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Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998

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elm with figured center?

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elm with figured center?

#1

elm with figured center?

John K Jordan

In a thread on the flat side was some discussion about slabs and elm. I mentioned I got some elm about 10 years that had some beautiful complex dark figure all the way down the center of a really big tree. I saved some turning blanks from the center and have turned a few.

Today I grabbed a picture. The small block with a bit of finish is maybe 3" square.


The figure was only in a narrow section in the center of the 26-30" diameter tree. The other elm trees I've cut were almost entirely a light cream color. Just wondering: does anyone know if this typical for elm or unusual?

JKJ

Re: elm with figured center?

#2

Lyle Jamieson

Re: elm with figured center?

Lyle Jamieson

Thats rare up north in Michigan. When elm spalts up here it turns blotchy and lightens in color almost white.

Re: elm with figured center?

#3

Re: elm with figured center?

John Veerkamp

I've cut a fair amount of elm over the years. I always look for interesting wood to turn. Maybe 10% or less has really nice figure for turning. Elm crotch can be particularly striking. It also salts readily which offers other possibilities. Turned elm with salting or nice figure always sells well.

Re: elm with figured center?

#4

Re: elm with figured center?

John K Jordan

This didn't look like spalting to me, at least not like any spalting I've ever seen.

It was from the ground to at least 60ft up in the tree, not the least punky even next to the ground. I speculated it was some sort of mineral deposit. The tree was bigger than any elm I've cut so I wondered if that had anything to do with it. Or maybe it just had an interesting youth growing up on the edge of a creek.

The guy had cut it into big chunks by the time I saw it (tractor lifting size chunks) and I only grabbed a few. After I saw what it was like inside I wished I had gotten more. The bland bulk made good firewood.

JKJ

Re: elm with figured center?

#5

salted?

John K Jordan

>It also salts readily which...

OK, that's a new one on me! What is salted wood?

JKJ

Re: elm with figured center?

#6

Heck, I would have guessed hackberry

Dick Coers

It doesn't have the course growth rings I see around here.

Re: elm with figured center?

#7

wood ID is tricky

John K Jordan

ID from a photo of the figure can be a wild guess!

The only reliable way I know to ID hardwoods, besides having the leaves in hand, is by analyzing the growth rings as described by Hoadley. (I've made a bit of a hobby of this.) All my references show elm has very distinctive wavy bands of latewood pores.

What I have is convincingly elm:



In this case, I had the bark and the leaves as well. Elm for sure.

BTW, the bark on hackberry is unmistakable. I have cut some trees and blanks (some nicely spalted). I don't care much for turning hackberry or it's cousins. Hackberry is also the the most difficult to dig out the roots that I've ever encountered! Twice I had to dig out stumps and it took a hole at least 15' across. This one stump took me days with backhoe and bobcat and I even had access underneath 3/4s of the way around!

Clearing for the shop.


JKJ

Re: elm with figured center?

#8

Brad Vietje

WOW!  Looks like Olive!


Re: elm with figured center?

#9

Re: salted?

dick Strauss

Spalts maybe?

Re: elm with figured center?

#10

Re: WOW!  Looks like Olive!

John K Jordan

After turning some I REALLY wished I had picked up more. This is a lidded box I just finished:


I have some more pictures I plan to post later, in case anyone wants a look.

JKJ

Re: elm with figured center?

#11

ebd

Re: WOW!  Looks like Olive!

ebd

Yep. I want a look. Beautiful.

Re: elm with figured center?

#12

Re: salted?

John Veerkamp

it's a typo. spalted

Re: elm with figured center?

#13

typo

John K Jordan

Oh, thanks! I thought it must be a typo but then I wondered, hmmm.. I did a Google search for "salted wood" and saw some pictures and links, most about driftwood, one that looked like some kind of finish technique (or problem!)

As mentioned, the figure in the photos I posted was all the way up the center of a huge live, healthy tree and didn't look spalted to me but I don't remember ever seeing elm that I knew to be spalted. Do the patterns in the pictures look like the spalted elm you may have experience with?

JKJ