Glen-L.com

I just got an email from someone who has "the largest American elm I could imagine" and will be cutting it down and giving it to me if I want. I read in the boat building lumber that it is best to avoid. But then I googled "american elm boat building" and get many websites that say it is a common boat building wood.

Has anyone used it?

I can't answer! After Dutch Elm Disease, I have not seen much. I know where there is a lot of American Chestnut. But, you'll have to tear down the houses to get it.

Bill

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Mini -Tug, KH Tahoe 19 & Bartender 24 - There can be no miracle recoveries without first screwing up.
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You can read all about it at Rock Elm wood properties by connected lines
shrinks a lot and quite heavy hard to bend. Stan

rasorinc is it just a question of seasoning it for a year? does anyone have any experience. looks like it may not be such a good boat building wood. aparently rough on tools and not durable?

My wood technology book by R. Bruce Hoadley shows the elms to have a moderate tendency to warping while drying, a moderate strength/wt. ratio (less than doug fir) and poor decay resistance.

Don

Don's comments seem consistent to my memory of an elm I cut down in the '80s. By the time I burned it some of it was in bad shape in the wood pile. Oak firewood lasted much better.

Warpage would not surprise me. The grain is very twisted. A real pain to split. Some of the logs would check almost to the center after a while.

Bill

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Mini -Tug, KH Tahoe 19 & Bartender 24 - There can be no miracle recoveries without first screwing up.
Tahoe 19 Build

The small northern Illinois town in which I grew up in the 50's and 60's had huge, stately elms lining every street creating a beautiful shaded, vaulted cathedral effect. I paid a visit recently and was saddened -but not surprised- to see every one was gone, victims of DED.

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Art Shand

I guess I'll pass on elm wood then. It will surely end up as firewood now.

DED and Chestnut Blight hurt my heart.

I miss the trees.

Bill

_________________
Mini -Tug, KH Tahoe 19 & Bartender 24 - There can be no miracle recoveries without first screwing up.
Tahoe 19 Build

You should see what the pine beetle is doing out in BC. I've seen thousands of acres devastated by it. I've also spent some time in forests that were destroyed by forest fires, picking morels. It's creepy.

I sawed up a big elm tree with my bandmill a couple of years ago. Heavy and hard, air dried pretty nicely though, without a lot of cracking or warping. The stuff that got made into firewood was a $^%* to split, and left a lot of ash behind. I can imagine it being a good boat wood for some parts, but maybe not so easy to bend.

hi,im useing red elm for my frames ,its tough and very good looking wood.mike

I don't know about using in boat building but I know the wood well they are a weed tree in Utah they are very pron to wood rot and insect infestation . they hold moisture it does not season well and does not take finishes well. it really does not even make good fire wood it stinks like a outhouse burning.

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Modified Jubilee-"Wild Flower" 40' house boat
14' Mr John-Wild Flower 2
32' Supper Huck- Wild flower 3

Rod H

I really wish i was still living in Ohio i have 176 acres of hard woods just before I moved back to Utah I gave about 500 board foot of mixed hard wood to my brother that i had seasoned for 10 years. I still have access to the trees but not really feasible to cut and mill the trees due to drying times, then transporting them here to Utah

_________________
Don't be afraid to attempt anything. You might surprise your self in the attempt.
http://www.facebook.com/Home.Made.Boat.Building
Modified Jubilee-"Wild Flower" 40' house boat
14' Mr John-Wild Flower 2
32' Supper Huck- Wild flower 3

Rod H

im useing red elm ,its great looking and tough and it has a history in boat building,just google a bit,mike