yellow elm???

[Larry]

Asking this for a friend of my wife. Has anyone ever heard of "yellow elm" (from Ohio)? If so, what would 1" rough cut (very) air dried boards be good for? Thanks for any help you can give!

[John Crea]

If you like the wood, then that 1in rough lumber can be used like any other rough lumber, run it thru the jointer, then the planner and build whatever you want with it

John

[Scott Post]

I've only used elm once and I'm not sure if it was "yellow" or not. It looks somewhat like ash or oak and has a light brown cast. The problem I had is it warped like crazy. I don't believe it was a drying defect because I got it from a guy I've bought a couple thousand bf from over the years with good luck.

I suspect it warped because it was flatsawn. I've since talked to a guy who uses a lot of elm in 18th century reproduction work and he said he'll only use quartersawn elm for this reason.

[Larry]

It's not my wood. I'm asking for a friend of my wife. Her father had a ton of the wood stored in his barn in Ohio. He is now in a nursing home and they are trying to get the property cleared up & ready for sale. They don't know if it's worth trying to sell the wood or to just toss it.

[George]

Once it's had a few cycles, it's not bad, just worse than the common cabinet woods. Trouble comes in the growth habit of the tree, which produces grain reversals. Elm is notoriously difficult to split for this reason, but for the same reason it's less predictable in movement in response to moisture change.

Buy the wood, or sell it. It's pretty, durable, and certainly useable with good solid wood technique.

[J T]

Thu, Apr 22, 2004, 8:02am george@least (George) says: Once it's had a few cycles, it's not bad, just worse than the common cabinet woods. Trouble comes in the growth habit of the tree, which produces grain reversals. Elm is notoriously difficult to split for this reason, but for the same reason it's less predictable in movement in response to moisture change. Buy the wood, or sell it. It's pretty, durable, and certainly useable with good solid wood technique.

Yes, but you are saying "elm" and he is saying "yellow elm". I took a quick look, and the only reference I found to "yellow elm" was a couple of antique Chinese stools, and the wood was named as yellow elm. So, maybe he is actually alking about elm, and possibly something else.

JOAT The Good are Innocent so they invented Justice. The Evil are Guilty so they invented Mercy.

- Unknown

[George]

You can only answer with what you know, unless, of course you're special, as you are.

Elms are remarkably similar regardless of origin, and a quantity of lumber is less likely to be from an exotic than an indigenous.

[Charlie Self]

George responds:

Your last statement seems likely, but the only yellow elm I can locate, and that's not firm, is Mongolian yellow elm. No details whatsoever.

Hackberry is sometimes marketing with elm, and is sometimes called bastard elm. The wood is a yellowish gray going to a pale brown with yellow streaks, so it sounds like it might fit.

Charlie Self "Property is not the sacred right. When a rich man becomes poor it is a misfortune, it is not a moral evil. When a poor man becomes destitute, it is a moral evil, teeming with consequences and injurious to society and morality." Lord Acton

[George]

Lemme see. I shouldn't respond because elm generic doesn't match the species of some exotic, and you then go to hackberry, which isn't in the same genus?

Oh well, at least hackberry is more likely to produce "tons" of wood in Ohio than some exotic.

Of course, it could really be elm, in which case it probably grows in the characteristic way, producing wood with the characteristics I mentioned, couldn't it?

[Charlie Self]

George responds:

You sure got your knickers in a twist over something I didn't say. You post what you want, eh?

As an incidental, hackberry is in the family Ulmaceae, the--guess what!--elm family, if not genus. Even knicknamed bastard elm.

I dunno what's twisting your shorts, but you need to check it out before it causes a rash.

Charlie Self "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right." Thomas Paine

[George]

"Your last statement seems likely, but the only yellow elm I can locate, and that's not firm, is Mongolian yellow elm. No details whatsoever."

Such faint praise seems a bit damning. Guess it's my fault for seizing upon the word "elm" in the original post and running with it, while you cleverly seized on the word "yellow." That's why you're a wordsmith, I guess.

Notice how carefully I worded my response so as not to mislead. I even used the word "genus." Perhaps you're right, the real key to understanding your posting is the word "bastard."

[P van Rijckevorsel]

From: George Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 2:02 PM

with good solid wood technique.

• + + One thing elm is not is durable. Strong yes. Durable no. Some great-looking and serviceable furniture has been made from elm

• + +

Charlie Self schreef

what!--elm family, if not genus. Even knicknamed bastard elm.

• + +

Latest thing is to move it to its own family, Celtidaceae. Most everybody is embarrassed about this, but it appears inevitable. PvR

[George]

Cladistics....

[P van Rijckevorsel]

George schreef

• + + Quite PvR