight, and one of the
guys I work with mentioned that he has an elm tree that died this
year, and is still standing in his yard. He said I could have it if I
wanted it, and as elm is getting rarer every year, I can hardly see
telling him I don't! Any of you folks turned this, how does it
look/cut/etc. Any points of interest with it, like excessive cracking
or other things to watch out for?

Prometheus wrote: We were hanging out in the shop after work tonight,
and one of the
guys I work with mentioned that he has an elm tree that died this
year, and is still standing in his yard. He said I could have it if I
wanted it, and as elm is getting rarer every year, I can hardly see
telling him I don't! Any of you folks turned this, how does it
look/cut/etc. Any points of interest with it, like excessive cracking
or other things to watch out for?


I'd jump on it. It's absolutely gorgeous wood, but if it's anything
like the "Chinese elm" I've been using, turn it when it's wet and
green. Them dry chips really irritate the heck outta my skin! Can be
lotsa knots, so watch for 'em, fantastic grain, very interlocking. It
makes great hubs for wooden wheels, or anything along the lines of "I
don't want this piece of wood to split". Tom

I don't think it is particularly attractive. Also, it smells awful --
the farmers have a name for it because of the smell. On the other hand,
I wouldn't turn it down. I would turn down about any type of oak and
walnut unless it had something interesting going on.

Bill
Hello all,

We were hanging out in the shop after work tonight, and one of the
guys I work with mentioned that he has an elm tree that died this
year, and is still standing in his yard. He said I could have it if I
wanted it, and as elm is getting rarer every year, I can hardly see
telling him I don't! Any of you folks turned this, how does it
look/cut/etc. Any points of interest with it, like excessive cracking
or other things to watch out for?

In article , Prometheus
wrote:

Any of you folks turned this, how does it
look/cut/etc.

It smells like bad cheese, at least when green, but the bit I've turned
is a nice light brown with ray flecks. I find it very attractive.

I didn't have any cracking or checking problems, but have only done a
couple of small pieces. It's tough to find here because it can't be cut
between April and September, and what is cut is usually burned. We
don't have DED here yet, and the city is trying to keep it that way.

djb

--
~ Stay Calm... Be Brave... Wait for the Signs ~
------------------------------------------------------
One site: http://www.balderstone.ca
The other site, with ww linkshttp://www.woodenwabbits.com

I wouldnt mind getting my hands on some elm, but at the moment any elms
around here that are cut have to be burned. We do unfortunately have DED
here, I think so far this year I have spotted 4 or 5 dying trees due to
the disease. With most trees on city property being elms, DED spreads
quickly.

Dvivian

In article zNXIe.125440$%K2.45674@pd7tw1no, Dvivian
wrote:

I wouldnt mind getting my hands on some elm, but at the moment any elms
around here that are cut have to be burned. We do unfortunately have DED
here, I think so far this year I have spotted 4 or 5 dying trees due to
the disease. With most trees on city property being elms, DED spreads
quickly.

The elm lined streets are wonderful. I grew up in Winnipeg and am now
in Saskatoon. I love the canopy and do NOT want DED here.

You're right, there are very few elms on private property and when the
city prunes, they burn. I understand why, but it's a damn shame
nonetheless.

djb

--
~ Stay Calm... Be Brave... Wait for the Signs ~
------------------------------------------------------
One site: http://www.balderstone.ca
The other site, with ww linkshttp://www.woodenwabbits.com

Hi Dave

The elm disease went through the area here about 40 years ago, and we
lost a enormous amount of large elm trees, there are still a lot of elms
here but they don't get very big, it seems that the young trees are not
affected as much as the older trees, they get up to 18"D or less I
estimate and than die off.
As for your area, I am afraid that it is only a matter of time until
someone brings in a infected bug in or on a piece of elm wood, that's
how we got the emerald ash beetle out of Ohio or Michigan a couple of
years ago, people just don't realize that the firewood they bring along
might be infected.
However I don't understand why burning the tree or the trimmings would
prevent the elm disease, it is a fungus that kills the tree by
preventing the flow of sap in the tree and the tree dies in a year or
two, as long as the fungus is not around the bugs that fly from tree to
tree will not spread it around, if it is around then you would have to
kill every bug that digs into the trees.
Also tree trimmers will spread the disease around, with their equipment
and those that dig trenches will move it from tree root to tree root,
luckily the Elms bear seeds at a early age and keep the species around,
and somehow overcome the disease eventually, or someone can change the
fungus so that it will not girdle the trees, lets hope.


Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Dave Balderstone wrote:
In article zNXIe.125440$%K2.45674@pd7tw1no, Dvivian
wrote:


I wouldnt mind getting my hands on some elm, but at the moment any elms
around here that are cut have to be burned. We do unfortunately have DED
here, I think so far this year I have spotted 4 or 5 dying trees due to
the disease. With most trees on city property being elms, DED spreads
quickly.


The elm lined streets are wonderful. I grew up in Winnipeg and am now
in Saskatoon. I love the canopy and do NOT want DED here.

