I’ve done some reading in the old discussions regarding red elm. I do not know anything about it other than what I have read in those old discussions. It appears that people are either for or strongly against red elm.
What can you tell me about it that makes it good or bad? Also, I located some rough 1″x12″x12′ boards for $0.65 a board foot. Is this wood worth buying at this price?
Any positive or negative comments are greatly appreciated!
Replies
Whether a wood is good or bad gets to be pretty subjective. Personally, I think red elm is the nicest of the elms for cabinetwork. It is slightly more ring-porous than most other elms and this gives it a somewhat bolder figure. It is also stronger and denser than American elm (AKA: gray elm) and it has a richer, reddish tan color.
On the downside, all of the elms have poor decay resistance and tend to be very unstable when exposed to changes in humidity...so they are poor choices for exterior projects and require a little more thought in terms of design and joinery options even when used for interior projects...especially cabinets with wide edge-glued panels. The elms also have a rather foul odor and they tend to be a little stringy, so they aren't particularly pleasant to work with.
But if you are up to the challenge, the results can be rewarding. The elms have a complex and very attractive figure. Quartersawn stock yields a ribbon-grain pattern that literally shimmers in the light and even the flatsawn surface typically exhibits a finely ring-porous, meandering figure with sort of a partridge feather pattern in the denser latewood. I use elm occasionally for small items, like clock cases, where none of the parts are large enough for the wood's instability to cause any serious structural problems.
I made two childrens tables each with two chairs out of red elm. I found the wood easy to work -- it is not as hard as oak or ash. I think it makes good looking furniture. I also made a craftsman style tray and a jewelry box. The box was made out of quartersawn boards. My wife thought it was too "stripey", but I thought it was striking. The wood had tones of yellow green and several shades of brown. I would buy that wood in a moment.
Not much to add to the above, except that at the price, I would lay in a few project's worth in an heartbeat. The downsides have been explained, but the figure can be gorgeous, and while finishing cuts are tricky because of how stringy it can be, it is soft enough to work well for shaping and jointery.
It was fairly easy to find in Vermont, but the only time I have found it commercially in Northern Virgina it was north of $2, and was fairly badly case-hardened at that. Still smelled the same--I cut and split many, many cords of it growing up. Not particularly pleasant unless you are used to it, but better than some.
At that price, buy some, and burn it if you hate it.
/jvs
Thank you all for your comments.
Do any of you or anyone else have any pictures of projects that you have made using red elm?
I'll try. It is my first attempt, we'll see how it comes out.
Would you be interested in seeing my projects built with American Elm?
Sure. What is the difference?
I will get some pictures on here for you to look at in the next few days. This weekend I will be very busy. As far as the differences between red and grey elm, I think its mostly just a color issue, altho I have never worked with red elm. By the way, where are you and did you buy any of that elm you talked about? I wouldnt mind buying some myself.
Edited 3/13/2004 4:59 pm ET by ArtHeft
OK...here goes. My first time trying to post attachments.
#1 is a small table that I made several of for my sisters and friends - all stained differently.
#2 is a bookcase that measures 84" x 84" and is stained with cherry gel.
#3 is a closeup of an interesting area of figure on the bookcase.
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