Thread: English Elm

I don't know if it grows too quickly over here but English elm is a beautiful wood. Ercol the English furniture manufacturer used it all the time not so long back. Maybe they still do. It was also 'renowned' for coffins and in days gone by was used for wheel arches on trucks.
It was suggested in another thread that it would make good tool handles.
Jim

Elm has interlocked grain which makes it extremely tough and elastic - a feature that lends itself very well to making Windsor seats where only a leg at each corner can support some exceedingly large posteriors.

If your mate is selling some wide boards of elm, I would be very interested in some about 45mm thick.

OK I'll suggest to him that there may be some interest in it, although if it's nice he will want to keep some of it and I'll be there with my box trailer too

The main thing is that, as there is some investment in time involved, we need to make sure he mills them in a way that maximises the useful boards. I guess if he just slabs it at 2" then he'll get some nice wide boards towards the centre of the tree. I assume that for a chair seat you would want them close to quarter sawn, or does it not matter?

Originally Posted by silentC

OK I'll suggest to him that there may be some interest in it, although if it's nice he will want to keep some of it and I'll be there with my box trailer too

The main thing is that, as there is some investment in time involved, we need to make sure he mills them in a way that maximises the useful boards. I guess if he just slabs it at 2" then he'll get some nice wide boards towards the centre of the tree. I assume that for a chair seat you would want them close to quarter sawn, or does it not matter?

Quartersawing isn't necessary with elm, though having said that, as the wider, most suitable seat boards are taken from the centre of the log, they are inherently quartersawn.

At the very least, I would be keen on 'a couple of seats worth' of seat-sized elm.

For that matter, if anyone else has, or knows of any suitable elm seat boards, I would be very interested in getting some.

It will be a couple of years at least before this stuff is ready. The trees are still standing and then he will probably just air dry them, although I suppose if he had enough demand, it might be worth his while getting some of it kiln dried.

I just want to make sure he doesn't render it useless with his chainsaw

Originally Posted by Woodwould

only a leg at each corner can support some exceedingly large posteriors.

If your mate is selling some wide boards of elm, I would be very interested in some about 45mm thick.

Say no more!

Denn

It's a good and under-rated turning timber.

The stuff I've used was fairly open and straight grained; when green it looks striking with cream sapwood and chocolate boardwood, but unfortunately UV turns it all a rather boring deep beige.

cream sapwood and chocolate boardwood

That's how he described it to me. The sapwood is very thin in the one or two trees he has cut. I need to go and have a look for myself but he's a couple of hours drive from me.

Elm is beautiful, and great to work with. Steam-bends well, finishes well. Have a look at the attached chair of mine. All sections are solid steam-bent elm.

Attachment 87500

Attachment 87499

Attachment 87498

Get hoarding!

Regards

Ravi

Nice chair. I'll send him a picture to show him what can be done with English Elm in the right hands.