Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Elm?
Bert Workman
>I've come accross some Elm and wonder if there are any thoughts on how it turns. I've taken a few pieces and sealed the ends. Mostly crotches and other interesting bits. Is it worth going back for a significant ammount of the trunk?
Thanks,
Bert
Re: Elm?
Dick Hines
>I would say yes. I get some last fall and it spent the winter laying on the cement floor. It spalted nicely.
Elm smells strange but turns great. That is one person's openion.
Re: Elm?
John Veerkamp
>I've turned a bunch of elm. It can turn out very nice. often lots of nice spalting. It is quite strong and can be turned thin. end grain can be prone to tearout, so have good sharp tools. In American elm there are often lots of color variations. The crotches have spectacular figuring. Be sure it is well dried since it does twist and distort if turned wet. If you like to accept what nature does to the shape, it can be turned wet with interesting results.
one of my favorite woods.
John
Go for it
Earl
>I have accumulated alot of elm, mainly because a friend was using a free tree for firewood. He has more firewood than he will burn in 50 years, so he has said that I can have all I want. It's beautiful.
As has been said, it does tear out easily. But now that the wood I have is slightly drier (still very green, though) that seems to be minimal.
Re: Go for it
Dan Bailey
>I rough turn and kiln dry a lot of American Elm bowl blanks.
It is one of my best sellers!
Have Fun.