Wood ID.....Elm?

[dannynelson77]

Never had Elm before but this stuff is very stringy as you can see. Is it Elm?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Difficult from the picture but it sure looks and splits like elm.

 

[nrford]

Yup Elm

 

[ScotO]

looks just like the elm around here. Being it's stringy, that pretty much locks it down.

 

[Jags]

Hmmph...I wanna say elm, but something about it throws me off.....

 

[chinkapin_oak]

Yep, it's Elm

 

[Locust Post]

American Elm 99.9 % sure.

 

[DexterDay]

Here is some Elm I cut last year. Very Stringy indeed....

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/wood-i-d-please-stringy.68997/

 

[firefighterjake]

Bark, color of the wood and stringiness all say American elm to me.

 

[timusp40]

77,
Oh yeah it's Elm and your photo brings back some unpleasant hand splitting memories.
Have fun,
Tim

 

[Jags]

Now...for the true gore of elm, I present...

 

[Ashful]

So, if you were doing all your splitting by hand, and you didn't have an endless supply of wood on your own property (I have tons of cedar, which is not so choice), would you pass up free elm? I've been offered some, and have not experienced splitting this stuff myself, yet. Is there any possibility of halving the rounds with the chainsaw, and then splitting half rounds from there? I've had good success doing that with cedar, which is also notoriously difficult, due to knots every few inches down the length of any given split.

 

[Jags]

So, if you were doing all your splitting by hand, and you didn't have an endless supply of wood on your own property (I have tons of cedar, which is not so choice), would you pass up free elm? I've been offered some, and have not experienced splitting this stuff myself, yet. Is there any possibility of halving the rounds with the chainsaw, and then splitting half rounds from there? I've had good success doing that with cedar, which is also notoriously difficult, due to knots every few inches down the length of any given split.

Hand splitting of a difficult elm (and I differentiate - some aren't bad, some are monsters) is a bit different than other species. I have always had my best luck by slabbing off the sides.

It really comes down to the tree. In the pics above - you ain't hand splitting that, but that tree was the worst of any that I have EVER seen. The average elm is gonna be more work than a nice clean hickory, but it is splittable.

 

[Wood Duck]

I would take free Elm if it was offered. I think the splits you show in the picture are on the hard-to-split end of the elm spectrum. Sure, it gets worse, but you also encounter some elm that isn't so bad. It burns a lot longer than cedar (I am assuming you have Eastern Red Cedar, which is nice but low density firewood) so I would want to have some for overnight burns.

 

[firefighterjake]

So, if you were doing all your splitting by hand, and you didn't have an endless supply of wood on your own property (I have tons of cedar, which is not so choice), would you pass up free elm? I've been offered some, and have not experienced splitting this stuff myself, yet. Is there any possibility of halving the rounds with the chainsaw, and then splitting half rounds from there? I've had good success doing that with cedar, which is also notoriously difficult, due to knots every few inches down the length of any given split.

Well not knowing where you are and if you're talking red or white cedar . . . I know eastern white cedar is typically one of the easier to split woods as long as there are not a lot of knots.

Elm on the other hand is considered evil by many folks who split by hand . . . that said . . . American elm can also split up pretty easy . . . depending on the condition. When I've split up standing dead elm with the bark actually falling off it split pretty easily with very little issues or stringiness (albeit it was with a hydraulic splitter). Live elm however typically is a whole other experience . . . even with a hydraulic splitter.

So to answer the question . . . I guess I would take the elm if it's free . . . try splitting it by hand, but if it is just too miserable you can put it to the side and when you get enough of whatever wood you have rent a splitter if necessary.

 

[onetracker]

Now...for the true gore of elm, I present...

THAT
is a riot.
imagine trying to split that by hand?

great photos

 

[blujacket]

I split an Elm like Jags pics. I will pass on future Elm. Not taking my chances with any.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I split a bunch of elm today. None of it was stringy either. Split like a charm. The key is that it was dead and most of the bark had fallen before we cut it. This is what you need with elm.

 

[Ashful]

Well not knowing where you are and if you're talking red or white cedar . . . I know eastern white cedar is typically one of the easier to split woods as long as there are not a lot of knots.

Philadelphia area. Not sure what type of cedar I have, but the heartwood is an almost unnatural shade of bright pink. Smells wonderful when cutting, and ripping it makes piles of long curly shavings to carpet the splitting area. The rare clear piece does split with ease, but most pieces are full of knots, which hold the splits together like carriage bolts.

 

[ailanthus]

Philadelphia area. Not sure what type of cedar I have, but the heartwood is an almost unnatural shade of bright pink. Smells wonderful when cutting, and ripping it makes piles of long curly shavings to carpet the splitting area. The rare clear piece does split with ease, but most pieces are full of knots, which hold the splits together like carriage bolts.

Sounds like red cedar to me; there's a ton of it here as well - actually a juniper rather than a true cedar. I had some in a pile that had seasoned for a couple years before splitting & I thought it hand split pretty easily for something with so many knots. (was also very dry & ready to burn right after splitting)

 

[firefighterjake]

Sounds like red cedar to me; there's a ton of it here as well - actually a juniper rather than a true cedar. I had some in a pile that had seasoned for a couple years before splitting & I thought it hand split pretty easily for something with so many knots. (was also very dry & ready to burn right after splitting)

I agree . . . around here we have eastern white cedar and other than an occasional pink tinge in the center it's almost always a white wood.

 

[Ashful]

Question is, does it make decent fuel? I had read it's really only good for kindling, and not good as a primary fuel. So I was splitting a lot of 12" - 18" knotty rounds into 1" kindling, which was not so fun.

 

[Jags]

Elm makes for fine stove chow. It ain't hickory or Oak, but it is somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as output goes.

 

[firefighterjake]

Elm makes for fine stove chow. It ain't hickory or Oak, but it is somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as output goes.

I think he was talking about the red cedar . . . but if he was talking about elm . .. yeah, good wood. I use a fair amount of it.

 

[Jags]

I think he was talking about the red cedar . . . but if he was talking about elm . .. yeah, good wood. I use a fair amount of it.

Yeah, your probably right, Jake.