Free elm?

[colophoto]

If you were like me and lived in a pine only area and did not have a hydraulic splitter, would you take a load or three of free freshly cut down elm? I have an offer for probably 2-3 truck loads, don't have a ton of space, but I'm sure it will fit. I don't want to end my back splitting it. Thoughts?

 

[JA600L]

I cut down an elm about two years ago. It is quite unpleasant to work with. I used wedges and a sledge hammer for the most part. I even sawed it in to splits at one attempt of desperation. For the major trunk section I borrowed a splitter. The tree I cut was dead standing and it didn't take long till everything was ready to burn. I can't complain it provided me with good heat for a whole winter.


The output is good, it really does a decent job of heating a house. It has kind of a blue flame to it, the fire puts out a lot of heat and leaves nice big coals for hours later for a good reload. I would grab it and be patient with it. Split a few pieces a night. Spread it out so you don't kill yourself.

 

[bigbarf48]

I'd grab it and do JA suggests, spread the work over a period of time. Split a round or two every time you go out to split your other wood

 

[Paulywalnut]

Yes. Dry it and burn it with your pine. Oh and rent a splitter.

 

[colophoto]

one more question, the trees are standing live so the wood will be as green as it gets. is this a 1-2 year likely dry time split and stored well?

 

[albert1029]

it burns good...gotta take it...split it around the outside edge and work your way in on the big ones...very moist wood...

 

[colophoto]

Harbor freight has a manual hydraulic splitter for cheap. think that thing could handle elm?

 

[Soundchasm]

I got through an elm with my $300 5-ton electric. I didn't have any nasty pieces, but none of it was volunteering to split apart. The biggest drag was when the wedge would sink into the wood and get stuck. It really stunk to try and get those 18" diameter rounds dislodged to start over. But once I heard the first crack, I knew it was only a matter of time...

I swear that thing gives me tennis elbow from holding down the button and the handle at the same time!

 

[BillLion]

After taking 2 free loads of elm last year my personal rule is to let the next guy have it from now on. A BEAR to split. As mentioned a maul and a wedge are essential. Even then it's awful. It doesn't really split. You have to to drive the wedge from top to bottom with many swings.

I borrowed a splitter to process the rounds quickly.

That said, no complaints about the burns. It's nice medium BTU hardwood.

If I were you and had mostly pine I would probably take it and then rent or borrow a splitter. I recommend you try to split some manually because it will be a lot of fun to have you vent your frustrations here , but I wouldn't attempt to split it all by hand.

Good luck!

 

[JA600L]

If it is still green your looking at a 2 year drying time. I believe it does soak up moisture pretty well too so keep it dry. Elm is also a wood that they tell you not to move around too much for fear of spreading the Dutch Elm Disease that wiped out most of the old elm trees in the US.

 

[firefighterjake]

Yes . . . assuming American elm . . . it can be miserable to split by hand, but if standing dead may split up OK . . . probably better BTU than most softwoods available to you . . . worse comes to worse, you can rent a splitter for a day or two if you have enough. I guess for me, free wood is good wood.

 

[Wood Duck]

I'd take it and split it by hand. I have found elm is not so much hard to split as it is hard to get the split pieces to separate. There are always stringy bits of wood holding together the two sides of each split and I have to use an axe to cut them. It is a pain in the butt, but I'd still take it. Elm is a good, mid-range hardwood.

 

[aansorge]

If you are hand splitting, I would pass.

 

[BobUrban]

free delivered?? is there any real question here. Unless you are buried in oak or something this is a no brainer for me. Sometimes you get lucky and can split it w/o too much effort. If not - planning well and renting a splitter for a day will provide some really good firewood. Seasons in about 12 months, burns hot and leaves little ash. I love the stuff(after it is in the stacks!!) But I certainly would not turn this offer down even with 15-20+ cord in the yard.

 

[lindnova]

I would take it. Do you know what variety it is? Red elm is best, but scarce. American elm is common even with the disease, usually smaller trees - burns good, splits hardest. Siberian splits better, but burns more like a soft maple.

I burn a lot of elm. Mostly dead trees. After dead they split real nice. With live elm I definitely use the hydraulic splitter. I have had some pieces of american elm that would not split wet no matter how I positioned it in the splitter - kind of like splintery rubber. Red elm will crack better, but still is stringy.

If you don't have a hyd splitter and have the room, let it sit for a year and it will be easier to split when dry.

 

[hiites]

I would noodle it. That's the only way I handle elm anymore. Thanks to the good folks on here that enlightened me to that method.

 

[Applesister]

Like skinny dipping and drivein movies and chevy trucks, cutting up an elm tree is part of Americana.
You should take it on for the shear experience of it.
And its all the more bittersweet to sit around the campfire with your buddies telling them what a SOB it was to split.
The guys here sound like they are proud to complain.
Do it while you can, the trees are dying out.

 

[HackBerry]

I would take it just to see what everyone is talking about. I could cut an elm on my property but I've got acres of hackberry and walnut that are much easier to cut. Supposedly hackberry is similar to elm, and in the same family, but I haven't been able to compare the two yet.

 

[teutonicking]

I would not take it (especially if you don't have a hydraulic splitter), but then again there is a lot of free wood available in my area that is better.

 

[albert1029]

i choose my battles and take the medium straight pieces that can burn whole or split a bit easier...dry elm burns very good....

 

[JA600L]

I would burn very dry elm over locust. Thats just me, but in the coaling stage it seems to keep its heat better.

 

[jeffesonm]

What would you rather spend your time doing... cranking away at a pile of stubborn elm, or driving/cutting/moving/splitting something easier?

 

[Log farmer]

I have been sawing up red elm and boy does it put out the heat! And it also ruins your chain fast on the saw, it is tuff!

 

[JA600L]

I usually see sparks flying from the chainsaw cutting American Elm.

 

[aansorge]

Agreed...standing dead elm is very hard to cut.