You're right, there are very few elms on private property and when the
city prunes, they burn. I understand why, but it's a damn shame
nonetheless.

djb

Hi Prometheus

Go get the wood, it is a nice enough wood, a bit stringy when wet and
alive, not so bad when dead and/or spalted.
Elms have a distinct odor, but I find the white Elm not that bad
smelling and it disappears completely when dry.
You should not have a lot of problems drying it as the interlocked grain
does not split as easy as most other wood, just don't let it dry to
quickly and you should be all right.
The wood is not very hard, turns ok when dry, dries just fine and looks
good when finished, what more you want.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


Prometheus wrote:

Hello all,

We were hanging out in the shop after work tonight, and one of the
guys I work with mentioned that he has an elm tree that died this
year, and is still standing in his yard. He said I could have it if I
wanted it, and as elm is getting rarer every year, I can hardly see
telling him I don't! Any of you folks turned this, how does it
look/cut/etc. Any points of interest with it, like excessive cracking
or other things to watch out for?

I agree with most of the responders. Go get that Elm! There is a bright side to the Elm situation. They have been working on a Duch Elm disease resistan strain. I understand that they have one and are starting to market it to cities. This is a strain of American Elm, not a sustitute. If you get a chance to get some Slippery Elm also Known as Red Elm get that too. It Is darker and more red colored than American Elm and turns well.

In article ,
Leo Van Der Loo wrote:

As for your area, I am afraid that it is only a matter of time until
someone brings in a infected bug in or on a piece of elm wood, that's
how we got the emerald ash beetle out of Ohio or Michigan a couple of
years ago, people just don't realize that the firewood they bring along
might be infected.

There are big signs surrounding the city warning people about
transporting elm firewood. But we all know it's inevitable, and the
disease seems to be following the river from the south towards us.

However I don't understand why burning the tree or the trimmings would
prevent the elm disease

It's not to prevent the disease per se, it's to eliminate the cut woood
and bark that will attract the beetles in the first place. More a
devensive action.

And they don't always burn, I misspoke. They also bury.

--
~ Stay Calm... Be Brave... Wait for the Signs ~
------------------------------------------------------
One site: http://www.balderstone.ca
The other site, with ww linkshttp://www.woodenwabbits.com

On Fri, 05 Aug 2005 20:53:21 -0500, Prometheus
wrote:

We were hanging out in the shop after work tonight, and one of the
guys I work with mentioned that he has an elm tree that died this
year, and is still standing in his yard. He said I could have it if I
wanted it, and as elm is getting rarer every year, I can hardly see
telling him I don't! Any of you folks turned this, how does it
look/cut/etc. Any points of interest with it, like excessive cracking
or other things to watch out for?

Don't know about the ornamentals called this-or-that "elm" or any
subspecies, but I do know that American elm is a really nice wood.
While it does have a somewhat distinctive odor when green, it is a
very tough and split-resistant wood, with some beautiful chatoyance
and often very nice grain, not to mention the myriads of pin knots you
can often find in it. I have been fortunate enough to get several
entire American elms over the past couple of years and I really love
this wood. Make sure your tools are sharp, and touch them up often,
and you should have no problems with it, especially since it is
standing dead, and therefore won't be "green." (So there'll be less
smell)

--
Chuck *#:^)
chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply.


September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

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On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 05:21:35 GMT, Dvivian wrote:

I wouldnt mind getting my hands on some elm, but at the moment any elms
around here that are cut have to be burned. We do unfortunately have DED
here, I think so far this year I have spotted 4 or 5 dying trees due to
the disease. With most trees on city property being elms, DED spreads
quickly.

Around these parts, DED has already come through like wildfire, so I
don't think burning is the rule anymore, as it's pretty much already
entrenched. I don't think I've even seen an elm in quite a long time,
this guy just happened to have a couple that survived a little longer
than the others. Just in case, I'll keep it err... quarantined... in
my garage. :)

On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 21:15:40 GMT, (Chuck)
wrote:

On Fri, 05 Aug 2005 20:53:21 -0500, Prometheus
wrote:

We were hanging out in the shop after work tonight, and one of the
guys I work with mentioned that he has an elm tree that died this
year, and is still standing in his yard. He said I could have it if I
wanted it, and as elm is getting rarer every year, I can hardly see
telling him I don't! Any of you folks turned this, how does it
look/cut/etc. Any points of interest with it, like excessive cracking
or other things to watch out for?

Don't know about the ornamentals called this-or-that "elm" or any
subspecies, but I do know that American elm is a really nice wood.
While it does have a somewhat distinctive odor when green, it is a
very tough and split-resistant wood, with some beautiful chatoyance
and often very nice grain, not to mention the myriads of pin knots you
can often find in it. I have been fortunate enough to get several
entire American elms over the past couple of years and I really love
this wood. Make sure your tools are sharp, and touch them up often,
and you should have no problems with it, especially since it is
standing dead, and therefore won't be "green." (So there'll be less
smell)

Good deal- I'm needing some more wood, as I've almost finished turning
all the birch I nabbed, and I'm waiting for the ten gazillion tons of
basswood I've got to dry before I bother with it- just didn't want to
waste a day or two harvesting junk wood. (Especially since I do all
my felling and cutting with hand tools!)