Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
elm bowl blanks
LT
>Just received a number of logs from an neighbor's elm tree. Unsure if the tree was felled due to elm disease. I would like to cut the logs into bowl blanks. Should I be concerned if the tree had elm disease? Never turned elm before, any special considerations? Thanks.
Re: elm bowl blanks
Bruce McElhaney Spring Lake, MI
>Elm is a beautiful wood and turns very well. It is one of my favorite turning woods. I'm no expert, but it is my understanding that most of the elm trees available today are of an elm variety that is free from the old dutch elm disease problem. Regardless, I wouldn't worry about it.
Re: elm bowl blanks
Peter Teubel
>Scorching it will bring out the grain patterns quite nicely.
Re: elm bowl blanks
Brad Vietje
>LT-- Great wood to turn, but much harder and stringier when dry than when green. If the wood is spalted (has black lines in it) I would be concerned, and wear a mask, but that's due to the fungus causing the spalting, not the Dutch Elm Disease. Elm is one wood I don't leave laying around in log form for very long -- it spalts very quickly, and becomes rather soft if you let it go too far. The spalting often happens along the growth rings (sometimes a white fungus that is hard to see) so the spalted wood can be weaker than it looks -- spin it up to speed before you stand in front of it. I'd cut it up and have a rough turn-a-thon !
Nice haul, though...
Safe spinning,
Brad Vietje
Thetford, VT
Re: Dutch Elm Disease doing well
Dale Stansbery
>Unfortunately Dutch Elm Disease is alive and doing well here in Ohio at least. There may cultivars out there that are resistant, but in the wild, very few elms achieve a size greater than 10-12" dbh that don't succumb. It's a constant battle every year to clear my paths through the woods to clear the fallen dead elms.
Re: I really like that!
Al Crandall
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Re: elm bowl blanks
LT
>Thanks for all of the feedback! My only regret is not getting more logs. BTW, it helps to befriend a local tree trimmer. I'll be getting some cherry, silver maple and russian olive in the next couple of weeks!
Re: I really like that!
Peter Teubel
>Thanks, Al. Here's a couple more using the same technique. Sanded to 400, scorched lightly along the grain lines, sanded to 600, coated with a couple coats of Waterlox, and buffed with the Beall system.